Hi ladies,
A bit of a long one.
Had my 9+3 (private) scan to check the pregnancy is ongoing. Luckily, we saw our little guy, even moving a tiny bit. Ultrasound technician did say at this point the neck fold looks small/normal (but it’s very early days) and baby looks okay.
Had a couple of worry points too, unfortunately. The ultrasound technician said heartbeat was on the high side (182-185) which can be a sign of trisomy 13 in particular, and that I was measuring 9+1 according to her measurements - my first scan places me at 9+3. It’s not a big difference, and the heart rate may well come down soon, but combined with my low bloods for hcg/Papp-A (she said she wouldn’t comment on them without the neck fold scan completed, nor would my doctor), I’m a bit concerned. It seems more and more likely my results will come back high risk.
I’m able to get a NIPT test from Thursday next week if I want privately. However, it’ll cost around £500, and I’ll get the results around the same day I have my neck fold scan at the hospital. And then, if there are abnormalities, they would anyway give me a NIPT (paid-for) that day. But then I’ll need to wait another 5-7 days for results - and I’ll actually be on holiday abroad during that period. If I do it next week, I’ll have the results beforehand and could potentially act more quickly if needs be.
In my shoes, would you get the early private NIPT, or wait for the hospital neck fold/12 week ultrasound/risk assessment? Trisomy 13/18 are often visible on the scan at this point visually. That said, I know NIPT is more accurate than the combined test, and I’m SO incredibly anxious at this point and even feel a little detached from the pregnancy. Money isn’t really a problem, more the waiting and anxiety and not wanting to do things twice.
I hope all of you are feeling more chill in your pregnancies and don’t get any high risk results!