The testing journey of pregnancy is changing.
From routine ultrasounds to AI-assisted embryo selection, a new wave of technology is targeting one of the most closely-watched areas of Australian healthcare.
Australian mothers-to-be typically move through a well-established sequence of tests over the course of a pregnancy.
For many that sequence begins even earlier, during fertility treatment. As artificial intelligence moves into healthcare more broadly, a number of companies are now applying it to parts of this pathway, from embryo selection through to genetic screening.
The current testing journey
For most pregnant women in Australia, testing begins in the first trimester. Combined first-trimester screening, a nuchal translucency ultrasound taken between 11 and 13 weeks, paired with a maternal blood test, remains the publicly funded standard of care for assessing chance of conditions such as Down syndrome.
Many women also choose non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), a blood test available from around 10 weeks that analyses fragments of fetal DNA circulating in the mother’s blood and is understood to detect a very high proportion of Down syndrome cases, though guidelines note it is not used as a stand-alone diagnostic test.
Where screening results indicate increased chance of a chromosomal or genetic condition, women may be offered diagnostic testing. This is chorionic villus sampling (CVS) at 11 to 13 weeks or amniocentesis from around 15 weeks. Both of which carry a small procedure-related risk and are usually preceded by genetic counselling.
Later in pregnancy, most women also complete a mid-trimester anomaly (morphology) ultrasound around 18 to 20 weeks, a glucose tolerance test around 24 to 28 weeks to screen for gestational diabetes, and a Group B Streptococcus swab in the final weeks before birth.
For the growing number of Australians undergoing fertility treatment before pregnancy even begins, the testing load starts earlier still. Hormone monitoring across an IVF cycle, ultrasound tracking of follicle development, and embryology assessments used to select embryos for transfer can add to the mental and emotional load of fertility.
Where AI is entering the picture
Artificial intelligence is increasingly being applied across this pathway, particularly in embryology and genetic screening.
Israeli company AIVF entered the Australian market with an AI-based analysis of embryo development, drawing on large datasets of time-lapse embryo imaging to support clinicians’ embryo-selection decisions.
Sydney-based Genea Biomedx, develops laboratory devices used across the local IVF sector, works in the area of AI-powered cutting-edge technology to enhance clinical outcomes.
On the ASX, Monash IVF Group (ASX: MVF) remains the most established listed player spanning fertility treatment and prenatal diagnostic imaging, including through its Monash Ultrasound for Women and Sydney Ultrasound for Women businesses.
A smaller number of early-stage companies are also applying AI to prenatal genetic screening specifically.
One of those companies is Identifai Genetics. They are developing an AI-based screening approach intended to combine carrier screening and non-invasive prenatal testing from a single maternal blood sample. Any such technology would need to clear Australian regulatory requirements, including inclusion on the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s register, before local clinical use.
Reports indicate the broader fertility sector represents a meaningful and growing market: Australia’s fertility treatment market was valued at roughly US$528 million in 2023. It has been projected to grow at a compound annual rate of around 3.5 per cent to reach approximately US$670 million by 2030, providing a backdrop for continued investment and new entrants in the years ahead.
What it means for parents and the sector
For prospective parents, the promise of these technologies is generally framed around speed, accuracy and reducing the number of invasive procedures required to reach a result. For the sector, the open questions are familiar ones: how quickly new technologies can clear Australian regulatory approval, how they are priced and made accessible, and how clinicians and patients weigh new AI-based tools against long-established, well-validated testing pathways.
