Antenatal HIV screening, along with the other five antenatal blood tests, is offered to all pregnant women as a routine part of their antenatal care. Most women in New Zealand will be found not to have HIV. Women who are found to have HIV can then be offered treatment to reduce the chance that they will transmit the virus to the baby.

read more about Antenatal HIV Screening here

All women have a choice to be screened for Down syndrome in pregnancy. The National Screening Unit is currently managing the development and implementation of quality improvement measures for antenatal screening for Down syndrome.

read more about Antenatal Screening for Down Syndrome and other conditions – Quality Improvement Measures here

New Zealand’s free national breast screening programme checks women for signs of early breast cancer. Regular mammograms are available for women aged between 45 and 69 to reduce their risk of dying of breast cancer.

read more about BreastScreen Aotearoa here

The National Cervical Screening Programme is available to all women in New Zealand between 20 and 70 years old. The screening test checks for abnormal cell changes to the cervix, reducing the risk of women developing cervical cancer.

read more about National Cervical Screening Programme here

The Newborn Metabolic screening programme tests for babies for rare but potentially serious disorders such as phenylketonuria (PKU), cystic fibrosis and congenital hypothyroidism. Blood is taken from your baby’s heel about 48 hours after birth (the 'heel prick test') and sent to be tested.

read more about Newborn Metabolic Screening Programme here

Newborn hearing screening checks whether your baby hears well. If your baby has a hearing loss, finding it early is good for their language, learning and social development. When the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme is in place throughout the country, all 21 District Health Boards will offer screening free of charge.

read more about Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Programme here