Feeling unsettled after screening results

[satsumasaturday]

Hi everyone, I'm not sure what I'm hoping to get from this post, just wanting to vent/express my feelings I think.

I had my 12 week scan last week at 13+4 and NT was 2.6mm. Had my results back yesterday from bloods and baby has 1 in 10000 chance of Edwards/Patau but a 1 in 170 chance of having Down's syndrome. I'm 32 so from my googling something in my bloods must have increased my risk as the NT plus age shouldn't have put it that high.

I don't really know what to feel about it: I have read too many MN posts that give 1 in 10000 risk of Downs that my 1 in 170 seems awfully high, even if it is termed "low risk."

I wouldn't want to have a termination based on the baby having Down's syndrome so long as there were no other significant health complications, and the sonographer said that everything else they could see looked fine. So I shouldn't be worried/upset. I just feel uneasy about it and disappointed that I don't have the 1 in 10000 for all three of the trisomies.

Thank you for reading my ramblings 😊

[BeanBag7]

If you arent planning to terminate based on DS then you could just wait and see. If you are concerned and need to know then you have the option of further invasive testing.

Dont feel like you're some sort of failure/disappointment because you dont have the lowest risk.

[Sunshinegirl82]

You could consider the NIPT if you wanted further reassurance? You would have to pay privately. It's non invasive and poses no risk to the pregnancy.

I had the NIPT in both pregnancies and declined the NHS screening because I suspected I wouldn't find the NHS results very comforting.

[satsumasaturday]

Thanks @BeanBag7 and @Sunshinegirl82

Beanbag I think you hit the nail on the head- I definitely feel like I've failed because I've not had the mega good news result.

@Sunshinegirl82 I have considered the NIPT but for the cost I'm not sure if I would be better to put the money aside for now (we are also buying a house so need to be careful before we splash out!). DH is also quite content with the result (especially as he was definitely more on the fence regarding termination for Downs). He's happy with our chances of 169 out of 170 which is a nice way to see it.

If I hadn't spent so much time on MN I'd definitely just be accepting the "low risk" that the nhs have given me 🙈 so I think I'll just need to wait and see and hope for the best.

[CycleWoman]

I’m not in a dissimilar boat to you (2.7 mom NT and 1:250 risk D.S. but I am 37). I know 1:250 is considered low but it has given me a jolt as for my previous pregnancy I got a result of 1:10,000s so this seems drastically different to me.

I think to put my mind at rest I’m going to book NIPT. I don’t think it would impact on my decision to continue either the pregnancy but I’m finding it all unsettling and can’t relax.

No answer for you. But I know it’s a worry!

[margaritaproblems]

We were given 1 in 5 chance of any chromosomal abnormality. Our nt measurement was 4.4.
Our baby is now 6 months old and perfectly healthy x

[riceandwhisky]

Hey,

I went through a slightly higher result, 1 in 3 for Edwards which was very alarming and opted in for NIPT. It had come back with a confirmed trisomy and we are now awaiting amnio.

Harmony was very expensive and even though the ultrasound itself was worth it, spent a lot of time looking at the baby and got a lot of nice pictures, as the bloods returned the result they did and we still have to go for an invasive test, I almost feel we should've skipped this step. It's dragged out our wait a bit longer than going for CVS in the first place.

Your chance has come back with a much lower risk - 1 in 270 seems so far from the result I was facing. I know that the suspense is hard and you'd like to have the reassurance ASAP but I'd save the pennies towards a nice pram and wait for the NHS!

[Zeebeededodah]

I had a similar low chance, but higher than I would have liked results (2 earlier pregnancies had much lower chances of 1 in 1000's rather than 1 in 240 I got) and opted for Harmony screening. My reasons for further testing is that I like to be prepared and like you had a nagging feeling. My Harmony results came back showing no problems and all was well, baby is now 4.

However, I did spend time trying to understand what was different for that pregnancy, and googled what the results meant. My nuchal fold measurement was within normal range, but one of the 3 blood tests was outside the normal range. When I researched (and apologies I can't remember all the details it was a while ago) that specific blood measurement was also known to indicate issues later in pregnancy with placenta, blood flow and lower birth weight. My hospital did an additional doppler scan at 28 or so weeks to check blood flow, and kept a close eye on me in later weeks as I measured small (lots of growth scans). All was well, and baby was born a bit smaller than average but healthy.

Good luck weighing up all the options - there is no right answer, just do what is right for you and your family.

[Chels001]

I’ve got an anterior placenta, I’m 22 weeks pregnant when will I start feeling my baby move?☹️

[NotSoThinLizzy]

My result were normal but I bit on the higher side. Wasnt told untill i was 16 weeks that it was because i have low pappA which affects the downs testing. Might be worth an ask if it's that