So I just got my first trimester screen results and my risk of Downs syndrome is elevated to 1 in 69. After pressing the doctor he revealed that my nt measurement and hcg levels are completely normal but the PAPP-A was low (.28 in the 5th percentile). This and my age put me at greater risk. I know that there are lots of false positive screens and I am trying to decide if an amnio is the right choice. I was just wondering if anyone else had such a high risk with good results or low PAPP-A in the first trimester and what that meant for your pregnancy.
I had false positives with my first pregnancy that frightened me to bits. Chances listed as 1-12 for Downs. Rather than an amnio, I had a Level II diagnostic ultrasound. It looked at physical markers for many genetic abnormalities, and didn't find anything. My daughter was born 100% healthy and fine, and continues to be so at 8 years old!
This happened to my daughter-she was young-like 26-27 at the time, scared her to death-she has two healthy babies. Look at it this way-if that test was done-100% of the time on all pregnant women, without fail, for decades-the results might make sense-but that's not the case-all the best, Sweetheart-I'll be praying for you and Baby!
2 of my 3 I got a high chance of Downs. With both we started with the Advanced Ultrasound first to see if they found any of the markers and any problems. They did find some problems with my second so we went on to have the amnio. With my third they didn't find any markers or any problems at all so we decided to skip the amnio. Both of them turned out to be false and I have 2 perfectly healthy children with no problems. The problems they saw in the ultrasound with my second cleared up on their own.
I would go see the genetic counselor. They will ask a bunch of questions which in both of my cases changed and improved my numbers substantially. Then they did the ultrasound. You do not have to do the amnio. You can let the other 2 things help you determine if you want to do it or not.
We did the amnio because we needed to know if he was going to have any problems which meant we would not be able to continue care and deliver at the birth center and we'd have to transfer to the high risk doctor and deliver at the hospital.
When we did the amnio with my second it started contractions and I ended up on bedrest for the weekend. While it does not happen to everyone it is a risk.
Those tests are far from accurate!
The odds (1 in 69) are still in your favor that you will NOT have a baby with Down Syndrome. Your baby has an increased risk but is not at " high risk" for the syndrome. Hope that makes you feel a little better. I will say a prayer for you and your baby.
FYI... They told me my baby had it (long story) but she does not. (I had the amnio because that is really the only way to know for sure)
I was 37 and having my first baby--a fairly high risk situation. One of the tests showed possible Downs, but I don't remember which one it was. My husband and I opted for no more testing, especially the amnio, because we would not have terminated our pregnancy regardless of the outcome and we had taken 7 years to get pregnant and did not want to hurt our baby. We considered our child a gift from God, and if He was going to send us an "angel" baby, we would do our best to take care of him/her, regardless of his/her condition.
Due to my age, we did have a couple of ultrasounds. Our beautiful daughter is 15 years old now. She is an straight-A student taking weighted classes.
Ask lots of questions and do your research. Knowledge is power. I think the geneticist sounds like a really good idea. Blessings to you and your child.
I had the triple screen with the ultrasound.. to measure the nuchal -- the measurement was fine.. totally normal 2 of the 3 blood markers were normal .. one was abnormal.. I dont have copies of the report and I cant remember which one was abnormal.. So we had the amnio at 16 weeks. The amnio was normal. My son was born on time at 8 pounds 8 oz. I was 41 when he was born.
The odds are in your favor that your baby is completely normal.
I agree with Katrina, start with the level 2 ultrasound and decide after whether to do the amnio. Ours came back high for spina bifida and they kept pushing for the amnio first. I told them I would make that decision after the ultrasound. Everything on the ultrasound was normal so I skipped the amnio and have a perfect boy. There are soooo many false positives with that test that my husband and I didn't do it again. Remember the chances are still in your favor. Good Luck.
Like many of these responses, I had a similar experience. I had my first son just shy of 34 and my second at 37. I was considered high risk because of my age and other medical factors. My ob recommended I see a primatologist. They offered the ammo but when I declined we went forward with generic counseling and ultrasound every other week. Those ultrasound measurements, especially measuring the base if the spine/neck tell them just as much. Be proactive and request these ultrasounds. Unless the tests will change how you proceed with your pregnancy, or if it is something they can fix in utero like heart problems, just keep yourself healthy and love that baby! There was also just a report on cbs this morning about singer of the new tests they can do. Blessings.
