1:350 risk of Downs

[EmilieFloge]

I've just had a call from the midwife and she says my quad test has come back with the risk of Downs being 1 in 350.

I'm 38, I'm not sure if I ought to be concerned...I've seen this referred to as 'borderline high risk' elsewhere, but the MW said their cut off for amnio is 1:150 so I won't be offered any more tests.

I just thought I'd ask if anyone knows anything about it, because I'm actually quite worried, my friend had her results too and hers are 1:1,300.

Thankyou x

I think your statistical risk increases simply because of your age. So at the age of 38, I imagine, it would be pretty difficult to get a risk of 1:1,300 and a risk of 1 in 350 is probably pretty good.

Thanks, I was trying to think of it that way but my friend is 36 or 37 so not far behind me.

I just want to do something else to make sure everything is alright, iykwim...I would keep the baby anyway but I need to know.

They couldn't measure the nuchal fold as apparently I'm too far along but I am sure of my dates so nothing is making much sense atm.

Hi EmilieFlog. Sorry you are feeling stressed and confused. The nuchal fold can't be done after 13+6 so, if you've had the quad test, you will be further along than this, hence not having this to factor in too.

However, your chance of having a baby with down syndrome is lower than your background risk (the average risk at age 38) - in other words, you are less likely to have a baby with down syndrome than the average 38 year old.

I'm guessing you are about 16/17 weeks pregnant? In which case your detailed anomaly scan will be in a few weeks time, where any soft markers would be picked up. The NHS are unlikely to offer you an amnio with a risk of 1:350 as it is a lower risk than the cut off which is usually 1:150 or 1:250, although you could pay privately for one if you wished to.

I hope that helps.

Thankyou very much, yes, I'm apparently nearly 16 weeks though I still think my own dates are accurate, but I have to go with theirs.

I'm hoping that they pick up anything unusual at the 20 week scan. Thankyou for putting the risk into context, it's good that it's lower than the starting point for my age group at least.

It just seems to be high in relation to a lot of others I've seen/heard - particularly as my risk for Edwards and the other Trisomy they test for is 1 in 13,000.

Sorry, posted too soon - I'm thinking about having a private scan though I don't know if this would show anything more than the NHS one, iyswim?

I think (and I may be wrong here, but just what I've seen when doing extensive research myself (I had a 1:15 down syndrome screen in 2010 from a nuchal scan/bloods)) that the risk for the other two syndromes is usually much lower as they are rarer... happy to be corrected on that, but that was my assumption.

Private scans are typically more detailed as you are the paying customer, I have had both NHS and private scans in both my pregnancies and you do get a more indepth scan at a private one in my experience. I'm not sure what that would show over and above the 20 week scan at this point though, and there is always the possibility (unlikely, I don't want to unsettle you, I'm just pontificating) that if there was something obviously wrong it could be missed at 16 weeks.

I totally get why you are concerned because it is a mother's way, I panicked through both my pregnancies - the first just because it was my first and I'm a worrier, and in my second because of the odd screening results. Both babies were fine, but I continue to worry about them both endlessly and will continue to do so I'm sure!

Thankyou so much, I am grateful to you for sharing your knowledge and sorry that you went through the worry of this with your little one. I'm glad that your children were both Ok

I don't think I will bother with a private scan, and will just hope that they do a thorough job of the 20 week, as I suppose that is all I will have to go on.

I realised the risk from amnio is actually greater than the risk of Downs at my ratio, which kind of explains why they won't offer it! and I know I would keep this baby in any case, so really it is only a matter of calming my own nerves and waiting.

Thanks again for all your help

Happy to help! :) You could always opt for a 3D scan a bit later on, get a good look at your LO and reassure yourself at the same time. I'm sure it will all go well, but best wishes for the rest of your pregnancy. x

I had ds at 30 AND the nuchal fold test. My risk was 1:265

Nobody was concerned, no other tests offered. I was deemed low risk from this result. 4yrs previously I'd had a 1:4000 risk with dd.

If you have any worries I would get a scan done at the FMC - they can see quite a lot at 17 weeks onward and would be able to evaluate whether there are any other markers that would warrant an amnio. Hopefully as everyone else says, it's just to set your mind at rest though.
With all due respect IMO a 3D scan is a complete waste of time unless you just want some nice pictures.

Totally agree about the 3d scan. Won't put your mind at rest at all as it is not a 'medical' scan, and sometimes not performed by a fully qualified sonographer even. I know ppl like to nhs bash, but you can be sure you will be being scanned by a fully qualified, registered professional with up to date knowledge following the most recent guidelines. These are not requirements privately (not referring to the fmc here).

I wasn't suggesting it was a medical scan, just an opportunity to feel reassured? There is nothing to indicate that a medical scan is needed, certainly not the extremes of an FMC scan, the OP just needs some reassurance...

Thanks so much everyone...I understand what you meant, I did just want reassurance, whether by the proper experts or something that lets you have that little bit more information and contact with your baby like a 3D.

Having read Showy's reply I feel that I am probably overreacting to what are fairly low risk results...thankyou for making me feel better.

I think it was just the fact it as so much higher than my friend's which wrongfooted me a bit.

I'm going to wait till the NHS scan in a few weeks as I hope it would show if anything was desperately wrong, but if it doesn't, I'll live with the small risk till January.

Thanks again all, you have all helped a lot x