Hi, just popping in to add my two cents worth.

My sister has a child with Downs syndrome, but I decided not to have the screening done. I would love any child of mine the same, and I''m prepared to go through the extra work a child with a disabilty makes.

My midwife told me that because of my sister I was an increased risk, but if I would have the baby regardless of the results, then there wasn't much point in having the scan done, unless I wanted to for my own peace of mind. We figured that since we didn't care, and we weren't particularly worried, we wouldn't take the tiny risk of miscarriage. But if you are worried, or don't think you could cope with a child with a disabilty (because it is a strain, and extra work) maybe it would be best to get the scan done. My sister had to get a scan when she had her third child, as having one child with downs syndrome not only increases the risk with subsequent children, but increases the risk of something else as well (can't remember what). And Joren was born completely healthy, and there was no trouble from the scan.

So that's just my experience, hope it helps.