My Quad Results Came up Positvie...

The Quad screens have many many many false positives. I tell women, that it is not a test to test for but instead a test to tell us if you need more testing. You can go in and have chromosomes pulled if you are really worried. You can also request a level II US and there are other indicators we can look at. DS babies have certain characteristics that can be seen on US. So right now, just take a breath and do not stress out. Know that the chances are more towards no than yes. No do not stress out and release extra stress hormones that neither you or baby need right now. Good luck and it will be fine!

False positives are pretty common. If you are freaking out about it, get an amnio. My sister had a false positive, and an amnio proved the baby did not have DS. Good luck.

I had a similar result, and opted to go and get a more advanced ultrasound that showed bone ratios and the heart all being fine...and my daughter is perfectly healthy. This is a test that unfortunately can give a false positive relatively easily...talk to a genetic counselor, who won't tell you that there is no chance, but may make more sense of it...

Hi J.,
I really have mixed feelings about the quad screen for this very reason! It's stressing you out and it hasn't really told you anything! Here are some things to know about the quad screen.
1. It's not very accurate. The screen is only about 60% accurate which is slightly better than a 50/50 per cent chance of being correct. False positives and false negatives are common. So you could have a negative screen and actually be carrying a DS child.
2. If the quad screen shows a positive, the only way to know if you have a "normal" child (what is normal, really?) or a child with DS is to do an Amniocentesis which carries with it a small chance of miscarriage.
3. It stresses you out without really telling you anything. So you have a 1 in 33 chance of having a child with DS. You have a 32 in 33 chance of not having a child with DS.
As I see it, your options are these: 1) Think about whether you would have an abortion if you found out your child was DS. If you would then you should definitely get the Amnio. and to either put your mind to rest or to make a really tough decision. 2) If you would not have an abortion, you may want to get the Amnio. to find out if your child has DS so that you can spend time preparing for your special needs child. 3) If you would not have an abortion and you the risk of miscarriage from the Amnio. seems like too much when you have a 32 out of 33 chance in having a normal, healthy baby, you can forgo the Amniocentesis and concentrate on having a normal, healthy pregnancy.

Some of the sweetest people on the planet have Downs.... Just start learning more about it since you may become one of those "special" mommys. 1 in 33 is 1 in 33, just be prepared just in case.
Prayers go out to you for strength for what may be a very large life changing event.

The quad screens often give false results and they are nowhere NEAR 100% accurate! The only way to tell for sure is to have an amnio since you're probably past the point for CVS testing. An amnio will tell you for sure, and then you AND your doctor can be prepared if you are going to have a special needs child. It can also completely ease your mind and let you know nothing is wrong!

Don't fret.

Ironic story: My quad test came back fine. But when I had the 20-week ultrasound to determine sex of our baby, they told me she (a girl, yippee!) had a "thick nuchal fold" and that because she measured ON THE BORDER of thick, she had a 1 in 13 chance of having Downs. They encouraged us to go to the genetic counselor. What a waste of time. We thought that this counselor would help us start down the road of learning how to take care of a Downs child, etc etc. All she did was inform us of all the different diseases and horrible things our daughter could have (based on family history) and, tho we had no other family history diseases to worry about our daughter contracting, the "genetic counselor" then counseled us to ABORT. On a 1 in 13 "risk" (which calculates to .8% NOT EVEN 1%).... and It was the most horrifying (and completely unhelpful) experience of my life.

I went through the same emotions. I was scared, I felt dread, I worried my brains out. I was robbed of any and all peace. A horrible thing with a pregnant woman already driven by her hormones. I really had to come to terms with WHY I felt that way. It helped me grow a lot. When we told the hospital, and the "genetic counselor" (glorified abortion advocate) that we would not abort, they told us they couldn't help us anymore. The hell. Why not help us learn, or direct us to resources on how to raise a child with disabilities?

I was tortured by whether or not to get the amnio. I knew it would bring me the peace of knowing for sure, but it carried with it a risk of miscarriage (a risk higher than the Down's risk, btw). We didn't want to lose our daughter, so we declined the amnio and waited until birth.

Ok, so fast forward. My daughter is now 28 months of age and does not have any diseases or "disabilities". She does not have Downs. Believe it or not, she is actually developmentally ADVANCED (can you believe it??). She is speaking in full sentences already (speaks better than her cousin, who is also an only child (so far) and a year older) and can count to 20 already. She learned her colors around 18 months. She's wicked smart.

Sometimes I wanna march her into that hospital and show them what they counseled me to get rid of just because it was a "risk".

Funny thing? When I asked them for sure that day, if my baby was a girl, they said, "Oh, don't go buying baby clothes just yet! Or at least keep the receipts and tags! We can't say with certainty what the sex will be, these tests aren't 100% accurate."

