1:85 Downs from Quad test. A bit at sea.

[Sighing]

I got a call today following my quad test (already annoyed I missed the nuchal as I had scans at 6 (actually 7), 8 (actually 9), 9 (actually 10) weeks but noone changed the dates until dating scan (14+4 rather than 13+4).
I came out at 1:85 which seems yo be the % for a woman my age (39).
They want me to call them back to let thrm know what I want to do. I don't want an amnio, I've had 3 mc and just can't entertain the notion of another if I can at all prevent it. But that's the 'next step' being offered.
My husband is away for work and uncontactable.
Totally confused.

Sorry. Has anyone any advice on how to keep relaxed for another 24 weeks?
I undeestand a lot about Downs, should I learn more or hold off?

Hi - it must be hard for you. Not advice on how to relax but there is something I have heard of called a harmony test (see link below which has some more info)
www.fetalmedicine.com/harmony-test
I am not sure where you can get one I just know of a fair few women on here who discuss it/have had one and I think it will give you a more accurate indicator of whether there are any issues with your baby. It is done via looking at bloods from a blood test I think but not sure what the timescales for it are if any. It is also fairly pricey I think about £400 but may be worth money if it saves you all that worrying.

You can call the DS Association for help and advice 0333 121 2300

Hello. I am in the same boat at the moment, but I am waiting for my harmony test results. When I had the screening I was told 1:5. For the first few days I was crying on and off but at the moment I have kind of push it aside but its still hard. I have told my OH parents and my mother which has helped. Talking about it with close family or friends can help, they may not know how you are feeling but it does help.
1:85 may sound high but I have read so many stories with women having high results and the baby is 100% healthy, so that is what I am trying to go on. A midwife at the hospital told me a woman around the same age (24) got 1:5 too but she went for the CVS and her results come back fine.

I would stay away from reading things online as it can be scary, unless its on forums where people are going through the same thing. Reading some of the forums as helped me a little.

I hope you are ok.

Thanks all. Not sure about the Harmony aTest but I will read up on it.
I'm a bit shocked really. But I shouldn't really be. It's pretty much my average risk by age.

Hi,
I posted a similar thread to this a couple of months ago - I had the nuchal screen and it came back as 1:47 for Down's syndrome. I'm 35 so this was high for my age, and we also had an unexplained late miscarriage last year (a little boy, lost at 21 weeks), so I was terrified. We decided to have the amnio as I needed to be 100% certain, because we would have considered termination if it had been positive (I know everyone is different in this sense). It wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't especially painful either - the worst part was waiting for results. Apparently the risk is around 1/200 for miscarriage, which is actually very similar to the background risk for miscarriage in the 2nd trimester anyway, and that's based on the UK as a whole - Individual doctors may have different risks, it's to do with experience in most cases as they should be able to tell you. We looked into the Harmony test and that also seems like a good option, especially if you don't want invasive testing, and the results are much more accurate than the NT/quad tests. If you wouldn't terminate whatever the result, then you can always choose not to have screening, but to have specialist heart scans later to give you more clues as to what to expect.

Anyway, after an anxious wait our results were found to be negative, and I'm now 22 weeks, and all seems ok. Just remember, 1:85 means that out of 85 women with your test results, 84 would have a perfectly healthy baby. I found picturing all those babies lined up in their cots to help put it into perspective. The odds are still very much in your favour, but I knowhow worrying it is.

Harmony or panorama test - risk free to foetus and very accurate (although technically still a screening test not a diagnostic one.)

Harmony/panorama use a sample of blood taken from you. In that blood is (remarkably really) a tiny proportion of free floating foetal DNA. They can separate that out from your DNA and amplify it up for testing.
It is a screening test, so they still give you a ratio result, not a yes/no but it is slightly over 99% accurate. Well worth the money in my opinion (dh and I are both scientists and had the panorama done.) I'm in my mid/late 30s and I couldn't relax until I had the results back. There is absolutely no way I could have waited for 24 weeks.

Also remember that 1:85 is still 98.something% chance your baby is ok.

Thanks again all. Knowing we wouldn't terminate, I'm not sure why it hit me so hard. Probably because I'd just started to enjoy the pregnancy after so much anxiety due to previous m/cs. A bit of awakening slap that may age carries it's own concerns.
Best wishes to all. I am still torn over the Harmony (or similar option) but leaning that way.
Thanks for helping me with perspective. Hopefully I can talk to husband tomorrow about it.

I ended up with 1:80 chance of downs after my 12 week scan tests (because my pregnancy hormone was 4 times the 'normal' level apparently, everything else seemed ok)
Went and had the harmony test done in Shrewsbury and the results came back within about 10 days and it has said 1:10,000 risk/highly unlikely so panic over (and we also had the gender part done). It was just a blood test where they take 2 tubes of blood then the samples get sent to America for analysis, which is why it is so expensive
It cost ??375, which was a lot but don't think I would have been able to stop worrying for the other 28 weeks and didn't want any of the invasive test options

I had a 1:80 at 36 yrs old,refused amnio and dd is fine

I had a 1:16 downs risk at age 30. I did have an amnio and it was fine