Quad Screening Positive for down Syndrome

I have not been through this, so all I can say is hang in there. Remember that based on the odds you cited, you have a 97% chance of having a perfectly healthy, normal baby. That is really high.

I know that is really difficult. When I had a level 2 sono. the doctor saw a cyst on my daughter's brain. In most cases, the cysts disolve, but it can indicate Down's. She was fine, but I had to wait 4 wks for results. I had 2 amnios. For me , the peace of mind was great. I was over 35 both times. Getting an amnio is a very personal decision. I have friends that would never get one, no matter their age, but for me it worked out fine! good luck to you!

I was 28, 19 weeks along in my second pregnancy, and my first healthy boy was only 15 months old, when I found out that the baby had 2 soft markers for DS. I chose to have the amnio. I don't think I could have made it through the last 4 months of pregnacy not knowing and worrying every day. We found out 2 weeks after the amnio that we would be having another perfectly healthy baby boy! I remember how devastated I was before the amnio, so I know how you are feeling, and my thoughts are with you. I'm wishing you all the best.

I am going to give you my personal decision and that is my advice to you - it is a personal decision. I can tell you I did have a daughter with Down Syndrome and she is the joy and the best thing that has happened to me in life.

I chose not to have the protein test as it is about 40% false positive, like flipping a coin. I chose not to have an amnio because I spent 6 years trying to get pregnant and the risk of miscarriage is about the same as having a child with Down Syndrome. Ultimately the test was not going to change my decision and while it was tough to learn in the hospital, I saw this beautiful baby that needed me and that was enough to deal with it. She is healthy, walked at 15 months and now at almost 2 is happily in preschool at a school focusing on developing children with Down syndrome to get ready for school.

It makes me sad to see some of the responses from other mothers. We all expect to have 'perfect' children but I can tell you my daughter has changed my perspective on life, happiness and frankly, made me a better more accepting person. There are many worse things to deal with than Down Syndrome and some of you may not know about for years, possibly teenage years, with 'perfect' children.

I have met some of the most wonderful parents through the Down Syndrome Guild -- some 'older'(over 35) but most had their child at 30 or younger. One girl had her daughter at 19. So while the odds are higher with age, it is not directly tied to age.

The reality of life is that you never know what God has planned but I believe there is in fact a plan. There is no question I would rather that Olivia not have Down Syndrome but to not have Olivia in my life is unthinkable. She has touched everyone that meets her in the same way and she could not be more loved by our family and friends. Good luck on whatever you decide is right for you.

My girlfriend carrying twin girls had multiple test showing positive for down syndrom. Then, one baby was growing too fast and the other too slow. She was told one probly will not survive. In short, We stood on our faith in God, remained steadfast in prayer, regardless of what the doctors were saying, and today we have 2 - 10 month old beautiful perfectly healthy baby girls. If you would like, I can call her to contact you for more info on the different testing. I hope you do not take offense to my faith, but without it, there is no hope. May God bless you and your baby.

Dear A.,

Believe me, I understand how you feel. Before I started graduate school, and working with children who have DS, I too thought it was typically a situation that was found with older mothers. However, since my experiences had shown me this was not the case - when I received my abnormal screening, I knew the chances were very real. When I spoke to the nurse about it, she told me how rare it was. Yet, I couldn't help feeling annoyed with her comment - because when you are that 1 in whatever the current statistic is, the other half of the statistic does not matter. To further disregard her comment, I was going to work the next day to a class of 17 students with mental retardation. Not all with DS - but all had a form of mental retardation. And, all had been a small part of a statistic.

I had no interest in getting an amnio. There is a 2% chance of spontaneous abortion. My doctor (new one - I switched after the nurse's comment) asked "would the results of the amnio change the course of your pregnancy?" For me, the answer was a quick no-brainer. Since it would not change the course of my pregnancy, it was not worth the risk. That would probably be the key question for you and your husband to discuss.

I did have the second level sonogram. The doctor that did it showed me all the measurements that would indicate DS. I told him I still refused the amnio, and the potential risks. In my mind it was my baby - and that was that.

I know how this information could throw your world into a whirl. Once you get in touch with your deepest feelings, I am sure you and your husband will find in peace in your decision regarding how you will proceed.

