To have screening tests

[onemorego2019]

Currently just started to try and conceive. I am 40 and we have other children. I conceived my last when I was 36. At that time I stood firm and refused all screening tests despite being referred to as a geriatric mother. This time I feel different, almost like I should have them. Does anyone else have experience of being pregnant at 40? How were you treated by midwife/consultant. the What are the tests like? I do get anxious so I know I will worry. But then I will worry without them too!

Hi, I am 41and pregnant with my first. I have had lovely midwives and no issues at the handful of consultant appts I have had.

We chose to have the Serenity test at 11 weeks, rather than rely on less accurate NHS test.

All results came back fine. Please don't worry...the consultant told me that they regularly see women much older than us.

Do you mind me asking how much the test cost and how you arranged it please?

My son has a rare chromosome disorder he has complex disabillities. Tests dont test for everything.

@x2boys sorry to hear that. Did you find out after birth?

It depends what you would do with the results. Some people will say there’s no point having screening unless you would terminate the pregnancy in the event of an abnormality.

Personally I chose to have the Harmony (NIPT) test as I was 38. We wouldn’t necessarily have terminated but I felt like I wanted to be prepared if the baby did have Down’s rather than only find out when he was born. I would have had an amnio or CVS if it had come back high risk, thankfully it didn’t.

The NHS screening is less accurate so some women will score as high risk but the baby will turn out to be fine. In this case it can cause a lot of unnecessary worry so if you wouldn’t have amnio/CVS then I probably wouldn’t have NHS screening.

The most important thing to remember is that screening won’t change the outcome, it’s just there to help you with decision making. It’s perfectly reasonable not to have it if you don’t want to.

If you go to the fetal medicine centre in Harley st London they do a first trimester screening package (bloods and NT scan) for a few hundred £ but the professor who runs it is the person who invented the nt scan and is a world leader in fetal screening so I would go there over nhs. They also have less than 1:1000 MC risk rates for amino and cvs

fetalmedicine.com/treatment-fees

You just call them up and book yourself in for an appointment.

I was living overseas for the first trimester of my last pregnancy but moved back around the time of the anomaly scan so I paid for one at the FMC and a later 3rd trimester placenta and growth scan - which is recommended for helping to prevent stillbirth.... they offer this scan as standard in other European countries.

Anyway I would thoroughly recommend the place. The Drs are very thorough and professional and reassuring (and we got some lovely 3D pictures as a bonus!), plus it’s var posh all shiny glass doors and stairs and fresh single use hand towels in the toilets etc

Thank you all. @Darkstar4855 the reason I didn't screen before was because I couldn't go through with termination if that was the case. But this time I guess the chances are higher and I'd like to be informed. But it doesn't seem like any of the tests other than amniocentesis are 100% right. So that could just create more anxiety for me! Aghhh

Hello, I am 41 and pregnant with my third. My youngest is 5. I had the IONA test privately at 10 weeks and paid £400.

Don’t feel I’ve been treated any differently by the midwife.

Seen the consultant once so far. I’m being offered growth scans. I think that’s because of my age.

Only differences so far in what I’ve been told by the consultant are 1) if I reach 40 weeks they want to induce me as higher risk of placenta not working after then when you are aged 40 or over. Don’t relish the thought of being induced but I will definitely follow the advice if I get to 40 weeks. 2) I was advised to take 2 junior aspirin each night. To be honest I can’t remember what for.

@onemorego2019 we arranged it privately with a local fertility clinic. It is in Cheadle, Manchester, but there will be many others. It was as simple as calling them and booking the scan and blood test. It was all done very efficiently and the results were back within a couple of days. I can't recall the exact cost. I think it was in the region of £400-500.