1 in 210 risk of Downs Syndrome

[Jak803]

Hi all. I’m 43 and have just received my 12 week screening results. It’s come back very low risk for Edward’s and Patau, but 1 in 210 for Downs Syndrome. Statistically the risk at my age is 1 in 50 for Downs Syndrome. The NHS classes this result as low risk.

The sonographers said that everything looked good in the scan, strong nasal bone, nuchal fold well within range etc…

I wonder has this result come back so high, simply due to age. Had it been 1 in 150, I’d have been eligible for an NIPT on the NHS. But not with this result. Thinking I’m going to bite the bullet and go private for an NIPT.

Anyone have any thoughts or experience with this?

Your risk is roughly a quarter of the average for your age.

When I was pregnant with my daughter at 42, my chance was 1 in 240 and I had the same advice from the NHS as you, plus none of the soft markers on the ultrasound.
My daughter was born with Down’s. I wouldn’t swap her for the world, but it would have been nice to have had some warning!
I’m not suggesting for a second that this is the case with your pregnancy - I’ve known women who were given a much higher probability whose babies didn’t turn out to have DS - but if you want to know for (almost) certain, have the NIPT.

I think your age would have made a very big difference, sorry, not meaning that rudely. Maybe have a chat with your midwife and see if you can find out what the real basis for the result is. If your midwife says that age was a big factor this might help but if it was mainly blood results you may think differently.

I had my son at 44 and had a higher risk - I think it might have been 1 in 80 from memory. There are various factors and as you say, the age-component would give you a higher risk than 210 so other factors are pulling the overall risk down which is encouraging. We decided against further tests and our son didn't have DS. I think you can look into all the individual elements of the result and when I looked into mine, there was one element of the blood result which was contributing to the overall risk being high but there were various other reasons that might explain that blood result and they weren't linked to DS.

My friend whose son does have Down’s syndrome was 1 in 12 at that stage and slightly younger than you. I know it’s anecdotal but the odds are still low.

Factors like age, history of smoking, alcohol use and weight are significant in the tests. Once you hit 40 everyone gets those odds. Get the test for peace of mind but don’t worry too much in the mean time.

Thank you all for these insights, it’s so useful to know. I’ll definitely call the midwife and press for more details, and probably book an NIPT.

Go private and get the NIPT scan. Then you can make an informed choice about your future 💕

In your situation I’d definitely get the NIPT privately for reassurance. For my first child I had 1 in a few hundred for Down syndrome and I never did anything more. Luckily things turned out well but I started to worry and regretted not paying for NIPT.

As a side extra you also get to know the sex for certain as they check chromosomes. Not the reason to do the test but it’s a bonus if it’s something you’re interested in.

Mine was 1/204 - I was 31 at the time. I phoned ARC and they were so helpful, they told me I can ask for the details of the stats that contribute to the result (from memory, nuchal thickness and Papp A and something else) and then gave me the normal ranges. This might help for you because you can see if it just your age that is contributing.

can highly recommend the ARC helpline, they were so validating

At 41 my risk of Down Syndrome was high enough to qualify for NIPT on the NHS (I can't remember what the figure was). I was told my age was the main contributor to the figure.

This.

Your risk is not high. Have the NIPT if you want to, but if you don't understand risk and statistics and the result is important to you then skip this and have an amnio.

I was 41 with my first and the results were 1:17. I think it was mainly due to my age. I paid for an NIPT test which came back negative and baby didn't have downs. I'd defo get an NIPT so you're prepared with the results, no matter what they are

I’m puzzled because your risk seems far lower than the one in 50?

@Abra1t I think she understands it’s a lower risk for her than the average women her age which is good but some women want further piece of mind as NIPT can give much lower risk odds like 1 in tens of thousands.