Too high HCG levels?

[Melinda]

Heaps of PG sickness here as well, but only one baby on the way!!! My HCG levels were pretty high to begin with as well.

[jja]

I've done some more research. It looks like higher hcg levels at the time of the screening tests (not earlier on) do indicate a higher risk of downs syndrome. The tests are either *free* beta-hcg which can be done in 1st-tri or that or total beta-hcg later on around week 15.

I'm guessing my levels won't be much lower by the time I have my test at week 12 as they should generally go up a bit more until week 9 or 10 before starting to come down a bit. So I will have 2-3 times the median level (somewhere around 40000-60000) which is a screening marker for downs. More than 2 multiples of the median level is a sign.

But that doesn't necessarily mean my baby has down's, it just increases the risk from 1 in say 400 (I am 32) to about 1 in 80

Anybody else have their own research that confirms or disagrees with this?

In a way I wish I didn't get the blood test!!! We will be keeping the baby regardless of the screening test in a few weeks, and wouldn't do amnio or cvs.

Lucy did you do any pre-natal screening? Were your results high then, what was your "risk"?

Thanks!!
jas