2nd pregnancy ( i think!!) scared about testing...

[joseyjo]

hello!!

i have just done an early pregnancy test (3 days before af due) and it has come up positive!! I am not getting too excited yet as i had an early miscarriage last month but here's hoping.
my first baby had triploidy (3 sets of every chromosome instead of pairs) and died after 3 days, so i am going to be under scrutiny this time... am worried about probably having to have amnio/cvs at 11-13 weeks... anyone else done this?

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yes - well that or cvs, i can't remember!!
i was really low risk last time - young, don't smoke etc, so it was never suggested. Obviously this time everyone is slightly more paranoid.
i don't know anyone who has had it or had to deal with bad news as a result.

no experience either, but good luck and big hugs.

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Congratulations on this pregnancy . I'm afraid that I also know zip about triploidy and very little about CVS/Amnio.

Very best of luck for this pregnancy and I'm so sorry about your first little baby.

joseyjo, congratulations on your pregnancy.
I have no experience of triploidy, but did have a termination in October after a diagnosis of Patau's syndrome, which was picked up via Nuchal scan, followed by a CVS. I am now pregnant again (8 weeks) - and nervous about the whole thing. I will certainly have a nuchal again, and based on the results decide about further testing. Don't really want to have a CVS unless I have to (it isn't a whole lot of fun, plus there is a risk of miscarriage) - but we will just have to see how things go.
For what it's worth, they say that a lot of these chromosomal disorders occur completely randomly.
All the best !

Congratulations and sorry to read about your first baby. I had my CVS's at the Fetal Medical Centre 020 7486 0476 by Proff Nicolides who has a very low miscarriage rate - about 1 in 500 - as opposed to 1 in 100. My results were fine so no termination so no exp of the heartache/procedure you have been through.

The Fetal Medicine Centre is very good. They can advise you as to what tests you should have, based on what happened before, and what you would do, based on test results. Prof Nicolides invented the nuchal fold (ultrasound scan), so they're pretty good at those, too.

I don't know anything about cvs testing, but I just wanted to say how sorry I am to hear about your 1st baby, how awful it must have been for you.

I hope this pregnancy turns out more positively for you..

xxx

Thanks for all your support!!
TallBird - my baby was originally diagnosed with Patau's, although they called it Edwards, it is still Trisomy 13. Then they discovered after he had died that his condition affected all of his chromosomes. They only noticed that there was a problem when i felt him stop moving at 33 weeks. All of my scans had been "normal" but small. I have been told that the chance of reoccurrence is very low.
On a more positive note, I didn't know you could choose where you had your tests done. I am supposed to be referred directly to the feto-maternal specialist who looked after us locally (uk but not london) and I have no idea what their mc rates are like. Can you look that up for NHS hospitals anywhere?
Also, what is a nuchal scan? excuse my ignorance...

A nuchal scan is a scan at around 12 wks and measures a small amount of fluid at the back of the baby's neck. If this measures large (I think over 2mm) it can suggest an increased risk of Downs Syndrome. The measurement is combined with the age of the mother to calculate a risk. My age related risk was 1:125 but was adjusted to 1:44 after the nuchal scan. (MY daughter was born perfect 12 wks ago btw). Good luck.

oh ok. does that test for all genetic defects then or just Downs?
my specialist said that they will want to do the first scan at 7 weeks and then if the scan is any cause for concern they will do amnio or cvs between 11-13 weeks. i assumed the first scan was just normal ultrasound with a specialist looking at the pictures. oh well - if all goes well, I will find out in about 3 weeks.....

They cant do a nuchal scan until 11 weeks. The window is 11 - 13 weeks and 6 days I think.

The nuchal scan is primariliy for Downs but I think other Syndromes such as Turners, Pataus and Edwards all have an enlarged nuchal measurement as one of the indicators.

Thanks bunny2. Difficult to understand all this stuff. Especially when i have no patience to wait until i see the specialist, who I am sure will tell me everything i need to know.
congratulations on your baby by the way - a fabulous late christmas present for you!!!

thank you joseyjo and good luck with the rest of your pregnancy.