Did anybody choose NOT to do the scans?

[patagonia09]

I'm 31, 6 weeks preg, no particular risk factors. Just been to the GP and she asked if I wanted to book a nuchal scan, and I'm not sure. I wanted to know how many people choose to do these scans, and how many just let fate take its course? I'd prefer never to have been given the option, frankly! Although it could put your mind at rest for the next 33 weeks, it could also cause a lot of stress and worry, maybe unnecessarily. The nuchal scan is no big deal, but if it led on to the CSV, amniocentisis, etc... it seems every decision is a tough one. What does everyone else think?

[RitaMorgan]

I didn't have the nuchal as it isn't offered here. I think it would have just stressed me unnecessarily anyway.

[StrikeUpTheBand]

I thought you were on about scans in general and was about to have a rant but I agree about your reasoning with the nuchal scan. We don't get it here either, but it's a bit like me refusing the triple test with ll 3 pregnancies knowing that I wouldn't have an amnio anyway so would just cause a lot of worry if the results showed anything.

[harassedinherpants]

You can have the scan to check everything is ok and just not have the nuchal fold measured. That's what I did last time, and doing the same this time. Just in waiting room actually!

[posypom]

Hi Patagonia
I didn't get the scan because I knew I wouldn't get an amnio because of the risks and I'd keep the baby irrespective of whether he/she had downs so I didn't want to be told I was high risk and then stress about it for 6 months. It ended up being an easy decision when we realised that this is what it came down to.

[posypom]

I did have the regular 12 and 20 week scans though - why would you not?

[AddictedtoCrunchies]

I was 36 when I fell pregnant and was offered the nuchal scan and the triple test as I was considered high risk. I turned them down as I wouldn't have done anything with the results anyway and def wouldn't have had an amnio.
I thought about it fleetingly a couple of times through my pregnancy and all was well.

think about what you'd do with the results. If the answer's nothing then not worth going through it.

[msbuggywinkle]

I don't bother with any of the Down's testing, we know we wouldn't abort for Downs so it seemed fairly pointless.

[patagonia09]

Sorry, I wasn't clear! Yes, of course I'll do the "routine" scans - I just meant the nuchal scans, amnio, CSV etc.
If i was 100% sure I wouldn't have a termination in the worst case scenario, then I wouldn't do the scans. But I'm not 100% sure. I feel 99% sure I couldn't cope with an abortion and 99% sure I couldn't cope raising a special needs child, so where does that leave you?!

[lolajane2009]

i didnt do any of the scans, other than the 12 week and 20 week scan, or the blood tests as I am fairly young, only 29, and with a disabled brother and a long wait to conceive I didnt really need to know if it had anything they could pick up as it wouldnt change one thing for me.

[nannyl]

the only reason i had the nuchal scan was because it be in with the sonographer longer and would get a few more minutes to look at baby!

i had already made the decision not to have an amnio anyway, and having a 1:16000 risk put my mind at ease.

i have had the 12week (with nuchal at same time) scan and 20 week scan

so long as there are no issues i wont be having anymore

[Cattleprod]

Downs isn't really the worst case scenario though, is it? A high nuchal measurement can also be an indicator of several rarer conditions - Edwards, Patau, Trisomy 13/18 etc., which afaik are more serious and sometimes 'incompatible with life'. I'd rather have the test so I'd know early on that (hopefully) my risks were low, or if not have time to consider my options and not find out something was really wrong at a later scan, or worse, at birth.

[Tangle]

I did have them done but thought long and hard before hand. I think, for me, the risk of Down's didn't worry me so much as getting a risk for Edward's and Patau's. With Down's there's a reasonable chance of a good quality of life for all involved, whatever the challenges - for the other two trisomies the expectations are a lot more bleak and however heart breaking deciding to terminate would be we felt that due to personal experience we'd cope with that a lot better than loosing a baby late in the pregnancy (which is a much higher risk with those conditions).

DH and I felt that we couldn't know how we'd feel about getting an amnio/CVS unless or until we were in the situation of being offered one. For any future pregnancies we'll probably do the same again - have the nuchal scan and then make our own decision about whether to have a CVS/amnio depending on the results. We wouldn't have a problem declining one if we felt that the risks from the screening weren't high enough to justify the risks of the procedure.

"it seems every decision is a tough one"
Welcome to parenthood! :o

[CakeForBreakfast]

Hello,

i also declined the nuchal tests for all three of my pregnancies, I was first pregnant when I was 31 and I'm nearly 36 now.

I was advised to make the decision backwards. If I was KNEW I was having a Downs Syndrome baby, would I choose to abort. Thats the question only you can answer alone. I don't think they can tell you how severe or mild it can be either.

If you would not abort, don't have the scan.

[d0gFace]

I want the nuchal scan, mainly for piece of mind. I dont think I would abort for downs but would for Edward's and Patau's ect.

