June 2015 - thread 5 - second trimester fast approaching

[jazzyjenbo]

New thread

Congrats Deutschy! Hope you have a lovely day, and congrats on the good scan experience too!

Okay, I have a question for those who've had their stats back for the chance of Downs Syndrome (totally unrelated to my earlier whinge about feeling generally rubbish).

I got an adjusted score of 1:366 which seems very low compared to what a lot of people are getting (reduced from 1:942 as the "general" unadjusted score). Sonographer said it was in their low-risk range, and I took her at her word, but now wondering if I should have asked more info.

I'm a non-smoker and 29 years old, nuchal fold was 2.3-2.5mm, so I guess it's my blood sample that has effected the stats so badly? She mentioned that my iron levels were really good but didn't comment on anything else. Any ideas what could lower my stats, and whether I should bring it up with my MW at my next appointment?

I am not sure forty I think the cutoff for being low risk is 1 in 250. Yours is quite 'high' compared with some people who get 1 in 12,000 or so but it still means only 1 in 366 women with your measurements will go on to have a baby with Downs.

If you are worried I would talk to your midwife. I think you can still do one of the non invasive tests like Harmony but you would have to pay.

I am sure there are people who know more about this than me!

My MW said that 1 in 249 or lower was a high risk result (and herefore triggered referral for further tests) and 1 in 250 or higher was low risk and therefore wave you on your way.

I wonder if in the data there's actually any risk/likelihood difference between a result of 1 in 251 and 1 in 251000.

You could always be that one no matter how low your risk is.

I was 1 in 14,000 or so last time but they didn't look at the nuchal fold then and I had to have a special blood test at a later stage instead. I haven't had my results from this time yet; I wonder if a couple of years in age will make a difference.

Hope you enjoyed the concert and musical, Tori and Jazzy - I love that kind of thing, especially at Christmas. We're off to our local (multilanguage) carol service on Sunday - can't wait!

Forty 1:336 is still 'low risk' - the cut of in most trusts is 1:250. Iron levels won't affect the numbers at all, it's the hormones they are looking at. If your number is lower than 250 (indicating higher risk), you will be offered more invasive screening - CVS/amnio usually, but some places are doing foetal DNA blood tests which are less invasive for the baby. It seems like quite a small number when others have 10,000 and above, but still only 0.3% of pregnancies with your parameters go one to have a baby with Down's. Of course somebody has to be that one, and if you're concerned you can opt to have the foetal DNA tests done privately.

To compare: I cared for a lady once, whose age-alone risk was 1:90 or something. 12-week tests adjusted that to 1:300. She was that one - it was such a shock after being 'low risk'. Another lady the same week had risk of 1:4 with no maternal risk factors. She declined amnio, baby was chromosomally normal.

forty you are still considered low risk with those stats, if you had a positive scan I wouldn't worry too much as easy as that sounds. My risk was adjusted after a raised nuchal measurement to 1 in 89! I had no other soft markers though, I was absolutely petrified but had the harmony test and results came back clear for all the chromosome abnormalitys.. My risk was much much higher than yours and everything is fine, as others have said someone will always have to be that 1 but if you have had no other markers for problems sure everything is fine!

Evening ladies. Well I had an interesting day at work. I'm a volunteer for our Emergency Response Team, meaning if we were to have an accident (God forbid), I would be dispatched to help the families of victims/survivors. Well needless to say the pregnancy hormones took over & I cried 3 times during the training! I need to pull myself together before my colleagues think I've totally lost the plot!

I'm now totally emotionally drained and ready for bed. DH was on standby for work today and was secretly hoping he would have been called out so I could have the evening to myself and not have to cook. Nope! Came home to him on the sofa telling me about the lovely lazy day he's had and now I have to make him dinner whilst continually retching over it and trying to force down a Dairylea Dunker myself. I hate him and I'm a horrible person. Hehe.

I'm not massively worried (well, trying not to worry I suppose would be a better way of wording it. What will be, will be and so on!), I was just curious as to what it was about my bloods that could have caused the drop down to that stats level and if anyone else was in a similar boat.
She did say it was less than a 1% chance, so was happy enough but just wondered if there was something obvious that might cause a drop to that level.
Don't think we will be paying for any additional checks or anything like that. As someone who works with statistics as part of my job, I know how meaningless they can actually be to the person who ends up as that 1 in a million, but it's good to know the actual cut off is 1:250 and that a lower stat is not unusual even with fairly "normal" seeming markers.

I've finally got my scan date :)

Next wednesday, I'll be exactly 12 weeks.

Hooray! Finally!

Orville Why the bloody hell isn't he cooking YOUR tea! Give him a poke and tell him to make his AND yours!

Forty I can't give you any more advice than others already have.

I'm so over the first trimester now. Tiredness and nausea, do one.

Brill Detective - so pleased you got a date. And we're scan day buddies too

Orville no way should you be the one cooking! And if you have to you need gadgety assistance- get a slow cooker! You can cook when you don't feel pants and it's ready for when you want to slump in evening - super useful with young baby about too - Dinner during morning nap!

Yay Detective on your scan date. One week's notice though? They were cutting it fine weren't they?!

Can't moan really about cooking dinner. It's not like I have other kids to look after and to be fair, we're both away quite a lot so it's kind of my "thing" when we're both at home. To be fair, apart from the washing, I do naff all else. I live in a pigsty

Evening all, I've got really horrid period-like cramping pains tonight. I'm wondering - earlier this evening I was cycling and some idiot stepped into the cycle lane and I basically hit him/stopped v. suddenly. Did not get hit at all, but felt uterus (and whole body tense) hard as had to slam feet onto the ground to stop.

...anyway, should I be worried? Is it possible to pull the muscles around your uterus?

Great to see the positive scans everyone is having!

I should add, I'm 12+6 and scan last week was perfect.

osney this is a complete guess, but I guess if you put strain on your body like that then it's possible it's sort of an achey after effect? I wouldn't feel bad about checking it out though.

I think your ligaments start to stretch and loosen around 12 weeks, so could be you're a bit more sore than you might otherwise be.
Might be worth getting checked out if you're worried.

Wow, some lovely news today. Weddings and scans.

Osney - you might have tensed your abdominal muscles which led to the ones round your uterus taking some extra strain. Considering everything is moving around, as deutschy says, it could just be n after ache. Hope it clears. I sneezed whilst Sat on the settee today and that hurt like a bitch. Husband thought I was dying.

Oh yes, I've had that when sneezing too! So it could be a combination osney

I can't remember who it was who mentioned potassium aka bananas for headaches but I think I owe you a thank you!

Just checking in to see if this is most recent June 2015 thread? Had a bit of trouble finding you guys.
Quick question: anyone else have period-like lower back pain? No cramping or anything so not worried, but it is uncomfortable!

I need bananas then cos I've had a horrible headache all day!

14 weeks tomoro! Gah goes so slow!!!

June - back ache? Yup. I don't get it with periods but I've had it the last couple of weeks. Makes sleeping and putting on makeup (I bend over to get close to the mirror) a tad painful.