Wasn't able to do combined screening - now worried about trisomies

[Chattycat78]

Hi all,

I'm 21 weeks pregnant. It was originally twins but unfortunately one them had a fatal abnormality discovered at the 12 week scan so I had to have a termination of the sick twin to try to save the healthy one. However, the consequence of this was that it wasn't possible to do the blood tests for trisomies. This is because of all the tissue floating around of the sick twin which is still there. This means that it's still not possible to do any blood tests so I feel still in the dark. All I know is that the NT measurement on the healthy twin at 12 weeks was 0.9 which is very good, and that the 20 week scan has picked up no markers for anything. Actually we've had loads of scans since the reduction of the sick twin because the hospital have been keeping a close eye on things. The consultant has said that she thinks the healthy baby is low risk for trisomies.

However, I still don't feel that reassured. What if the healthy twin actually has t21 or something else and we don't know because we weren't able to have the combined tests (or any tests for that matter!) I'm just hoping that we were so unlucky with the sick twin to begin with that surely this won't happen..... Am I overthinking and over worrying?

I think that you are quite naturally traumatised and that you are stressed because of that. You've had a terrible shock....finding out one of your twins was sick and then having to have a termination is a terrible thing to go through and will take some getting over.

Were you offered any counselling? I think that your natural fears are there because of this trauma and that you should try to focus only on the positives you've been told by the consultant. If that consultant thought there was any risk, they would have not reassured you like that.

All those scans will stand for something....they've kept a very close eye on the baby and all seems well. Try to focus on what's to come...a lovely baby...and push the fears away.

I think I remember your thread when you found out about your very sick twin.

I'm sorry off your loss but glad your remaining twin has survived.

As someone who has experienced trisomy being picked up I would say it would be very, very unusual for the soft markers of trisomies to not have been picked up by this point, especially by someone looking for them. Once a specialist is looking for markers they are pretty easy (obviously relatively) to pick up and identify.

However, it is really unsurprising you are feeling so much anxiety. There is absolutely no point in me telling you to stop worrying because it sounds like that will be almost impossible. I will say that I would be very, very surprised if your surviving twin has a trisomy that hasn't been identified by now.

It is really hard to accept fatal anomolies just being chance and bad luck. It is nature for us to try and find a reason or links to explain them. I have had months of counselling about the loss of my dd2 and I still can't fully accept that her trisomy was just sheer bad luck. I still go through the 'did I exercise too much, was it carrying my phone in my front pocket etc etc' thoughts.

Would you consider counselling? It might be an idea before the baby arrives. And if you're anything like me (I now have major anxiety in my current pregnancy about medical appointments) it might help deal with up coming appointments too.

Try to be kind to yourself. You have been through a horrifically traumatic time (I think the twin reduction is the same as a post 21 week termination with the injection) both mentally and physically. I am still traumatised over a year on by the physical process.

Thanks guys. I appreciate it. Yeah I guess I'm catastrophising because of what's happened.... I need to just shut up and stop looking for even more problems!

No, not at all. Definitely don't shut up and get on with it. Talk and talk and talk, however catastrophic or unrealistic the worry. Shutting up is bottling it up and that will just make you more anxious.

I'm really sorry if my previous post came across as a 'don't be so silly to worry' patronising post. I was trying (possibly not very well) to explain that I understand your anxiety and that it is entirely natural even if it is very likely that your surviving twin will be healthy.

Please keep on talking here lovely. Anything to help you get through it.

(Btw I am searching for all sorts of unrealistic problems with this, so far, very healthy pregnancy. It's a bit like a defence mechanism just in case the worst does happen)

Kitty don't worry- your post didn't at all come across like that. I totally get why you are looking for problems this time! I'm sure it will all be fine but I think you end up scarred from previous experience. How many weeks are you?

Oh good, it's sometimes hard to convey tone online.

Yep, definitely scarred. I'm inly 13 weeks so long way to go but we've have all the scans and tests available which all look good as far. It's just hard to let yourself believe it might be ok xx

Some areas (like mine apparently..) don't even test for Edward's and Patau's - it's being rolled out across the country this year. Which means that they rely on seeing it at the 20 week scan, as I think there are a lot of soft markers visible then.

I completely understand how anxious you must be, and it's totally normal to be, but you're getting all the care you need with the extra scans and the consultant care.

Speaking purely for t21, it's absolutely not a catastrophe.
Obviously you're worried, because you've been through a really sad experience, but there's no signs of and problems so far. You've said yourself that you've had loads of scans. These people know what they're looking at. There are no end of soft markers to look for. Especially with t18 and t13, they're going to be seeing these if there is an issue.
I know how hard it is not to worry. Just try and focus on the fact that you're getting a gorgeous squishy baby first and foremost.

Thanks guys. I appreciate it. Girl with a pearl necklace- yes- I know there are a lot of soft markers. However- isn't it possible that no soft markers are there but that there is still a problem (and that you wouldn't find out until the birth...?). I also appreciate what you're saying about it not being a catastrophie, however, I can't pretend that I would be happy about it, and would prefer to have known in advance so that we could have been fully informed and made an appropriate decision for our family. As it is, that has been taken from our hands, and so I'm just hoping that it's all going to work out and we get a happy ending from this partly sad story.