All the best,
S.

Hey A.,
First of all, like all of these other women I too have been down this road for both of my boys. I will have to say it is by far the scariest and most stressfull thing my husband and I had every expierenced. My Dr reported I had a 1 in 22 chance of having a child with DS. After waiting 2 weeks to have the level 2 sonogram everything appreared normal. The main areas they are looking at are the length of the femur(leg) bone, the heart, kidneys, size of the pinky finger, and the folds in the neck area, which were referred to as "hard markers" for DS. Fortunately with the level 2 sono none of the above were in the abnormal range, at that point we decided the amnio was not necessary. We would have went right on with the pregnancy anyway so having the amnio would not have made a difference for us. With my second child the tests came out normal-however, around 30 wks my perientologist found that the femur bone wasn't growing as fast as it should have been and suggested that the child could have DS, so for the last 8 wks of my pregnancy we worried about the baby. Well when my child was born one of the nurses pulled my husband aside to tell him that she believed the baby did have DS and that we needed to have the chromosome test done to support HER findings. Of course this is 12/15-just 10 days away from Christmas, what a scare. The pediatrician I had in the hospital was the absolute sweetest Dr ever and continued to convince me that my child was fine, and guess what he was! I tell you I still get chills thinking about all of that unnecessary stress and worrying we endured. I wish I would have known about this website when I had my tests done, because all i wanted to do was to communicate with others that were going through what we were going through. So with all of that said, oh and to find out those tests are only 60% accurate!!!!
good luck and God Bless,
K.

My friend had a positive test result on the quad screen and wnet on to have a normal, healthy, beautiful baby...just thought you might like a brief, happy ending story...good luck!

Hi A.,

I too had an abdormal quadscan, it came back positive for down syndrome. So did my bestfriend and my neighbors came back positive for trysomy18 (I believe). We all had completely normal and healthy children. I didn't do the amnio and was completely against getting one before the test came back positive. I began thinking about it but wasn't going to make the decision until after seeing the genetics counselor and having the level 2 ultrasound. The ultrasounds were fine and I just felt at peace so I decided not to do the amnio. It's hard not to worry during this time. I was a wreck as well. Good luck with everything. One last comment, I read somewhere that 14 out of 15 of the quad tests are false positives!

P.

I had an abnormal triple screen with my 1st son (1/49 chance of Down's). We chose to have the amnio from the beginning, for several reasons. We NEVER thought that we would terminate the preganancy, but I didn't want to worry for the last 4-5 months of my pregnancy and we wanted to be prepared (and prepar our families) before the birth if it was a Down's baby. (we also had an amnio w/our 2nd and asked not to know the results of the triple screen until after the amnio results so we wouldn't worry)

For me, the amnio was easy. I would strongly suggest that you don't get the "local" shot because I hear that is more painful than the actual amnio. Also, don't look, for obvious reasons!!

One last thing. I don't want to scare you, but an abnormal triple (quad) screen can indicate some potential placental problems in the 3rd trimester. My doctor told me this and started watching me very closely from the beginning of my 3 trimester. It's a good thing too, I had low amniotic fluid that could had been dangerous if we had not caught it so soon. My son was born full term and perfectly healthy.

I'll keep you in my prayers, please keep us updated!!

My daugther in law was about 3 months pregnant when she was told her chances were quite high of having a baby with Down Syndrome or Spina Bifida...etc..

Yesterday Skyden Trinidad arrived in grand style and does not have either DS or SB.

A friend who was going through chemo therapy about 25 years ago was also told the same thing and she was strongly urged to have an abortion and she said no. Her daughter was born healthy and just got married about a month ago and she said... this wedding would not have been had I listend to the doctors to abort this child.

Several of my nieces were also told the same about their tests and they all had healthy babies too.

My daughter in law decided if the Lord wanted to send a baby with Down Syndrome she would love him just the same and we supported her decision... and she decided against an abortion. She and baby are doing just fine.

Take care.

EB

A.,

I have heard of MANY people getting false readings early on!!! I didn't even get the test because of it! I had a friend that got the test, and was told the same thing, and then after extensive testing (for which they had no insurance), the outcome was that the baby was healthy.......good luck w/everything.....try not to get too excited over it just yet!!

