Trying to conceive over 40

[October1979]

Here is a new thread for us girls

@October1979 I think they are the same thing? Unless one includes finding out the gender of the baby?

@October1979 yes it’s the same as the harmony test. I think it’s still only available privately though.

@Littlemiss40andfabulous yes a blood test they do with or without a scan ( depending on the package you choose) you can have it from 10 weeks and the results come back in about 1 week. I am not sure if the NHS offer it. Privately it’s about £400

@sabtom remind me how far you are now?

7weeks 2days

The nipt or harmony was £400 a couple of years ago when expecting ds. It’s 99% accurate and you can find out the sex if you want. In my area it can be done at the local hospital. There’s a bit of a controversy with it because in Iceland it’s done with every pregnancy and there’s now no one with Down syndrome as those pregnancies are aborted early. There were plans for it to be available on the nhs but it’s not happened yet as far as I’m aware.

The combined test you get at the nhs 12 week scan is about 75% accurate but how the baby appears on the scan gives some indication of any issues i.e. size and movement. They measure the neck and if that measurement is normal there’s a good chance baby is ok. I was only 40 when I had ds so the odds were much better then. We just decided if all signs were good with the combined test we’d assume all ok. I think I had a 1 in 2500 chance of a chromosomal abnormality when we got the result. Apparently age is part of the calculation they do to find out the odds so it’s more common to get a false positive for there being a problem if you’re older. I think it’s something like 1 in 250 or greater where they advise an amnio. Though my friend who had a high risk just had the nipt at that point as the amnio has a risk of miscarriage.

If you go for the combined definitely make sure you get it done at 12 weeks. If you are 14 weeks or more it’s a different test which is even less accurate. This happened to a friend who got given a late scan date as the hospital was busy. She was livid to be given a less accurate test.

I will definitely get the nipt because we just want to have an accurate picture of how baby is early on and the odds of an abnormality seem to go up steeply with age. I try to think though, although the odds go up it’s still relatively unlikely. If for example it’s 1 in 50 if you line up 50 mums only 1 would have the abnormality. Also there’s individual risk as well. Some couples will be less prone to an abnormality so the statistics can be misleading.

Obviously the nipt doesn’t mean you’re home and dry as there can still be problems at the anatomy scan at 20 weeks like heart defects etc but if baby is chromosomally normal a lot of issues can be treated.

I think it’s amazing that a blood test at 10 weeks can look at the baby’s dna. It’s so clever. Xx

Amazing @sabtom ❤️ Xx

Thanks for that detailed information @Catconfusion. I'll definitely be asking for it on 21st when I have my scan at 12 weeks and 4 days.

Wow @sabtom that has gone fast! How you feeling?

Some nhs hospitals do offer the harmony test. I got mine done via the nhs at the 12 week scan.

How early do people do a pregnancy test?
I’m 6dpo.

@Littlemiss40andfabulous I’d speak to your midwife and see what the deal is in your area. Fingers crossed you can have it at the same time as the scan. Xx

@Catconfusion I haven't had any blood tests taken at all yet. The midwife said they'd happen at the same time as the scan appointment. I have blood forms to take with me so will check what's written on them today.

@birdbybird that’s great news. It baffled me that the more accurate test wasn’t available on the nhs for me. I think it’s so important especially for older mums to get that reassurance. Xx

@Catconfusion I just looked up Public Health Wales info about antenatal screening and according to that NIPT is offered if high risk results after the combined test at 12 weeks are found.

@Littlemiss40andfabulous it's not going fast enough lol it feels like these first 12 weeks will drag! 😩 I tested positive for covid a few days ago, so I've been recovering from that. I've had both my jabs so my symptoms were only a slight temp and a bad cold, although I have no sense of smell now which my be a good thing so I'm not smelling things which can make me feel sick lol. Pregnancy symptoms, I've not really had any, just feel really hungry all the time and yesterday I couldn't finish an avocado without throwing it up.

I had my booking in appointment earlier this week and the midwife told me about all the scans and tests that are offered. She said the 12 week scan is when they do bloods and screening test, but I can opt to have the NIPT test at 10 weeks to get a more accurate result. However, the NIPT test at 10 weeks is done privately with a cost of around £400. Or I can wait till the combined test at 12 weeks and if the results show to be high risk then the NIPT test will be offered to me at no cost.

I go for another scan when I'm 9weeks (had one at 5w6d and saw heartbeat) so if everything is still good at 9 weeks I think we'll pay for the 10 week NIPT test. That way if everything is normal we'll both be able to relax and enjoy the scan at 12 weeks.

We ended up waiting for the nipt test via nhs. Chances are (due to age over 40) we’d all be referred for the nipt test anyway.

