12 week blood screening screw-up: reassurance please!

[Gennz]

Hi everyone. This might be a bit of a novel, so please bear with me.

I'm expecting my first, due in December. I chose to go private and pay for an obstetrician rather than go for a publicly funded midwife. We had our first appointment at 8 weeks and were told about nuchal scan, blood tests etc. As we left I was given a stack of papers by the receptionist for the various tests. We set our next appointment for 14 weeks.

I called in my 11th week to check the best timing for all the tests and spoke to the receptionist, was told to go and do the blood tests that week and the scan between week 12 - 13. I trotted off to do my bloods, then had the scan exactly on 12 weeks. NT 1.3mm, nasal bone present, all low risk. I hadn't heard anything re the bloods so assumed I would have heard if any bad news, went ahead & told work. That was early last week.

Early this week I talked to a friend who was due the same time as me who lost her baby last week . The 12 week scan + bloods identified a chromosomal issue. I thought hmmm I'd better just double check with the doctor's surgery that there not been any bad news. I emailed the receptionist saying Hi, I have appointment next week, I assume there's no bad news re the bloods as NT scan was low risk.

I got an email back from the receptionist: "we never got your screening bloods result, just the antenatal blood test [that is, rubella etc]. Did you take both forms to the lab? There was one form that doesn't look like a blood test form."

I hadn't taken that form. I'd taken the one with BLOOD TEST labelled all over it. No one had told me I need to take two forms to the lab. She'd given me a sheaf of papers & pamphlets and it transpired the innocuous looking form which just had my height, weight, ethnicity, smoking status etc on it which I thought was some sort of copy of my patient records was actually the chromosonal screening test form.

I rushed to the office to pick up a new form & get the test done - by now I'm 13+2 and the cut off for this test is 13+6. "Optimal" timing for this test is the 11th week ... so I'm now in the 14th week. I am furious. Quite apart from the fact that two forms/tests were needed was never mentioned,I have done some googling and if they don't get those results back in the recommended window they are meant to chase them up - if I hadn't happened to call I would have missed the window. I am paying the equivalent of a couple of thousand quid for this care!

So... (sorry this has turned into a novel as I suspected):

• why is the 11th the optimal week for serum tests? and what will the effect of having the test close to the cut off of 13 + 6 be?
• how likely is it that I could end up high risk after low risk NT results?
• should I bring this up with/complain to the obstetrician or am I being neurotic and precious?!

I would think your very unlikely to go from low risk to very high risk just bassed on your bloods.

If you don't mind me asking how old are you? I think that makes a difference to the results.

I would be really really anoyed with this especially if I had paid privately!

I'm 32 - will be 33 on due date. So not high risk but no spring chicken! Yes I am pretty annoyed - it's just v stressful having it hanging over us at this late stage.

It's good your relatively young, that combined with the tiny nuchal measurement is unlikely to give you worryingly high results.

I'm not sure what the cut off date for the harmony test is, perhaps you could ask for them to pay for that as really I think this is there mistake.

Good luck!

I had to have blood tests for the chromosomal screening as couldn't do NT measurement at scan (baby in wrong position). I don't know if it's exactly same blood test as you as mine was NHS not private. However, this was done a week after my scan. Can't remember exact date, but it would have been 13 + something.
Try not to worry, as you were so low risk from scan it's unlikely your bloods will come back as high risk!
Maybe they didn't chase results as thought you didn't want the bloods? I don't know, I don't know how private systems work! You could always mention it to consultant at next appointment.

Thanks RAF. It was combined screening so they do your NT scan and your blood/serum screening and come back with a combined risk. I've heard of people getting low risk NTs but still being high risk when the bloods came back which is why I was/am stressing out! I wouldn't have told work if I didn't think it was all ok.

I would be livid too.
Just to say my combined results were 1:209, 1.40mm thickness so it was my bloods that gave me the combined result. I'm 34. I'm still low risk though.

Thanks Fissa Are you going to have any further testing?

No I decided not too as I still feel 1:209 is quite lie risk. I was a bit shocked at the result though given my age etc!
I called the screening MW & she said it's to do with my PAPP A levels in my blood & offered me a growth scan at 28 weeks which il go to.

It's funny isn't it, in any other context (e.g a lottery win!) the odds of 1:209 are so unlikely to fall in your favour, and yet when you hear it in this context you can't help but worry. I'm sure you will be absolutely fine.

Is there another type of bloody test that's supposed to be for second trimester, more week 14 to 16? I seem to remember reading something about a quad test or something like that, used if the first lot wasn't available or didn't work? I know it doesn't solve how frustrated you must feel, and doesn't help after telling work etc. but it might reassure you?

Yes I've heard of that too but I don't think it's as good? I've just slipped in prior to the 13+6 cut off for the first trimester test, so hopefully the fact that the timing's not "optimal" isn't too serious.

I think the later test is called the quad test and not all drs offer it due to cost. I was offered this as I was too far along for the combined quad/nt testing.