Congrats on your pregnancy!

[Wormshuffler]

I am havin the nuchal, and would have cvs/ammnio if needed. I think at the moment to be honest it would break my heart, but I think we would end the pregnancy of a downs baby. Then not try again for anymore children.
I have a friend with a beautiful DS boy who is now in adulthood. He is bigger and stronger than them, incontinent and frustrated. He spends the week at a residential college which was funded. This funding has now ended and they simply can not afford the 38k per year it costs to send him there. He really loves going and now will have to stop. What will happen when his parents die? who will look after him? I couldn't deal with leaving my child in a world where they would never be self sufficient.
I apologize if my views offend anyone, especially anyone who has a child with DS.

[Continuum]

I declined the nuchal, I didn't see any point as I wouldn't have have gone on for further testing if the results weren't that great so I didn't want the added stress. Downs syndrome appears to be the most common likely problem (and I'm 36 and dh is 40) and we'd just deal with it. If there was a chance of something worse, which would be much less likely, then we'd deal with that coming to light at a later date.

[nickelbabe]

At our hospital, i think you have to.
it's all done on the dating scan.

but, if you're talking specifically about Downs' screening, then if my nuchal scan had shown abnormal results, I would not have gone further and had the amnio or the other one.
They get 4 down's markers from the scan and 2 from the mother's blood test.
I wouldn't have had the extra tests if they had shown a high risk, mainly because I know i wouldn't abort a baby with Down's, so it's risking a miscarriage for a result that wouldn't change anything.

[Tinkerisdead]

I paid for a nuchal scan as they aren't offered in my area and now I'm 5 weeks pregnant I'll pay again. But I didn't have the triple test. It wasn't intentional not to have the triple, they tested my liver function instead of doing the triple and by the time it was sorted I was beyond 25 weeks. However, I had the nuchal not to be the deciding factor around abortion but to make me more informed at what the outcome was likely to be as early as possible. For the same reason I had an anomaly scan at 20 weeks, to check the health of my baby.

[toomanyopinions]

Cheers nannyl! Nice to know that Sonographers are suffering RSI performng nuchal scans so that you can have a longer look at your baby...

[somewherewest]

I didn't get the nuchal, as Downs is the main issue involved. We wouldn't have aborted for it (or for anything else short of the truly horrendous), so a test showing a high likelihood of Downs would just have stressed me out and probably for nothing.

[ThePippy]

I agree with those who have said you should decide based on what you would do with the result if it was not great. For me I was very clear that I wouldn't continue with a baby with any of the trisomy's, which is very much an individual choice based on my personal experience of downs in a fair number of individuals, so for me it was an easy choice. If you know you would continue then other than being a bit more prepared for the news at the birth, you are not really gaining anything by having the nuchal fold done.

I also have a family member who had a baby with Patau's (she knew as a result of scans but couldn't abort as it was sharing with a normal twin) and the poor little boy was devastatingly disfigured at birth and didn't survive 24hrs due to many significant health issues. I really don't think that bringing a baby with that level of problems into the world serves anyone well, but again some might prefer to have at least done what they can for that baby until the bitter end when it is taken out of their control. Again a completely personal choice where nobody is right or wrong, just what is right for you and your personal circumstances.

The other factor for me is that the downs people I have known have not lived to the level of independance that is often quoted as being possible (I know some do, but there are an awful lot who simply can't), and are still heavily relient on parents until the day they die, and I really didn't want to push that responsibilty on to my existing daughter as being 40 already myself I am fairly sure I would not outlive a downs baby.

[mopsytop]

I am not getting the nuchal, for the same reasons as posypom above. Was stressing, wondering if it was right decision, but have decided it is, have made our decision and now just going to get on with it. Why give myself the potential worry when I wouldn't even have a CVS or amnio?

I think whatever decision you are comfortable with is the right decision for you. There are no rights and wrongs in these situations I think.

[Mum2be79]

Nuchal scans have only been offered here in East Riding since January (Hull) and April (York). I was apprehensive mainly because I think ANY number would make me freak out. I opted to have it done but she did say that if I don't want it, just to say on the day. I'm still in two minds about it which is just as well because I'm 10 weeks today (10 weeks + 5 going by my MW predictions) and haven't even received a scan date yet! They have about 3 weeks to send it!

[HLSalter]

I'm 34+3 weeks and me and my DP decided not to have the nuchal scan done as having already had a miscarriage, nothing could have stopped us from wanting this baby. Also the nuchal scan as far as I'm aware only gives an indication, it does not provide you with a definitive answer. My mum had an amnio for my sister and said she would never go through one again.

I agree that you should only have the nuchal scan and subsequently the cvs/amnio if you feel it would change your decision.

Good luck with your pregnancy.