hi, any one any one got any knowledge about the 16 week triple test?

[donbean]

if indeed i have it right, is it 16 weeks?
What will they do?
does it involve blood tests and scan for amnio?
need lots of info please.

It just involves blood tests. I had mine done at 15 weeks as part of the booking in procedure IIRC.

I had a blood test at 16 weeks that gave me a number for prob of Downs, like a 1:X number. I didn't have an amnio - you get offered that if you get an at risk result - seen in most places as 1:250.

They factor in your age, weight and the blood serum to give you the number.

is that to test for all of the abnormalities?
I thought that an amnio is vital to diagnose major abnormalities.

Down's is seen as a major abnormality. Amnio can also test for other chromosomal defects.

Thanks, and is it vital at 15/16 weeks?
how long for results????

the triple test is a screening test - it can only tell you the probability of your baby having an abnormality. The only way to be certain if an unborn baby has something like downs syndrome is by having an amnio but it carries a risk of miscarriage.

you'll find lots of stuff here

are you particularly worried about abnormalities or is it just the usual lack of information in a rushed midwife appointment?

you don;t have to have any of these tests by the way. ALthough it often seems in your ante-natal appointment that you have no choice

Results are a few days; sometimes up to a couple of weeks, though they wil lring asap if you get an at risk result.

I think its up to the individual - some see Down's as a terrible thing; others not so bothered iyswim? An amnio is a big procedure that carries a risk of MC and you have to outweigh the benfits of the result to the possibility you could MC a healthy baby.

Is downs risk important to you? you dont have to have the test, its not vital, its more of a personal choice.

How old are you?

well, i will be 38 when the baby is due and ive only just started taking the folic acid, think im about 6 weeks.
It is a possibility, a very big possibility that an abnormality may be presented.

the folic acid will help protect you against neural tube defects like spina bifida, not DS.

It's not that high a risk because of age but do agree that the blood test would help rest your mind or mean that if something was wrong you could get a definite answer from a more invasive test IF the blood test shows up a high risk. A high risk is seen as 1:250 which is still less than 0.5% dont forget!

the blood test can highlight a high risk for neural tube defects too, btw.

i know but i havent been as on the ball with this pregnancy as i was with the last ones so i feel anxious that i havent done everything that i should have or could have. iyswim.

I'm sure you have but guilt is a terrible thing

Folic acid features in a normal diet anyway; chances are you have been eating it all along, enough to help at least. Found in bread, oranges, cereal, etc.

The test is simple; a few tubes of blood. The MW will let you know the results and adise you on any invasive options of needed.

If you are worried about an abnormality being present it would be worth having a nucheal fold scan which is done at about 11 weeks and combined with bloods taken at the same time will give you a more accurate result and ealier result too. You may have to pay privatley for this as it's not offered in all areas.

If you are worried about an abnormality being present it would be worth having a nucheal fold scan which is done at about 11 weeks and combined with bloods taken at the same time will give you a more accurate result and ealier result too. You may have to pay privatley for this as it's not offered in all areas.

if you have a good reason for suspecting an abnormality like a close relative with Downs, then it may be possible for you to forgo the blood tests and go straight to amnio.

Another thing to bear in mind is that many hospitals do something call a nuchal fold translucency test as part of the 12 week scan which is combined with you triple test bloods to give you a risk rating. You would have to specifically request for this not to be done at your 12 week scan if it was hospital policy to do it.

I had a horrible experience with the triple test and am not a big fan of it. If you have a specific reason for being worried about abnormalities I'm not sure even a good result would reassure you. If you need to deal in absolutes rather than probabilities then raise it with the midwife at your booking in appointment.

hm, will talk to the mw when i go next week for my 1st appointment.
thanks all, just need to get all the info in my head right.

a close relative is not a good enough reason for an amnio straight away - Downs is not heridetary, possibly is in 1-2% of cases. its a chromosomal defect that occurs at conception, there are different forms of it.

sorry I seem to spend my life ignorantly upsetting people . I knew someone who was allowed an amnio without blood tests first is all - because of having a close relative with Downs. Must have been because they were particularly anxious about it rather than because they were actually at any increased risk.

Donbean - funny you should post this - I had an amnio today following triple test results.

As others have said it's a screening test. If you come out at in the high risk group (which for your age would be more than 1 in 250) you need to look at the number versus the number for the risk of miscarriage from the amnio. For me, the odds are 1 in 140 of a problem and 1 in 200 of a miscarriage from the procedure, so it makes sense - to me at least - to have the test (I have major genetic issues in my family so there was never a question that I would have the amnio if necessary).

You can also pay £150 to get the results processed at a private lab in London in 48 hours rather than wait 10 days (thought they can't get the full chromosone tests any sooner because the cells have to grow and there is no Baby Bio of the alphafetoprotein unfortunately).

However if you are over 35 you can sometimes ask for an amnio but it's well worth having the triple test anyway, my results took four days to come through and you can have it at 15 weeks so perhaps worth just asking the midwife to see you a few days earlier?

Good luck, chances are you (as I) will be totally fine but it's normal to worry.

you didn't

its just my aunty (mums sister) had a DS baby @ 23 years old and MW didn't think that was an issue...also remembering my nurse training and my (lengthy!!) essay and exam on DS.

Must be different areas/MW's etc.