Nuchal scan in USA?

[weasle]

Hello, I hope you don't mind me asking for advice about this.

I don't live abroad, but I am visiting my (English) parents who live in New Jersey in a couple of weeks. We booked the trip ages ago, and I now realise I will there from 11-14 weeks pregnant. So I can't have a nuchal scan in the UK before i go or on my return.

Can I get one in the USA? Who does them there - midwife/gynaecologist/ultrasonographer? Can i just phone up one and book it? Any idea how much it mught cost? Do they do the combined (blood) test too?

Sorry about all the questions, I hope there are some American moms or expat Brit mums who can help.

Thanks

Hmmm...I'm pretty sure you can book one by phone, but it will be VERY expensive. Probably $300 if I remember correctly. I honestly can't remember what I got done at time--though it was only a year ago! But I think they do all the same tests as the British system. Your best bet would be to find a gynecologist where your parents live and have them advise you. I know I got sent to a separate facility to get all the genetic testing done. GL. If you want more info, try posting on the urbanbaby.com message boards.

Hi. I'm American, but afraid I can't be of much help. I'd never heard of a nuchal scan before visiting Mumsnet, and I had already had DS. I Googled it after becoming pregnant with DD, and found that the vast majority of places don't do them here in the U. S (or have the equipment to do them). I'm guessing if you can find someone who does them, that it probably will be more expensive than the $300, though.

No I definitely had the nuchal fold done. I emailed a friend who was pregnant at the same time and went to the same gyno and she reminded me that we both had it done. A special sonographer did do it. It was done at a genetic testing lab, and I remember I also had to pay for the counselling that they do to tell you what your options are and what they are testing for. I believe in total it was $300.

When I had a baby in the US 5 years ago, they didn't offer and early scan. All there was was the triple test (which I declined much to their shock) and 20 weeks scan.

I had a baby in November 2006and I had it done. I was in a big city thoughWash. DC, so don't know if that makes a difference.

Thanks very much for the replies. I will investigate when I get there, perhaps phone a gynaecologist first.

I had the nuchal scan and blood tests done privately in my first pregnancy as my health authority didn't offer it at the time, and that was £350 so I am prepared for it to be pricey!

I had one done about a yr. and a half ago. They've been out awhile, but probably were only available in major metro areas at first or with select ob/gyns. As an American with health insurance, I have no idea what it cost, but it won't be inexpensive if you don't have health insurance, and since this isn't an emergency, you'll need to pay up front for everything...credit cards accepted though.

Make sure you go to an ob/gyn as not all gyns treat pregnancy. That's what OBs are for. You will need to have a Dr. examine you and make sure you are pregnant, or they might look at your UK records but they just won't take your word for it. (I'm still mad that I went to great trouble to bring my pregnancy medical records over to the UK with me, but the NHS system could care less about anything else but the NHS and didn't even look at them.) However, I would imagine a US Dr. would appreciate such records and would want to know who to contact in UK should they have any questions.

I would get referrals from your parents, and call 2-3 offices first. Explain in detail what's up and what their procedure will be. Doctors expect you to shop for a good one...you are treated well in America for medical care..well if you have insurance or are paying for the service. Call ASAP..as soon as possible, but most Americans would have already made their appt. long before two weeks in advance. Also, as a new patient, they may have a 'new patient' fee in addition to their regular fee. In addition to this fee, you will pay for the procedure itself.

Good luck. You will be amazed at how wonderful doctors are in the US if you're only familiar with the NHS system. They treat you like you are an intelligent human being and explain everything to you in detail and expect you to ask questions...and no appt. is just for 10 min. New patient appt. might be 30 min. or up to one hour. If Dr. isn't good, you got a bad referral. Word of mouth is the best way to find a good Dr...never just look up somebody in the phone book.

Thanks for that info. I will gladly pee on a stick for them if required and phone around first.

I think British doctors are OK too! ( I am one, husband one, mother-in-law one etc). The system may only give us 8 minutes per patient but that doesn't mean we are no good!

