Downs Syndrome Testing - Can anyone help??

[Shelli08]

Im 16 weeks pg and due to have this test on wednesday but im not sure what to expect. I have heard that there is a risk of m/c has anyone had this test that could give me some info?

Is it the blood test or the amnio you're having?

ive not had anything done yet so im not sure what comes first

Its the blood test first. You will only be offered amnio if you are at high risk.
There is no risk of miscarriage with the blood test, though it might be worth thinking about what you would do if you were high risk before you go ahead with the blood test.

Usually you have the blood tests first, sometimes with an ultrasound too. The blood tests measure certain proteins in your blood that tend to be different in Mums who are carrying babies with Downs. The ultrasound measures the nuchal fold (which is an area at the back of the neck) which tends to be thicker in Mums carrying babies with Downs. Neither of these tests have any risk to the baby.

The trouble with both these tests is that the only give you a probability - you will be told that you have a 1 in 1000 chance, for example. So you can picture being in a room with 999 other Mums with the same risk - 999 of you will have a baby without Downs, 1 with have a baby with Downs.

So, to be certain, some Mums with a "high" risk (usually the cut off is 1 in 250) have amnio. The amnio will give you a definite "yes" or "no" answer, but it does have a risk of miscarriage, which is ususally about 1 in 200. You will not be given an amnio until you have had a chance to talk to someone about it though, so that you (and your DP/DH) can make a proper informed decision.

littlepinkpixie is right. It's worth having a think about which tests you want (if any). Most women who have a result that puts them at "high risk" go on to have healthy babies, and so spend a lot of time worrying over nothing. Sometimes people decide that they wouldn't do anything if the baby did have a disability, and so it's not worth knowing. Although some people think that it's good to know if the baby has a condition like Downs, so that they can have time to come to terms with it and educate themselves about it before the baby is born.

I found it hard deciding what to do for the best and thinking about the results (even though I have been "low risk" each time).