Harmony at FMC

[KittyandTeal]

It feels odd to be starting a thread here after all this time!

We lost dd2 to trisomy 18 last year. I'm now pregnant again and as part of our screening we've decided to have the harmony package at the fmc. My viability scan and blood draw is Monday and I'm shitting myself.

I guess I'm just asking for a hand hold and if anyone else has done the package there and what did the think? Was your first scan transvaginal? I had an 8 week tv scan but not sure if it will need to be at 10 weeks?

Sorry for all the questions, I'm normally here trying answer other people's questions 😳

Thinking of you today Kitty

Thanks. On our way now, all fingers crossed

Everything crossed, Kitty. FMC were wonderful for my Harmony with DS2. We were away for a few weeks after the test and they emailed the results to us; I know they would have called if there were any problems.

They also did follow ups on a couple of issues that weren't 100% clear on the 13w scan, just to be sure everything was fine, at no cost.

Thinking of you.

I think the Harmony test is now sent to a lab in the UK, so hopefully will be a bit quicker than 2 weeks to hear back? Hope all goes well today and you get a clear result K&T xxx

That's interesting light. Maybe it'll be a bit quicker. Fingers crossed.

Kitty, nothing additive from me but wanted to say I am thinking of you lots and hope all is well. You were hugely informative and supportive when I went through a TFMR last year after dd2 was diagnosed with Edwards, and I won't forget the comfort your posts gave me when I felt so alone and confused. I wish you all the well deserved luck in the world with this pregnancy xx

Scan was all fine, everything looks absolutely normal for now. The doc was lovely and very sensitive. She said after the scan that she'd be surprised if we come back high risk but who knows.

Either way I'm feeling much more positive. She said they'd call us as soon as the results are in if they are high risk. She also said that a high risk screen means the baby more than likely has that trisomy.

Just fingers crossed while we wait for results.

Ah Gary thank you. I remember you too, how is everything?

That sounds really positive. I'm glad they were sensitive, we had lovely staff there.

From memory we had results in 9 days.

Thanks. Did they call you with a negative result?

I was overseas - Australia - so they emailed and I think followed up with a call.

Great news Kitty - you're over hurdle 1 with nothing obvious at this stage. I know it must feel like there are so many to get over, but I strongly suspect in my case a lot of issues would have shown up at 10 weeks (I assume that's where you are) just as they did 10 days later, so hopefully that is a really good start.

We're fine thank you. Last year feels like a dream (or a nightmare I suppose) and still feeling the shock waves, but our relationship is in a good place and we've reached a new normal. Good luck xx

That's fantastic Kitty! I hope you get the results through quickly.

Congratulations on the positive scan Kitty

I had a TFMR/Selective Reduction of 1 twin following a T18 diagnosis at the FMC in 2014. I am also now pregnant again (and terrified) and understand completely your worries. We just had the Harmony package at the FMC a few weeks ago, and like you, I found it very hard to go back to a place where I had had such devastating news.

The FMC were brilliant. They understood my history and were incredibly kind and reassuring - but not patronising. They also understood the agony of the 2 week wait between scans and told me that I could call after 7 days to see if the results were in. Needless to say I started calling after 5 days and they eventually called me back with my results 7 days after the blood test (so a whole week before the 12 week scan) with good news. So I would recommend calling them next Monday for sure (if not before).

I understand that a low risk Harmony coupled with an appropriate age adjusted risk on the combined test gives approx a 1 in a half million risk of the 3 major trisomies.

I have my fingers crossed for you

Thanks everyone.

French you are exactly right, they are understanding without being patronising. She understood that I'd done a lot of reading around it and explained how mosaic forms can be picked up but that partials and translocation a would just look as a positive etc.

I will definitely give them a call next week and check. I'd love to have the results before our NHS 12 week scan next weds

This is where I found the info on Harmony being quicker: says 3-10 days and usually within 7.

www.thebirthcompany.co.uk/non-invasive-prenatal-test/

And this one says usually 5:

uds.uk.com/non-invasive

I'm sure FMC will be at least as quick as the others, so probably they just don't want to raise false hope of a quick result, but definitely worth giving them a ring in a week I would say!

Light xx

Thanks. They did say they still sent it off to the us for analysis so I'm guessing it might take a bit longer.

Atm I'm telling myself that the result won't change depending on how quickly I get it, if something is wrong then there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. I think that's the only way I'm going to get through it, and telling myself that it is highly unlikely to have a decent scan at 10 weeks and have it happen again (although I guess I'm worried because dd2s was picked up so late)

Hi Kitty, I remember you from these boards . Congrats on your new pregnancy.

Glad the scan went well. I got my results (clear) at the next appointment, no phone call. At first scan she also told me things looked good which reassured me a lot. As someone said up thread, many of the issues related to the trisomies would be picked up at 10 wks. She said while officially they don't count NT score until between 11-13 weeks, they see so many babies at 10 weeks that they have a good idea of what is normal. I know this might not be a comfort to you given your last baby's issues were not picked up till 20 weeks.

Re. Getting another risk score from NHS, I purposefully postponed my NHS nuchal until after my harmony results were back. When I told them I'd had the harmony they said there was no point them also giving me a risk score, as harmony is much more accurate. So they did all measurements but gave me no score at the end. They couldn't have been nicer. This was also at Kings. Have you been to the snazzy new Fetal Research Centre yet? It's where they do all the scans now, it's like a hotel!

Very best of luck. I'm now 22 weeks with what so far looks like a healthy baby (rapidly touches everything wood she can find)

I'm glad the scan looked normal Kitty. It's early days but maybe you can exhale just a tiny bit. Here's hoping for early blood results.

Thank you monten. I'm assuming if we've not had our results before the next appointment then they're probably negative. I did see her doing a couple of nt measurements but didn't comment on them. They dated me at 11 weeks rather than 10+5 but she also said that dating before 12 weeks is highly inaccurate.

I might actually ask them not to bother reporting the nhs risk factors,must the hormone results. That's a really good idea. I know my consultant wants the hormone results but actually a clear harmony result is enough for me so asking them to not report will help the anxiety levels.

We're not under care of kings, just our local hospital so I've not been up there for over a year. We were briefly under kings while dd2 was being diagnosed and I had to have part of the late tfmr done there. They are absolutely lovely.

Congrats on your pregnancy too. It's nice to hear from so many people who have gone on to have healthy pregnancies.

Summer it is a small positive but that's 2 small positives (with the 8 week scan too) so baby steps but I feel like I'm getting somewhere if that makes sense.

Good to hear all went well and hoping the results come back quickly for you. Thinking of you while you wait. Glad it sounds promising so far.

We're in South London but chose St Thomas' rather than Kings last time. They were very good after DD's T18 diagnosis. Thinking about trying again and I think we will do Harmony but not until 20 weeks, useful to read about the process at FMC as have heard they are very good.

Good luck!

So pleased you've had some positive news Kitty and I hope the next couple of weeks pass quickly for you.

PS I agree with Monten, our doctor at the FMC was confident at 10+2 that our baby did not have T13 and she showed us how different his brain looked from our first baby's. BTW DS is now nearly 6 months old and shrieking his head off instead of having a nap

That's really good to hear time, thank you.

I remember the shrieking rather than napping, God, I'll have to do all that again