What in your bloods makes result so diff from age avg?!

[AmIGoingMad]

When midwife explained the screening available to me she said that I'd be able ot have the Nuchal measurement, followed by the triple test bloods. But when I went for my 12wk scan expecting my NT to be done there I was told- oh no we stopped the NT in Jan and now you only get the triple test. We were going on hols the next day and when we came back I was past the 15 weeks that you have to have the NT before- I just wish I'd had the right info from the beginning as I know that I would have paid to have the combined test which everyone else seems to be able to have on NHS!
Anyway-slight tangent sorry!- had my results back and they say I have a 1 in 516 risk. I'm 29- 30 in the next few weeks and was of the understanding that the average for my age is 1 in 900.
I get that 1 in 516 is classed low risk but don't understand what it is that were in my bloods to make in nearly double the average risk for my age! It's driving me mad to be honest and making me even more annoyed that I was unable to have the NT for the combined test. I really want to stop stressing and just enjoy my first pregnancy but it's always at the back of my mind-porbably doesn't help that I'm neurotic at the best of times! aaargh! x

The blood test measures the levels of the hormone free beta-hCG and a the protein PAPP-A. Babies with Down's syndrome tend to have high levels of hCG and low levels of PAPP-A.

When the NT scan is combined with this blood test, the detection rate improves to about 90 per cent (Nicolaides et al 2000, Kagan et al 2008). This test is called the combined test.

The quad or triple test also measures other stuff including for spina bifida. HTH.

So do you reckon that means that one of the readings was high enough to suggest high risk but my age kept it at the middle ground between avg for my age and high risk? Sorry if I sound stupid but I'm not really getting anywhere with getting answers from midwife!
Also, does the 20 wk scan pick up on any of this stuff or does it focus on other aspects such as heart etc?

There is actually an online calculator you can use to check how your age affects the risk - if you know exactly what your NT is and what your results are in terms of MoM. I can probably find it for you if it would help? (have baby on lap at moment so a bit difficult now!)

My understanding is that your baseline risk is based on age - 1 in 900 like you quote. The levels of beta-HCG and PAPP-A (and possibly AFP too if they tested for this) and the NT then vary that risk. It could be one thing was off, and others fine, or all were slightly off. Could you ask your midwife to give you the numbers?

In your case, your results mean that there is roughly double the risk for you than the age based risk alone (still a tiny chance though!)

Because you are young, you are still low risk, because the younger you are, the less likely your baby is to have the additional chromosome.

To pick up your other point, no scan can definitively diagnose Down's - only a CVS/amnio can do that.

I hope everything is ok for you x

Thanks for your explanation- really appreciate it!
I'll ask midwife for my numbers (she's quite difficult to get hold of tho!) but unfortunately my LHB no longer offer the NT so I haven't got that- that's why I feel like I don't have all the info I suppose.
Soory to show ignorance again but what's MoM? Am I being really daft?!
Thanks again! x

Sorry, being stupid mentioning NT when you clearly said they didn't measure it!

I think MoM stands for "multiples of median" - basically how your results compare to the median (middle) figures.

Taking mine as an example (well, sort of, can't recall exactly what they were) - the beta HCG was 1.74 MoM, which means that the beta HCG level was 1.74 times higher than the median figure. The PAPP-A was 0.44 MoM which means that it was about half of the median figure. Both these were suggestive of Down's.

I had an amnio - DS did not have Down's. I did actually regret having the amnio because I was terrified of miscarrying, but that's a personal thing.

Hope that helps. If you're worried, could you speak to the midwife and see if they offer second trimester screening? (the quad test?) It might put your mind at ease x

Why couldn't my midwife explain it like that?! That makes lots of sense and gives me much better understanding! I'm going to phone her on Tues when they have clinic as it's difficult to contact her at other times and ask her more specific questions now that I'm more educated on it all!
Thanks!x

Hi pinkypanther

What does IU/I stand for because mine read like this:

HCG 95.1 IU/I equivalent to 2.599 Mom
PAPP-A 3.738 IU equivalent to 1.679 MoM

These results were part of my combined nuchal test which gave me a risk of 1:1128 after the nuchal was measured at 3.2 I am just 32 years old.

My NHS figures were nuchal alone 4.6 at 12 weeks then quad bloods done at 16 weeks were as follows:

HCG MoM 2.8 Me 3.10
Inhibin A MoM 3.23 Me 3.53
AFP MoM 0.48 Me 0.54
UE3 MoM 0.74 Me 0.75

This gave me a 1:5 risk haven't had an amino and am now 26 weeks pregnant. All the screening midwife said is that my Inhibin A is really high, no one has ever explained what any of it means.

Thanks

Hi Janski31 how was your this pregnancy?