And yet they told me to abort on a .8% chance that my daughter may have Downs. Messed up, if you ask me.

All this to say, DON'T WORRY... I had a friend once who had a 1/4 chance (she was 45) and STILL had a baby without Downs. No matter what happens, even if you DO have a child with Downs, you are strong, and you are full of love for this little person growing inside of you, and you CAN do it, no matter what society, hospitals say. And that little baby will be amazing to you, no matter what society says is "wrong" with him/her.

You will never know the outcome until the end. This will be the hardest thing for you to do, but try to relax, think about the life inside of you. Research ds if you want, but if you can, try and enjoy the fact that God has given you the gift of life and he/she is growing inside you!! When I was prego with twins, I was freaked the entire 30 weeks I was able to carry them...we didn't even tell people we were preggers until I was 18 weeks...just to make sure...that is how afraid I was (plus I had 2 miscarriages before). I know your natural reaction is to think about what is going on inside you and what will, eventually, come out, but try and enjoy the blessing of your pregnancy. I am not sure if you have any other children, but if not, kick back, stay healthy, and ENJOY!!

I just want to encourage you with the fact that many times a quad screening comes back positive for DS and once the momma gives birth, she finds out that her baby is 100% healthy and doesn't have DS. I've heard so many stories of this happening that when I was preggo with my kids I declined the quad screening simply because I know that there were so many false positives.
I will be praying for you and please try not to worry. No matter what your baby will be perfect!

J., I too had a positive screening. My husband and I decided not to have further testing because we felt the risk of an amnio was too great. I also knew that confirmation wasn't going to change anything - I wouldn't abort, there wasn't anything medical that the doctors could do, so why take the chance of a miscarriage. Basically, we accepted that a child with DS was a possibility and we would deal with it. I was so scared because I already lead a very hectic life with a 2 year old and 2 family businesses struggling to make ends meet in this economy. I didn't think I was strong enough to have a special needs child. What I started to think about, though, was everything I knew or had heard about DS children. They're so happy.Read "The Memory Keeper's Daughter". It's fiction, but it really made me look at the possiblilty of a DS child in a positive way.

For a few weeks after the test I was stressed, scared, worried that I would be a terrible mother to a DS child, but after a bit of time, I accepted the possiblity and realized as a mother, I just wanted the child, wanted him to be happy, and that DS was not a death sentence. We just love our children.

My son was born in December without DS. Since the, I've heard of many with false positive screenings.

Frankly, if pregnant again, I won't have the tests done. Way too stressful.

the only thing that is accurate, is an Amniocentesis.
They will probably have you do this too.
They should also be having you see a "Genetic Counselor" which is the usual routine with genetic testing.

Quad tests, is not always accurate....

I would have an Amnio, ... check with your OB/GYN.

I have had 2 Amnio tests, with each of my pregnancies. It was fine.

Sorry that you are stressing over this. My husband and I chose not to have this test with either child because we truly didn't want to know and worry about it for the remainder of the pregnancy. You need to not worry about whether or not your child might be born with a disability, but whether or not you can love this child no matter what. I'm not meaning to sound harsh, but if you and your boyfriend aren't ready for the possible challenges you should have a backup plan for adoption in place.

That test... such a double edged sword. I know a person who tested positive, and did not have a downs baby. I know 2 people who tested negative, and did have downs babies.

Here's my thought...

If having downs really makes a difference in whether or not you will keep the baby, get the real deal test. CVI or Amnio. If it doesn't make a difference, you would keep baby either way... *try* to stop stressing, but mentally prepare yourself for what might happen.

I'm much older, but I too, had a 1/33 chance of DS with my first pregnancy. I stressed for 5 more weeks until I could have an amnio. Everything was fine.
With my 2nd, I chose not to do the quad. but my hubby really wanted me to have an amnio., so I did and wish I hadn't. It wasn't as easy as the first one. The first doc. was fantastic and knew exactly what he was doing, the second, not so much and my son kept getting his leg in the way.

I have 2 perfectly healthy kids, no complications. Do some research and try to alliviate your fears. I won't tell you not to stress out, I know exactly how you are feeling.

Lots of false positives, try to keep your head up.

Hi J.,

I had the same thing happen to me with my now very healthy 2 1/2 year old daughter. I was SOOO scared but I made up my mind that there is nothing that would make me terminate the pregnancy - no matter what. After that they had me go in for an ultrasound to check the size of my daughter's head etc. and they felt that it was a false read due to my calculations of when I got pregnant being off from how far along I actually was. Hopefully this will be the same for you. Don't freak out yet - I know it's really hard not too though. My little girl is the greatest gift in the world and even if she did have DS - I know she would still fill my world with happiness! Take care and best wishes...
J.