Weasle, Of course there are some good doctors in the UK. I think my problem is more the NHS system than the doctors. I like my GP and surgery and haven't had any major problems really, but the midwives tried to kill me. I think they are probably great for straightforward deliveries, but if there's a problem they just assume it's the mother's fault. If my husband hadn't of demanded a consultant, I might have died before DD was born. Thank goodness the doctor (which was great too) got there and sorted everything...after 3 hrs. of pushing. DD was stuck and there was no way she was going to just birth herself.

In the US, I would have had a c-section the day before at the latest (I know..I flew back for a consult with my ob and he looked at my records and the first thing he said was..."I didn't know the UK was a 3rd world county"), but I had to keep on suffering. BTW, this guy isn't a c-section happy dr. He told me c-sections were created for situations like mine, and he couldn't believe that I wasn't examined by a doctor after I had been in labor for over three days. At least I avoided a c-section, but it was so bad that now mentally I'll never be able to have another child.

Also, I had to have minor surgery and the NHS told me it wasn't necessary and then said..well it will take 12-18 mos. to get a referral to a specialist. Thank goodness DH's company also pays for private here..the only way his company gets Americans to move to the UK...so I said ok give me a private referral, and I had everything sorted by 3 mos. and was back in tip-top shape. I feel fortunate to be able to do this, but feel so sorry for others suffering and they just have to keep on suffering when they could be sorted right away too. BTW, my hand surgeon was also superb!

Before I moved to the UK, I used to think the US needed an 'NHS-type' healthcare system, but now I feel 100% the opposite.

Good luck in NJ, and let me know if you need anything else. Also, if you had a good experience, I'd love a referral too because we moved to the UK from the west coast, but we visit family in NJ and I found a great pediatician that I take DD to when we're back, but also want to find a gyn since we get smears annually in the US and because my mom died of breat cancer I get mammograms. Here you only get a smear every three years and can't get a mammogram till you're 50 no matter what your family history is...unless of course you think you have a problem and I think it's just stupid not to be allowed to get one until AFTER you think you have a problem..I totally believe in preventive medicine.

Also, we're getting DD's varicella (chickenpox) vaccine and I can't believe this isn't offered here. It's been out for 15 yrs in the US and is required before attending school so we'll probably have to get it for her sometime in any case. We're paying a fortunate to have it done at children's hospital in Bristol, but at least that's cheaper than flying back home.

Sorry for the soapbox speech..I think the care is adquate here as long as you don't have a major problem but watch out if you do. Just my opinion of course.

Hi, I live in New Jersey and my OB/GYN offers 3d scans for $200 so I can't see how a 2D nuchal would be more (unless bloodwork is included, which would drive the price up).

My OB requires that the bloodwork and scan be done at the same time or the scan is worthless. What part of NJ are you going to? If it's close to me I can refer you to some places.

MKG - Thanks. My parents live in Warren in Somerset County. Anywhere near you?

Expat - sorry to hear you had such a difficult experience at birth. I agree about the varicella puzzle; they have it in Aus too I think. By the way, you can get a mammo before 50 if your family history puts you at medium-high risk, depending on the age your mother was when diagnosed and if you have any other affected relatives.

Ask your GP to refer you to a local family history breast clinic, normally run by specialist nurses, and they can assess your risk and work out when you should start screening. If you live in Bristol, Frenchay definitely had a clinic when i was there (some time ago).

Weasle:
I living in Hunterdon County which is on the border with Somerset County, and I live about 30-45 minutes (depending on Traffic) from Warren.

I will reccommend my OB/GYN because they are great (except for Dr. V she's terrible with internals)A lot of doctors send patients to labs to get their ultrasounds done, and for you it could be a pain to make different appointments.

I love the practice because they have ultrasound techs on site so you can go and have your bloodword and ultrasound done on at the same place.

If you e-mail me I can give you more info (addresses, numbers) so you or your family could call and check on prices of scans+bloodwork. It may not be the closest place to your family, but it's a starting point.

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