I never had the quad screen, but I did have the tri screen. My tri screen came back normal, but because my pregnany was considered high risk, my obgyn had me see a perinatologist to do my level 2 sonograms. I went to a great office in Ft. Worth with Doctors Smith and Howard. At my first sono there, they found a spot on my baby's heart that was a sign of Downs. I was freaked out, got myself so work up, and made myself sick. Which in turn made my blood pressure go up and that was my high risk to begin with. My husband was the strong one and kept trying to calm me down for 6 weeks until we had our follow up to determine the next steps. After 6 weeks of waiting, the spot was gone so I did not need to have the quad done.

On the amnio situation. When I was put on bed rest later in my pregnancy and my blood pressure was still high when I went to see my ob, he told me that he was admitting me to the hospital. I really had 4 weeks left for my baby to be full term and 2 weeks before my scheduled induction. I told him that if he was admitting me then he was going to take the baby because I was not going to stay in the hospital for 2 weeks. He gave me the option to let him do and amnio to determine lung maturity on the baby. My husband and I said go for it. My ob performed the procedure in the hospital. Before I tell you had bad it WASN'T, let me tell you that I was a basket case and would not even let them keep the amnio stuff in my room while we were waiting for my ob for 4 hours. I absolutly love my ob and completely trust him, and in my opinion that is the way you have to feel about the whole thing. He did the amnio, was very gentle and careful, and all I felt was his finger pushing on my stomach to keep the baby's legs apart for to keep the good pocket of fluid, the ultrasound wand, and a tiny prick. After all, it was not bad and very worth it. 3 hours later we found out that the baby's lungs were completely mature, and he started inducing that night. The next day, we had a healthy baby girl.

Don't get yourself worked up as it just makes it harder on you and the baby. Have you thought about a 2nd opinion. You always have that option. If you would like to emaail me ____@____.com I can send you the names and numbers of the doctors I saw. They were wanderful!

Good Luck, I will say a prayer everything works out for you, and keep us posted.

Hi A.,

When I was 10 weeks pregnant I was told that the baby had a thickened nuchal fold on the the back of the neck which indicated to my OB that it was likely that my baby would have Downs Syndrome. I went through everything you are going to go through. My husband and I were devistated, but then at around 12 weeks I had chorionic Villus sampling, which is basically the same thing as an amino except it can be done before 15 weeks unlike an amnio. I was sent to a maternal-fetal specialist and had a six-inch need put through my uterus to collect some of the fluid. The genetic counselor called us the next week to inform us that all the chromosomes were normal. We were so relieved to find out this good news! We were also isolated from some of my husbands family as they were already talking abortion. I am now 34 weeks pregnant and am due on December 2, 2006.

E. P

A., Like many of the other posts, I too had an abnormal tri-screen at 25. My levels were on the high end though which would have been an indication of something like spina bifida (not sure if that's spelled right). Anyway, after panicking and crying lots out of fear, I chose to have the amnio. This is where my story goes really crazy. The amnio went well, no pain (and I did look and thought it was truly amazing). After waiting 2 1/2 weeks for the results, the nurse called to tell me that the lab had messed up and used the fluid to do a lung maturity test at 18 weeks but not to be alarmed because they had enough fluid to do the test correctly. Well, she called back the next day to tell me that the fluid was no longer viable so I'd have to redo the amnio. I was CRUSHED. A few days later I ended up in the hospital with some pain issues (nothing to do with amnio) so while I was there , the dr. decided to go ahead and do the second one. By now I was nearly 22 weeks pregnant and the baby was bigger of course. She was moving around so much that he couldn't find a "pocket" to withdraw the fluid. After about 15 minutes she settled down enough that he could get in the lowest part of my stomach. Unfortunately, there was no numbing medicine this time around because we didn't have the time for it to kick in. After waiting 2 1/2 more weeks, we were rewarded with the blessed news that the baby appeared healthy so it was all worth it for us. I couldn't have not done the amnio, if something was wrong, I didn't want the delivery room to be when I found out.-The other ladies are right though, those tests are very unreliable and it was for that reason that I chose not to have it at all with my second pregnancy. Which was a good thing because I was pregnant with twins so the numbers would have been really crazy! Anyway, every story is a little different and no matter what, until you get a positive answer, you will feel some amount of fear. We all understand and are pulling for you and this little one that God has blessed you with. Just take it one day, one procedure at a time. Best Wishes!!! By the way, that little baby that caused me all that drama is now a beautiful healthy bright 8 year old :-)