I'm probably late to the party here, but, ask if you can talk to a genetic counselor who can help you interpret the results and decide on a game plan. Only an amniocentesis can give you precise results, and other tests (like an ultrasound) can give you more information than the blood tests did.

FWIW, my last baby was screened positive for DS with the quad screen. The genetic counselor was able to help us get a better handle on what that information meant, and our baby was born healthy.

(Scanning the other answers - our genetic counselor was NOT an advocate for one course of action over the other. In fact, she was almost annoyingly impartial, and able to produce good reasons to pursue any course of action. After talking to her we did not do an amnio, because we realized we would probably not act on the results and the risk an amnio was relatively high.)

I think you should talk to your doctor about this. This test is in no way 100 per cent conclusive and so you could be stressing for absolutely no reason. Talk to your doctor about the numbers and statistics behind the screening and maybe that will help.

I had a increased risk with the quad screen also. I had to worry until I got an amnio that my baby had DS (he didn't). I don't know why they even do these tests.... there are so many false positives that scare many women unnecessarily. How were the baby's measurements at your last ultrasound? Is there any more info to go on? If you decide on an amnio, it's not as bad as you might think and it does provide peace of mind. Good luck and god bless you and your baby....

I am so sorry you are going through this. I just went through this at the first of the year. I felt like I was stuck in a nightmare. DS has nothing to do with having a background of a disorder. It can happen to anyone. I had a 1 in 5 chance and had all the testing done and my child had DS and other problems as well and ended up not making it. All I can say is that the odds are still in your favor but you do need to decide what you can live with. There was nothing that anyone could say that made me feel better. Try not to stress out to much. I started doing research on DS and it helped me a little. I will keep you in my prayers.

The Quad screens have many many many false positives. I tell women, that it is not a test to test for but instead a test to tell us if you need more testing. You can go in and have chromosomes pulled if you are really worried. You can also request a level II US and there are other indicators we can look at. DS babies have certain characteristics that can be seen on US. So right now, just take a breath and do not stress out. Know that the chances are more towards no than yes. No do not stress out and release extra stress hormones that neither you or baby need right now. Good luck and it will be fine!

I know at least 3 people who had the same positive. All went on to have healthy kiddos. I can't say don't worry about it because that's is totally in your nature to worry.

Didn't they scedule a follow up appoinment with a amnio and a ultra sound ? If not have them do that. It may turn up its nothing. If it shows positive for DS with more in depth test. Research and study prepare for what may happen.

I can tell you that I know 3 people whose DS results came back as "high risk". All 3 people went on to have healthy, "normal" kiddos.

As many others noted already, the false positive for this test is very high. Try to calm down a bit. Talk to a genetic counselor and see if you can get an amnio to see what is really going on.

This test can not have a "positive" for DS, it's just increased chance. My friend just went thru this and ended up getting an amnio, her baby does not have DS.
They should give you a Level II u/s to check more signs, or do an amnio if you want a definitive answer.
Personally, this is why I chose not to do such tests. I would not terminate if it was +, it wouldn't affect my birth, and it's not something where specialists would need to be standing by to whisk my baby away. I did do level II u/s around 20w to see if anything was severe enough that it would affect my plan for a natural birth.
As a side note, I have been reading about quite a bit of new study on stress affecting babies in utero. Do what you can to relax--whether that is talking to others (message boards like babycenter have lots of conversations going on) or getting more tests.

Read this poem:
Welcome To Holland
by
Emily Perl Kingsley

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It’s just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

* * *

©1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission of the author.

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i had the same thing, 1/34 chance. it was awful, ruined the rest of my pregnancy really, which i am so resentful about still to this day. that freakin test is NOT a diagnostic test. there are tons and tons of false positives. its up to you whether or not you want the amnio, its a very personal decision. but you can get a genetic screening ultrasound. its a long and very involved ultrasound that looks for all of the genetic markers for downs. its completely non-invasive. not a guarantee, but it helps a lot. please dont let this ruin your pregnancy. i cant tell you how many people got lousy results from that test and went on to have perfectly "normal" babies, myself included, thank goodness. best of luck to you.

y friend here in London had a 1 in 20 chance and she is 37 (2nd child). She had the CVS test done and her baby is healthy - no DS! But, her friend had a 1 in 200 chance, didn't do any further testing and had a baby with DS. I you want to know for certain, have a CVS test done.

I have a daughter with Down Syndrome. Graci is beautiful, funny, and smart. She is loved by her family and her many friends.
I can understand you being scared, of course. Remember, most of the time the test comes back with an increased risk, your baby will not have DS. But, having a child with DS is not a death sentence. If you would abort because your child has DS, then get the amnio test. If your would carry the baby to full term, then try to relax.
Regardless, ask for a high definition ultrasound. This can help to answer a lot of your questions.
Good luck. And, if your baby does end up having Down Syndrome, feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
R.