Midwife says viability of baby is better after 20 weeks...

[NooNooHead]

I had my 16w appointment yesterday, and am 17w today.

My midwife said the chances of a healthy pregnancy increase after 20 weeks, but I seem to recall that in my last pregnancy a doctor told me that if you get to 16 weeks, most pregnancies have a good chance of success.

I’m a bit confused and worried now - has the advice changed in the past 7 years since I had my DD?

Surely they're both right? For every week of pregnancy, the viability goes up.

I agree - both are right as it increases week by week. So by 16 weeks there is a good chance of success, and at 20 weeks an even better chance.

But they're both right?

But a 20 week old still isn’t viable outside the womb. Closer to 25-26 for that, even then it’s very risky.

Hell, if you have a healthy scan at 12 weeks, you have about a 99% chance of having a live birth, so the odds are already pretty good at that stage. Otherwise they are both right - viability increases week on week. The midwife was likely just referring to the fact that at 20 weeks the anomaly scan flushes out some rare health problems etc.

I don’t quite understand what you mean?

There’s no sudden drop in risk of miscarriage at 16 or 17weeks, but it is incredibly low at this point anyway.

Viability after 20 weeks is about survival / rates of live birth. Tommy’s has some useful info,
www.tommys.org/our-organisation/why-we-exist/premature-birth-statistics

Sorry if that’s not what you were getting at!

But a 20 week old still isn’t viable outside the womb. Closer to 25-26 for that, even then it’s very risky.

24 weeks is the legal standard, and, roughly speaking, the point at which doctors will do absolutely everything they can to resuscitate and preserve life. The survival rate outside the womb at 24 weeks gestation is about 50% I think, and rises with every day after that.

I agree with you all about the viability going up as the pregnancy progresses - having been born three months prematurely 36 years ago and survived, i’d hope the chances these days are higher than back then! I’m going to remain positive and keep thinking good things until my 20 week scan, and then until the ‘supposed’ greater chances of viability at 28 weeks onwards.

I had my son at 23+0 weeks and he is absolutely fine now ☺