Can anyone tell me what the go is with pregnancy over 35 years old and Downs Syndrome. I read that 1 in 90 pregnancies for over 35's result in DS. I have never had to worry about this before but this time I'm wondering do I need to have a test or something done? I have no clue. TIA
I was 37 and 38 when DDs were born. I'm 41 now so Downs was a really big thing on my mind for the girls, but even more so for this little girl.
The background risk based purely on age is a bit scary - for me this time it was 1:59, but so many other factors get taken into account too. I had the normal 13 week nuchal screening and TBH was fully prepared for awful results, and to then be going on to have an amnio. The enormous Down's risk at my age was also something that made DH and I seriously consider a third child. I've been incredibly blessed with my pregnancies - my adjusted risk after bloods and scan for DD1 were something like 1:7000 odd. I don't remember for DD2 but they were great. DD3 (this pregnancy) is 1:1875.
Just try to remember that while it may be a 1:90 chance for Down's, that means there's a 89:90 chance that everything is going to be just fine.
The incidence of down syndrome increases with maternal age. Mother who is 35 years of age at birth has a 1/365 chance of having a child with down syndrome. You can have a screening test that uses more specific info to give you your calculated chance of having a child with DS.
Yes, the chance of having a child with DS does increase with maternal age especially. I was 38 when I was first pg and the combined NT and bloods gave me good odds. I was really scared of the amnio in case I miscarried, especially as we've had to resort to IVF. With my second pg at 39, I did the same thing, and the combined results were still good. It's totally up to you hun, I went with what my doc recommended. Being well informed and educated has great advantages.
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Downs Syndrome/Over 35's Pregnancy
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