Hi. I was 35 when I was pregnant with my second. My blood tests came back abnormal. I had an Amnio and a 2nd level sonagram on the same day. The amnio was not a problem at all - however, I went to the best of the best in the Dallas area. A doctor that specialized in Amnios - she does about 8 a day at the Medical Center of Plano. I think the doctor makes the difference. During the sonagram, she could confirm that my baby was fine - there are visual signs that she could check for - number of knuckles in the pinkie finger, etc. So, I knew that day everything was OK even without the genetic results. I highly recommend it. Good luck.

I know how you feel. I had an abnormal screen for my second daughter. After talking with my mid-wife and husband we decide to wait to see the results of the level 2 ultrasound were. If the level 2 did not show any signs of DS then I would not get the amnio. If they did show signs I would get the amnio only because for myself I would need to know the severity, etc. in order to be more prepared as a parent. However, I totally agree with one of the comments that said if the results will not change the course of the pregnancy I would not recommend it. Only you & your husband know your comfort level & you have to determine the best course of action for yourself (based on all the information). Luckily the level 2 did not show any signs so we decided against the amnio & now my 11 month old is perfectly healthy. Keep in mind that ALOT of things can change the results of that test so try to relax! Take care!

C.

It is my understanding that a lot of the quad screenings come back with false positives. The statistics may say that your chances are 1 in 34 for a baby with Down's however look at the other side of that, there is a 97% chance you won't have a baby with Down's. (1 of 34 is only 3%)I would make the decision about the amnio depending on what they see at the level 2 sono. I had a friend that was told her child had Down's after all the tests and when he was born there was nothing wrong with him. Hang in there!

Hello! I had the same test done and it came back positive for trisome 18 which is Edwards Syndrome. (These children don't survive) I was an emotional wreck also because I was so uninformed about this test. What I have found out since was that the tests are about 80% wrong. I have the second sonogram and the dr. said that he thought the baby looked fine but there was still a 1 in 12 chance. I opted not to do the amnio based on the dr's opinion of the baby looking fine. I now have a healthy baby boy that is 6 months old. Don't let the test stress you out too much until you do the next sonogram. Good luck!

A. I test false postive with all three of my babies. I had the amnio all three times too. With my first child I was 20 and I thought my world had just come to an end. I had just convienced my family that I was keeping my child with or without their help. Then I got the news that something could be wrong with my mircle of god. When I had the amnio done I was told that I would only have a couple of days to decide if I wanted to end the pregnancy. That nearly killed me. I remember going to church and begging God not to have me make that decsion. When I walked out I know my son would be okay. A week later I got the results...87% chance of him being born with Down's. I went on with the pregnancy and in Aug my son turned 12. He is completly healthy and attends honors classes. I got lucky. He has never shown any sighs of Down's. So when I tested postive with my second son and with my daughter I did not worry. Some women just carrier the genes and test will come back. And even if your child does have Down's...she/he is still yours and precious gift.

T.

I had a positive triple screen....1 out of 19 chance for down syndrome. I, of course, freaked out!!!! My mom went with me to the 2nd level sonogram. They found that my original 11 week sonogram measured the baby wrong and that they were basing the test on the wrong week. They changed my due date and made measurements of EVERYTHING....then they were able to rule out down syndrome by 98%. I chose not to do the amnio.
My daughter was born 6/26/06....healthy and happy....fat as a pig today.
Try not to stress out. I read later that with the quad screen and triple screen......most people get negative results (meaning no genetic problems detected.) However, of the positive screens 95% are false positive......only way to find out for sure is the amnio....

