Low risk from combined test but still worried

[LAH74]

Hi, I recently got my results back from the combined test for Down Syndrome and came out at 1:260. I know this is classed as low risk but up until a couple of years ago 1:250 was high risk and it still seems quite high to me. I know I probably shouldn't but the more I read online the more I get worried! It doesn't really help that the midwives I've seen haven't been very informative or helpful (losing test results, having to chase them constantly, nothing being explained, having to redo blood tests each time because they've been labelled wrong etc). My NT results were 2.1 which is think is about normal and I'm 32 so I don't think that would have affected results too much. I would love your opinions, am I just worrying too much? Thanks in advance!

It's really tricky; it depends on your personal appetite to risk. The test is saying if you gave birth to 260 babies they'd expect one to have Down's syndrome. That might feel low risk to you or it might feel high.

I'm 17 weeks, aged 37, mine came back as 1 in 405. To me it still felt high risk so I paid for a NIPT. It's a fair whack of money so it wasn't an easy decision, but it's given me the reassurance I wanted. NIPT is 99.something % accurate for downs screening versus the combined test being 85%.

I would get the harmony test for peace of mind.

First place to look would be the www.arc-uk.org website as it explains much more fully about these tests than any of the information provided by the NHS/PHE. As a PP says, it depends on your personal risk appetite. As I understand it, the blood results can vary such that testing on different days would give you different results. We opted for NIPT early and didn't have the Combined Test because we didn't rate it for our own circumstances (I'm 39).

Good luck OP in what you decide.

Mine was about he same with both my pregnancies. I have two very healthy children. If you are concerned then go for the harmony, but perhaps discuss your concerns with a MW first

I was 30 with my first, and 35 with my second