Background The aim of this study was to determine the performance of nuchal translucency screening and its uptake in a low‐risk population Method For a period of 18 months all women attending midwife practices of two health regions were informed on the possibility of having nuchal translucency screening for Down's syndrome. Reasons for opting in or out were recorded and nuchal translucency measurement was performed on request. A risk of more than 1:200, based on gestational age, maternal age and NT, was used as cut‐off for increased risk. Preliminary results screening was offered to 6000 pregnant women, of which 83% accepted ( n = 4980). The main reason for declining the screening was not considering termination in case of an affected pregnancy. NT measurement failed in 179 cases (3.6%), mainly because of a gestational age of more than 14 weeks or because of a non viable pregnancy at ultrasound. Of the 4801 women in whom NT measurement was performed, 1.4% had an increased risk. Of these 40% were found to have a chromosomal anomaly and in 4% a structural defect was diagnosed at subsequent scans. In total an unfavourable outcome was recorded in 48% of cases with increased risk. Conclusion Women of all ages accept nuchal translucency screening. This is an effective screening method for chromosomal abnormalities with a low false positive‐rate.