My daughter is 4 now, and my test came back positive too, with a very high chance of her being down syndrome. I was terrified. I went straight to our pastors house, and we all prayed. My whole churh was praying for me. I knew I would love her no matter what, so I decided not to have the amnio, but I had to go to get the 2nd level sonogram twice. They found her to be healthy in the sonogram. I have heard that test usually does test positive, I don't know why they even do it.

I was 29 and pg with my first and my quad screen came back positive. We did the level 2 ultrasound and our son presented with 2 markers for Down's. Markers just mean that they frequently see these things in Downs babies. They also see them in healthy babies, hence they are called Markers. Nothing concrete.

I knew (mommy intuition) there was nothing wrong with my son after the level 2 ultrasound, but we did the amnio anyway. My DH was FREAKED out big time, so I did it mainly for him. It was done same day. My doc has NEVER lost had a patient miscarriage after one of his amnios, so that made us feel better. It didn't hurt either, but I wouldn't look. They did a full amnio and a FISH test. The FISH tests the most common genetic pairs that normally indicate problems. The FISH test comes back in 24-28 hours, the amnio takes much longer. Ask for and try to get the FISH test so you don't have to wait so long.

BTW, my FISH and amino came back fine and I have a very healthy 19 month old son.

Good luck and let me know how it turns out!!!

During one of my pregnancies, I was very pressured to have an amnio done to rule out Downs and I refused. I had heard the stories, good and bad, about the risks and decided not to take the risk b/c of my personal beliefs. You have to find yours. My belief was that regardless of what the tests told me, I would NOT abort; not only b/c I don't believe in it, but b/c I had also heard just as many stories where the mom-to-be is convinced there is a problem b/c of all these tests and then does something she can't undo just to find out there was nothing wrong in the first place. And as far as preparing me, I don't believe anyone can truly be prepared for that.

There are so many personal stories each way. You have to decide what is right for your situation. I don't remember the specifics but I had to go to a genetics counselor every few weeks and get the 2nd level sonos b/c I refused the amnio. They counseled and counseled about what if something is wrong. I personally wouldn't have been any more prepared up front than if something was wrong in the delivery room.
Everything was fine w/ me and I felt better having the 2nd level sonos. Each time I had one, the baby was bigger and they could do better measurements, etc. The technology can work for you if you don't want the amnio. Don't think it's your only course of action. Ask lots of questions about alternatives; you may have to wait longer but you may avoid some risk. Good luck!

I'm with Jolene. I was 20 when I had my son who has Down syndrome (he's five now) and he is the light of my life. I wouldn't change his diagnosis for anything! We grow up in a society with a skewed vision of perfection and having a baby with DS is NOT the end of the world. Granted, it is a harder life path as a mother but it is the most amazing world when you see it through their eyes.

I remember having a abnormal screening. I remember being scared and crying when they told me I had a chance of having a baby with DS. I remember going into denial when they said I had a .1% chance because I didn't think that was significant. I remember crying with joy when he was born because I thought he was "perfect" and then crying with devastation when they told me he possibly had DS. A lot of the fear came from lack of knowledge about DS, and all I knew were stereotypes of severe mental retardation. Well, guess what research is showing that if enough early intervention is done, kids with DS aren't necessarily mentally retarded. My son isn't. He walked at 15 months, he talks, is learning to read and write and is in Kindergarten with kids who are typically delevoping. He's happy, I'm happy and I couldn't imagine my life any other way.

It's natural to be worried and upset. It's like a grieving process everyone goes through. But, in the end whether your baby has DS or not, the bottom line is he/she is STILL YOUR baby! and that's the most wonderful thing ever! If your child does have DS, just always remember he/she is a child first. he/she is NOT their diagnosis.

I didn't realize that until my son was 2weeks old when his pedi said that to me. Now, I see him as a child first and set goals for him like I do my daughter who is typically developing. I expect the same achievements from him as any other child. Some parents of kids with DS get so taken up with the DS diagnosis and the stereotypes that they don't expect their child to achieve beyond that.

