Anyone else stressing about whether to have the nuchal scan?

[thebean82]

Hi, I am having my next scan at 13 weeks and had opted to have the nuchal scan but now I am having doubts. Everyone says that you need to think through what you would do if you came out as high risk... would you have an amniocentesis.... would you terminate etc but the honest answer is I just don't know. In general terms I am 28 so the risk is quite low... My husband is really keen on me having it but I am scared that if I do, and it comes out high risk, we might disagree about what to do?!?!

[MainlyMaynie]

I didn't know what I'd do either. Well, I was pretty sure I'd have an amnio, but not what I'd do after that. I think being unsure is enough reason to have it and you can think about it if you end up having to. It's very hard to think about it in the abstract anyway.

[SenoritaViva]

I am pregnant with my second. I will be going for one because we would think about it when if we found out I was high risk. I don't know what we would decide and how we would feel, it is difficult to predict these things. But i do know that if I decided to do nothing but know i was high risk then I would be better prepared that the baby might have something wrong with it. I could mentally prepare and I think that is important.

It is your choice but I don't think you have to answer all the answers at the first stage.

[thebean82]

Thanks girls. It's made me feel so much better knowing that not everyone knows what they would do.... I think I will have it....

I have a couple of friends who have come back as high risk but then their babies were fine!

This pregnancy malarkey is a minefield ;)

[nannyl]

Im 30 and 25 weeks pg with my 1st

I had it... reason beimg that the scan takes a bit longer and i could stare at the screen for a little bit more

ok, not the right reason. but thats why i chose to, i always knew i wouldnt have an amnio, but my results were 1:16000 so i am clearly very very low risk (as expected!), and was then not eligable for an amnio on the NHS.

[candr]

We were in the low catagory at 12 weeks but at 20 weeks they spotted a problem with fluid on brain, had another scan at 22 weeks and same thing so have VERY small chance of mild downs but the risk of miscarrage through amio is 1-2% and that is higher than the risk of downs. I am obviously upset that there may even be a chance but it doesn't affect our choice to continue as it will be very mild if at all but I appreciate the chance to get my head round the possibility (we won't know till the birth) and to let family know as it would be a real shock otherwise. Each to their own choice but discuss what you would do before you have the test if you go for it. I am sure you will be fine and good luck

[roz1982]

I struggled a bit with what to do - I decided against it in the end, simply because I didnt know what I would do with the info once I had it - if it had come back higher risk I wouldn't have wanted the next bit thats more intrusive (sorry not sure what its called) and am almost certain I wouldn't have terminated the pregnancy anyway.

[LaWeasel]

Somewhere along the line I have decided I'm not interested in any test that isn't necessary because of the immediate consequences of having a baby born with that condition without knowing in advance (ie different RHs etc)

Purely because, well, you do the test - you can find out if your child has Down's, but not how severe an affect it will have, and not if any other of a million things that could affect them and their lives will happen or not.

[OrangeGloss]

I'm 33 and expecting my first. We didn't have the nuchal etc done as the risk of the next step (amniocentesis) would have been higher risk of miscarriage than actually having Downs. Also, we wouldn't have terminated if we knew so thought it better to wait

[Jill72]

I dithered on this - I am 39. I wasn't sure what I would do with the results but the thought of finding out at 20 + weeks and then deciding I couldn't carry on was too daunting. In the end I decided that it is better to be informed and then mentally deal with it before the birth rather than receive a shock at the birth. In the end my risk went from 1:138 to 1:2464 so I was happy with that and have had no further tests.

[icravecheese]

I was 28yrs old for my first pregnancy, & our health authority didnt offer free nuchal scans, I would have had to pay >£100 & go to another hospital 45mins away for the nuchal, so I opted not to. Same story for my 2nd preg aged 30.

This third preg (I'm now 32) & we get the nuchal scan free at our local hospital, so I had it. I SO wish I hadn't! I spent the 2 weeks between having the nuchal & getting results in a right state worrying about what the results might be, and like you, what would I do once I got the results.

Because I never had any of the tests during my first 2 pregs, I never once worried about what would happen if the baby was downs - I just accepted that it could be, but I wouldn't know until birth, therefore no point in worrying. My risk at aged 32 was 1:12000, which I assume is pretty low.

I have to say, ignorance was total bliss for my first 2 pregs...

[barelyutterly]

Didn't have it. At 36 and our first pg, we decided we wouldn't terminate anyway (unless the 12 or 20 week scan revealed some other horrible incompatible-with-life thing). Afaic there are worse things than Down Syndrome and many don't show up on scans! Also the stats are a bit misleading in my opinion... the NHS lit sells the nuchal scan and blood test risk factors such that 1:200 for DS is "high risk" yet 1:100 miscarriage for amnio is "low risk"? Must admit I'm not a fan of that kind of verbal manipulation, not that I refused the test because I was annoyed! More that they seem to push you in a direction rather than present the facts plainly and let you decide for yourself.

And frankly I'd read a bit on MN about people being pushed into having amnio and made to feel as if further testing was necessary, not to mention mandatory discussions about terminations if the stats were too "risky". So we didn't bother with the blood tests and I haven't regretted it. In fact, as it was I had to say 3 times to the booking-in clerk that I was refusing the test as she questioned me repeatedly and tut-tutted as if I was nuts for not having it.