Come and talk to me about screening

[lenak]

I am 12 weeks pg with my second and due to go for my scan on Monday.

When I was PG with DD, they didn't offer the screening at 12 weeks, just the triple test at 16 weeks. I refused the triple test because we would never terminate for Downs and wouldn't have risked an amnio either. I therefore did not want the worry of a high risk blood test result to marr the pregnancy.

We figured that anything else that was really serious would show up at the 20 week scan and this was confirmed by the midwife (who to be honest was a bit dozy).

This time round they are offering scan screening and blood tests at 12 weeks at the same time as my dating scan. I have booked in for it, but the mid-wife says if I want to refuse the screening I can on the day.

DH and I keep going over this. Our position on Downs hasn't changed, but despite doing quite a bit of reading, I am still confused about what else is tested for.

We would only consider termination for serious or extremely life limiting disability and as far as I can tell, anything that falls into this category would be picked up at 20 weeks - although I am not 100% certain about this.

So, I guess my question is, is there anything that 12 week screening looks for that wouldn't show up at the 20 week scan (other than Down Syndrome)?

It is a dilemma, isn't it.

I think the 12w NT scan plus bloods looks for Downs and other chromosonal trisomies such as Edward's syndrome - some of which can be more 'serious' IYSWIM. Plus, although I have no experience, I think a termination at 12w is a different experience to a termination at 20w, if you were to go down that path?

You can have the 12w screening which dates baby and checks limb legs etc but without the NT measurement if you wish.

The other main screening is for Edwards Syndrome (Trisomy 18) and Patau's Syndrome (Trisomy 13) which are much more serious -- if an affected baby is born alive it's likely to live only a couple of days, and if it does live longer it will be severely disabled.

Those conditions are much, much rarer.

Off for my scan in an hour! A bit scary.

Yes - I think the point that a termination at 20 weeks will be very different to a termination at 12 weeks (should something awful be detected) is a good one.

Yeah - the midwife said I could refuse the screening and to be honest that is what I'm leaning towards.

The thing is, unless they could tell me something was definitely wrong - which they obviously can't at 12 weeks - I'm not sure I could go through with an amnio or CVS because I couldn't live with causing a miscarriage if it turned out there was nothing wrong (I know it's only a small risk, and I'm not usually that risk averse, but I know that situation would kill me), so I would wait for further markers / confirmation at 20 weeks anyway.

I really just don't want that eight weeks of worry.

I understood that Edwards is a neural tube defect - so the markers for that would show up at 20 weeks?

Is there anything that the 12 weeks screening looks for that wouldn't show at the 20 weeks scan?

I take on board the difference between a 12 week and a 20 week termination by the way - it is something that we have factored in and I could cope with.

If this was my first, none of this would be an issue, but obviously with a second we have to consider the impact of a seriously disabled sibling on DD.

Good luck with your scan urbandaisy