So, I don't want to add to your fears but I don't want to sugar coat a possible reality for you either. But just know that you're not alone and there lots of support groups out there and things will be wonderful whether you have a baby with DS or not. If you want to talk or need resources please feel free to contact me: ____@____.com

I received a positive Quad screen with my pregnancy. It was so scary. I went through the whole genetic counseling and level II sonos. The level II revealed nothing I should be concerned about but they are not fool proof. The bottom line for the Quad screen is that they are very inaccurate. Very rarely do they give a false negatives but their false positive ratio is ridiculous. I would try not to worry (which is easier said than done). My OB had false positives with all three of his children and, like mine, they were all fine. As far as an amnio goes I declined esp. since my level II sono came out ok. I might have had one if there was something of concern on the sono. Just so I would know and be able to prepare myself but the miscarriage rate also goes up if you have one. All of this is personal choice. You and your husband just need to sit down and discuss options and what you are comfortable with. I will warn you that they WILL ask you if something is wrong with the baby if you want to continue the pregnancy. I know that everything will be okay though. It's a false positive, I can feel it! Take care.

I am 24 and when I was pregnant with my #2 who is now 10 months. I was tested positiv. I freaked just like you, they scheduled me for the test and I had my mom and my mother-inlaw there (my husband is a firefighter/paramedic so he was on duty)got to the office it was scary. But I had to be strong. so we went in and he did another sono. It was fine. he didn't even have to get a amnio test. I was relieved. He told me that there are several false readings and my baby was fine. So I am sure everything will be fine. you might not even have to do an amnio. Also remember God will never give you anything you can't handle. So good luck and let us know how things went we are praying for you. ~R.

My friend had a false positive but waited until the next sono to do any counseling or anything...

I had an amnio to rule out down syndrome too. It did not hurt and it came back negative. The piece of mind you get for the rest of your pregnancy is well worth it in my opinion.

I had an abnormal result when I was pregnant with my second too, and I was under 30 (only just, I was 29!). And I have a friend who just had a perfectly healthy baby after abnormal screen results for downs. The sonogram should tell you what you need to know.
I know it's hard not to worry. We just had a regular sonogram because I was farther along. Even though it showed that our son was normal, they tell you that you can't really know for sure until the baby is born. The higher level sonogram is likely more precise, so it should do well for putting your mind at ease.
We didn't do an amnio because I didn't think it was worth the risk since the only thing we stood to gain was knowledge (the results weren't going to prompt some kind of action, like fetal surgery, special diet, medication, etc.). I wondered if I would be gripped with worry for the rest of the pregnancy without knowing 100% for sure, but I reminded myself that even with amnio, the only way to know 100% for sure is to give birth!

Hi A.,

I was actually 38 when I had our baby girl, and we decided to go through with the amnio. We did not do it the same day as the sono...just because it was not scheduled that way with this Doctor. While my stats were not great because of my age we just decided this was the course we wanted to take. On the day of, and the day after the amnio I did just what the Dr told me to....ABSOLUTLEY NOTHING. I rented movies, took naps, etc....I definitely was not going to let my actions affect what happened. The amnio was actually a breeze(don't look), and afterward I did not feel much of anything at all....my test came back wonderfully and of course I got the 100% on the sex of my baby too. This is definitely a personal decision, my husband and I prayed and I fretted about it for a while before deciding to do it. I can just tell you that my experience turned out perfectly, and I now have a precious little 9 month old girl who is just as healthy as she can be...except for the cold that she shared with me(lol)

I wish you the best of luck....and all's that I can say is PRAY, PRAY, PRAY about your decision...and I know you will make the right one for you & your family.

K.

I had the same thing happen to me on my 1st baby and did a level 2 sono and also an amnio to rule it out as a false positive. That test is such a crock. If you look it up on the internet, you'll see that the "false positive" rate is rather large. I don't even know why they do that dumb test anyway. In fact, I selected not to have it done with my second boy. I'll have you know that both of my boys are perfectly healthy and very smart. So PLEASE do not take this to heart. I can bet you the world that there is nothing wrong with your baby! You can e-mail me if you want to chat somemore about it. I remember how upsetting it was to get that news, so you have my full attention if you want to ask me anything. ____@____.com

