hey there sakoon
The down syndrome test is a two part test.
Firstly at about 10 weeks they take a blood test from you. They also take blood from you at this stage to check your iron, anti-bodies for things like german measals, and also your blood group.
Then at your 12 week ultrasound they check the thickness of the skin on the back of your baby's neck. Anything under 3mm is great.
Both these results are they faxed through to the Murdoch Institute. They then combine both these results and give you a reading based on the blood results, u/sound and your age, what your risk for having a downs baby.
It does not harm the baby as they are done when you would usually have other testing. The choice is up to you if you do it or not- there is a charge for it. Around $70 for bloods on top of the bulk billing charge, and the u/sound clinics charge.
Its up to you if you do it or not.
good luck
odette
Thanks for the info Odette, exactly what i wanted
this is my first baby so i think i will have it done.
I had that blood test yesterday where they screen for diseases and everything. I have O negative blood which may mean i need to get shots if i bleed and before birth
Its my first bub too Sakoon and we decided to get the test done also even though we should be at low risk. It was just nice to have that piece of mind. It all came out great, so its one less thing to worry about, thats the way I see it anyway. Good luck.
Hi Sakoon,
I am having my nuchal fold test for downs on Monday. I will be 11wks and 4days. They are going to do the bloods and the scan on the same day. I am only 25 but want get it done just for the peace of mind like puppies said. I had my first bloods done for all the normal testing and levels of everything and I have O negative blood too. When is your duedate? I think we might be around the same time. Mine is 27th Feb (thank goodness its not a leap year next year)! Good luck with your pregnancy.
Hi Sakoon, I'm 13wks 4days & i had the two part downs screening also as i'm considered higher risk because i'm 38. It's non-invasive to you & bub & is worth having done. Ours was good news as i'm sure yours will be too. (will send you good vibes) There is only a small window of time apparently to have it done, i think it was between 11.5 & 13 wks if i remember correctly. Good luck with your pregnancy, hope to catch up with you again. I'm due on Feb 8th 2009.
i also had the downs scan done i am 25 this my 2nd pregnancy and baby fine it is just a piece of mind thing as puppies said and you get to see your baby .Good luck but im sure you be fine
Alibaby - You might want to check that the OB will do your scan then. I arrived for my NT at 11w 6d and had to go back again a few days later as my OB wouldn't do it until I was 12 weeks so might be worth checking that they will do the scan before that. The receptionist knew exactly how far along I was when it was booked and told me it didn't matter. It was quite annoying. I did get to have a sneak peak free scan done though so that was nice.
sakoon - the important thing to remember with this test is that it doesn't give you a diagnosis it just gives you a risk factor. For example I got a 1/37 risk of DS (mostly due to my age but also because of a high nuchal fold). This meant that of 37 women with the same risk factor 1 would have a DS bub. There's no way of telling from this testing if I would be the unlucky one or one of the lucky 36. Turns out I was one of the lucky ones as bubs was born without it. So basically even if you have a risk factor of something like 1/1500 you could still turn out to be that 1 person who has a DS baby even though the odds are against it. The only way you can have any certainty is to have an amnio or a CVS but normally they wont recommend it unless you get a high risk with the NT test. That's why some ladies don't bother with the NT test.
thanks for your replies. i will be 12 weeks pregnant on 17th August.
The receptionist says she has 18th August free for the test. Is that ok? or should i make it a bit later
I was told the test could be done up to but not past 13 weeks + 6 days. We decided to have it done as it is not invasive however, one thing to think about is whether you would go onto the further testing (amnio) should the result come back high risk.
We were advised that there was no point in doing the first test if we would not be prepared to go on with the second, as the reason is so the parents can make an informed decision about the pregnancy, if the end results meant the baby could be born with Down Syndrome.
Can everyone tell me how much they paid for the test?
i was told by my doctor it would be around $100 but when i rang up 'Sydney ultrasound for women' they said its $300
I had one done on Friday and it was over $300 but apparently if the scan is also to (double) check your dates, then there is a medicare rebate available. Not sure how much I'll get back yet.
I am almost 15weeks and been told our baby has trisomy 21. My NT was 4.8 and PAPP-A was .38, not good. I am 38. CVS confirmed 99% Trisomy 21. We now have a decision to make and I am very confused. By the way CVS is awful and painful. We wanted this baby so bad but have 6 others at home to consider (extended family), by the way they are all girls aged 16 down to 8. Our bub on the way is a boy. Can anyone give advice in same or similar situation.
Tina welcome to Belly Belly and I am sorry it is in such difficult circumstances.
I personally have not been faced with this decision but sadly there are women here on Belly Belly that have. I hope that they find your post and that they can offer you some support.
Finding out that your baby has a chromosomal issue is very very confronting - I can only imagine how your head is swimming and your emotions must be all over the place. There is much to think of and to consider.
I send you all my love and support as you go through this time.
You must have so many thoughts running through your head at the moment. Have you been able to talk to a genetic counsellor? They are available through most Women's Hospitals. They can help with offering information and helping you and your partner decide what is right for you. If you want, they can let you know what it might be like to have a child with Down Syndrome and can put you in touch with parents of kids with DS.
Down Syndrome test
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.Good luck but im sure you be fine
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