@birdbybird I usually don't test until at least 10dpo. Having said that I only got a real squinter in certain lights. I couldn't see a definite positive until 11dpo on frer.
@sabtom did you get your early scan and 9week scan on nhs or private? I'm considering phoning the epu close to 7 weeks to ask if they will do a comfort scan due to my history. I'm sure the last time I had medical management the nurse told me to phone and get it done.
@Littlemiss40andfabulous @Catconfusion thanks for all the information really good to know all this about nipt tests.
@sabtom just curious- do you think Ava made a difference for you? Also have you turned it on to the pregnancy setting. I'm finding it a bit confusing and not sure what I should be monitoring re breathing rate? And why it doesn't track temp or pulse rate xxx

@sabtom @Littlemiss40andfabulous that’s interesting about NIPT on the nhs if your 12 week scan is high risk. I have read that they sometimes don’t get enough DNA at 10 weeks and you have to have the blood re done.

@Catconfusion @October1979 glad all is still going well for you. I am so down in the dumps. Did another test this morning and progression is there but not as much as I’d hoped for 48hrs. I think lines this time aren’t even as dark as my last MC. It so horribly depressing as all I can think now is I’ve got to go through another painful wait to be told ‘non viable preg’ at an early scan. I might try and see if the dr will do beta hcg bloods so I can help manage expectations. ☹️

@October1979 I had had an NHS scan and my future ones will be NHS too. I was offered them due to previous miscarriage, age and I'm diabetic. But my local EPU are pretty good anyway, if you're prepared to wait a few hours at the walk in they will scan you if you're having cramps, spotting or just generally feel anxious. As for Ava, yes I've turned it into to pregnancy mode and I have no idea what I should be monitoring. To be honest I just use it to monitor my weight and read how the baby is supposed to be developing. The high readings in the last few days on the RPR, skin temp and BR must've been due to COVID.

@Honey2 they look like good strong lines, how many dpo are you?

@Honey2 my line was a similar colour at 12dpo and continued to get darker over time. Try not to worry. I think they look good.

I got my 3+ today. I think I am 5+2 weeks

@sabtom I realised looking at your chart that mine didn't have temp or heart rate. When I went into my settings they had been turned off. I couldn't understand it. Thanks for sharing x

@Honey2 your line looks so similar to mine when I was expecting ds. Try not to worry I know that’s easier said than done. Every pregnancy is different.

It sounds like it’s now common practice to send for nipt if the combined test is high risk. I think my only concern would be the waiting times to get the results. You could feasibly be 14/15 weeks before knowing something is wrong. It could make options more tricky if things need to end. Obviously it’s horrible at any stage but I’d want to do it as early as possible should the worst happen. I think I’ll definitely book a ten week nipt and pay the money so @sabtom I’m with you on that one.

@October1979 wow I’m so happy for you. Literally made my day to see that 🙂 Xx

@October1979 great to see that it's all progressing!
and @Honey2 all fingers crossed that it's on track (after your recent loss it is completely understandable that you would be worried, but hopefully this one is a sticky one!).

i got my period on Saturday, so had a bit of a weep yesterday. we decided to get private fertility tests, so are due to have the consultation on wednesday, but i'm now not really sure what we're going to get out of it, other than that we're a bit old and therefore it's just harder to conceive than it would be 5 or 10 years ago...and i'm almost certain they'll suggest ivf (or iui or similar) because there basically isn't any other potential solution other than carrying on trying naturally. when we started ttc-ing, i was pretty adamant that we didn't want to go through ivf, but i am now much less sure. there's maybe something about trying that makes you want it more? we wouldn't be eligible through the nhs, so would have to go privately and the cost might make it not feasible, and i think emotionally it would be very stressful for both of us. what are other people's thoughts on ivf?

Well... I guess if you get there in the end does it matter how you got there? No one will judge you if you go for IVF, in fact I think people are actually more pleased for you when it works because you had to struggle but succeeded. That's my two cents anyway x

If you already have a child, no you won't be eligible through the NHS plus the waiting time could be quite long.

@99pctpractice We did have a consultation and they gave us 16% chance of success. For me I thought those odds were to low and potentially setting me up for heartache as I would want to keep trying if it didn't work. I was worried where it would end and how it would impact us emotionally. It is also very expensive for each round. We discussed egg donation abroad which had 70% chance of success and similar cost. We decided to try naturally for as long as we felt we could. If it didn't work then discuss if we wanted to be parents or if we could live without children. If we reached the end and wanted to be parents ED was just he route we would take. I know it's not for everyone and hopefully this pregnancy progresses but that's what we were thinking.
However I think you should do what is best for you, whatever feels right and makes you feel proactive and positive. I think after speaking with a consultant you will know what you want to do xx