I too had an abnormal screening with my 3rd child. I had the amnio and everything was fine. Later after my amnio I found out that false positives are very common with this test. When I got pregnant with my 4th child...I didn't even have the test. I decided with all the turmoil the first one caused I didn't want to know. I knew I would love the baby no matter what. I guess if you're not sure if you would keep a baby with down syndrom it's a good test to take...otherwise I wouldn't put myself through the emotional turmoil that test brings.
I had my amnio the day they called to tell me my test results. I was such a wreck my doctor told me to just come in. I left work and my husband met me there. It was very painful for me. In fact it was painful my entire pregnancy. It's painful now just thinking about it.
I hope your doctor told you how common false positives are. I know getting the results are shocking no matter what, but I feel if I had known I probably wouldn't have been such a wreck. While I was waiting on my amnio results I think I joined every support group there was online. I found out then that this happends all the time. I was little frusterated...but then I'm sure there are women that get a positive and their babies really do have down syndrom. I just felt like the whole ordeal was a nightmare and I didn't enjoy that pregnancy at all. My last one was blissful. I'm so sorry you're going through this. Just don't lose hope and remember you have all the odds in your favor. I'll include you in my prayers.

I had this same result and I was only 19. My doctor told me that this test is very INaccurate and that he doesnt trust it. Two weeks before I had it done he delivered two down syndrome babies whose test came back normal. The only way to know for sure could risk the babies life and I didnt want to risk it. As soon as my son was born I was SO relieved to see that he was a normal happy healthy baby boy. I wouldnt risk your childs life or health.......what would it change anyway? Good luck and I am sure everything is fine. :)

I was worried my whole pregnancy but I didnt tell anyone in my family until afterwards because I didnt want everyone else worrying and everything was fine. My doctor said that the test is wrong MOST of the time when it comes back positive.

Dear A., First I'm sorry that you are having to go through this stress. I wanted to share this with you but first you will have to make a decision as to "what" you would do with the information if it were given to you - in regards to a confirmed downs diagnosis.

I have experienced 3 miscarriages prior to the miracle of my now 3 yr. old son. Due to my miscarriage history I became acqainted with several women who had gone through numerous losses. One of the ladies whom I still know very well had 7 miscarriages before finally "staying" PG with her daughter who is now 2 yr. old. My friend had the nuecal (sp?) test, the level 2 ultrasounds (frequently through the pregnancy) and opted NOT to have the amnio due to her high risk of miscarriage. There were NO signs of downs at all in her case. Low and behold the day her daughter was born they learned that she had downs syndrome. Since the entire pregnancy was normal and there were never any signs of DS she was as you can guess in shock when her daughter was born.

OK the reason I feel it necessary to share this with you is two- fold. First, after deciding "what" you would do if you were to find out that your baby has DS then please consider this. My friend who was devastated at the news initially NOW feels like her daughter is a true blessing. Granted she has struggled especially in the beginning with all the negatives that go with DS but she couldn't be happier and her daughter is the sweetest most beautiful little girl you could ever want to know. She has brought such joy to their lives.

On the other hand, I think it's important for you to have the amnio given that your risk is so high based on what you've been told. BUT ONLY if it would change anything you would decide to do about the pregnancy. Otherwise yes, there are risks involved with amnio's, however from my understanding they are quite low risks. If it would give you peace of mind to know the results (regardless of what they are) then I think you should consider having the amino JUST so you know what the outcome will be.

I only hope that my sharing this with you brings you some help in your decision making. I'm sure that my friend would be more than happy to email you about her experience if it is something you would be interested in so just let me know and I'll email her about you.

A. this is hard I know, I wish you the best and if you don't mind please keep me(us) posted. I'd like to know what you find out. Best of luck to you and your family.

S. (Frisco)

I am 37 and now have a healthy and wonderful 4 month old baby girl. I had an amnio at around 16 weeks, which is pretty early, due to my age. I had a wonderful experience. For me, it was a small price to pay for peace of mind. The amnio "hurt" but, only while it was actually happening and after the needle was removed, the pain was gone completely - there was nothing after the fact. My amnio was done by Dr. Goldaber in Arlington. He was fabulous and I would highly recommend him. For me, it was not a hard choice to make - I wanted to know. Everyone is different but, for what it is worth, I would do it all again. Good Luck.