Worried NT with High HCG.Low PAPP-A. Ratio of down Syndrome 1:68 which is 1.5%

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Help. Mothers or mothers to be I have just been given a ratio of 1:68 ratio of Down Syndrome. My NT scan was good but my bloodwork showed a high HCg and a low Papp-A.and at the age of 35 i am extreemly worried.
I have a level 2 scan sceduled for 16.5 weeks.i really do not know what to do and it feels like i am loosing it
Mothers who have been in a similiar situation and what was their outcome

I had a ratio of 1 in 34 (perfect NT scan - it was all in the bloodwork) and all turned out to be fine. I am 34 - I turn 35 a week after my due date.

1 in 68 sounds terrible compared to the average for your age, but it's still.. 1 in 68. Which means 67 times out of 68 things would be fine. There's lots of reasons for bloodwork to be "off" and it's not just Down Syndrome. Bleeding in the first trimester, vanishing twins, heck even just "normal for you" can all cause high bHCG. Low PAPP-A is usually related to the placenta and for very low PAPP-A there is an increased chance of IUGR or Pre-E later on (I have not had either) but it doesn't mean the placenta is not absolutely fine. Researchers still don't fully understand what the hormones are, just that above/below certain levels there is a correlation with an increased chance of chromosomal problems.

A good ultrasound later on should reduce your risk by around 50%.

It's okay to be upset and worry and cry - I did plenty of that when I got the phone call. It's hard to think rationally about the odds being fine because all you can imagine is being "the one". But most people aren't.. really, they're not. No matter how sure they are or how superstitious they are. They just have a heck of a stressful time of it and all turns out to be fine!

As a point of interest, if you don't have invasive testing now, you can get a "late amnio" at 30-32 weeks when the risk of miscarriage becomes a risk of pre-term labour. Sometimes this is a good compromise depending on your own beliefs/feelings etc.

Hang in there!

PS: you might find it useful to check out the Antenatal Tests/Choices board here on MN for further support and/or just to lurk and read others' stories:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/antenatal_tests_choices

I am 35 too and had the exact same results as you...good nuchal fold, high HcG and low papp, giving me a 1 in 68 risk. Had an amnio and results came back negative.

Hi I had 1:70 just over 2 weeks ago and had Amnio which came back clear, you will probably see my post on the antenatal tests page! I am only 26 so it really took me by surprise! It really is such a small chance anything is wrong but however rationally you try and look at it you will still feel rubbish! I am so glad to have had the Amnio. Less chance if miscarriage than having DS which was what swayed it for me. Is it something you would consider? It has really put my mind at rest (other than panicking about 20 week scan!) but I completely understand it's not for everyone x

Hi turre.
Im 35 years old now and I fell pregnant for the second time last year. My NT measurement was very high, 5.7 if im not wrong. We did The blood tests And The probability of the baby having a genetic problem was 1 in 7. We decided to do the CVS for a definitive diagnostic and it can be done much earlier than amnio (around 14 weeks) and unfortunately the results came back positive for Turners Syndrome. We decided to terminate the pregnancy. Snce feb we are TTC again. Hopefully ipeverythung will go well for you. I was just really very unlucky. Apparently my case happens once in every 2,000 pregnancies...

Hi, I'm 41 and have was given high risk at 1:5. This was due to my age and hormones - HcG 4.13 and PAPP-A 0.44. Nuchal fold was normal, around 1.22.

I had an amnio and the results came back normal. Hearing I was high risk and finding out that it was very high risk at 1:5 was hard. I cried and prayed alot for the first few days. Then it dawned on me that 1:5 is 20% risk of something being wrong and 80% chance that all is fine.

So 1:68 is around 1.5% risk of a problem and 98.5% chance all is well. Try to focus on 98.5% to get you through the next couple of weeks.

Thinking of you xXx

I'm 38 (26 weeks now) and was given odds of 1:50 for DS. NT was fine, it was the bloods that were the problem. I chickened out of the amnio - just didn't feel comfortable about it - so the baby could be DS for all I know, but after a few weeks of hell I have come to terms with the possibility and now rarely think about it. All scans so far have been good which has helped me to stay positive.

I know you are in shock now, but as others have said, try to focus on the positive. It's highly unlikely that anything is wrong.

Hugs xx

im 35 (23 weeks now)
i was i had odds of 1:12 for ds.......i didnt have nt scan as id gone past the time...so also mine was in the bloods.

i have 2 boys and had a girll last year and had never had any of this problem before-so was also thrown into turmoil over it all

in the end i had the amino....after changing my mind as i felt i could not relax and also suffer from panic attacks and the not knowing for the rest of pregnancy would of made me ill i think.....(my eldest boy has sen but not ds).

results came back fine:)
please try to remain positive :) {very hard to do though -i know }