higher than average risk

[DoubleK]

i had my appt at the birth centre today, my results from my blood test were there (they werent when i had my last appt) and it shows my risk factor is 1 in 432. which im told is roughly the average for a 36yo (im 24)

i was a little shocked, im not really sure what im feeling now. i guess you just expect to have minimal or no risk.

the midwife briefly told me about amnio & CVS (sp?) she said both carried risks in themselves of miscarriage. i dont think i would have either of those tests, im too scared of miscarrying.

my ultrasound results went to my GP rather than the birth centre(as did my blood test results) so i thought id get an appt with him, and see what he says about the nuchal fold from my 17w scan.

should i be worried? im just a little confused at the moment.

[Pandora]

I think CVS you need to have by 13 weeks, not sure about amnio.
The risks of both are much higher than your BT risk, in general, but different practitioners will have their own risk ratio.

I guess it depends how you look at it.
For every 432 people that got your result, 99.75% of the bubs didnt have DS.

[Nelle]

Many many times I've read on here about people being given high odds, and then things have turned out really well, and ended up as low risk, so I hope this will be the case for you.

ETA: There you go, once somebody who knows about maths does the maths, maybe it doesn't seem so scary.

[OceanPrincess]

The others are exactly right, it is a risk ratio, nothing is certain.

If you have the CVS or amnio, it will give you definitive results, as opposed to a risk ratio. I've had a CVS done because my risk ratio was 1 in 20, so DH and I weighed that up against the 1 in 200 chance of miscarrying and decided to have the CVS.

I think you should definitely wait until the results are combined with the ultrasound. One result on its own won't give you the best picture. Maybe when the BT is combined with the US the risk will change - you can make your decision then.

Good luck, let me know if you have any more questions that I might be able to help out with.

[Evie76]

Krystal, I would be stoked with those odds.

I currently have odds of 1:230. I am having an amnio on Wednesday, so that we can find out and sit back and enjoy the pg.

Our original odds were 1:2 which are REALLY bad. But they were reviewed since I asked for another scan and BT. I personally don't think you have anything to worry about.

I heard yesterday (on BB?) that in Europe they don't even test you for NT if you're under 36, but they give you an amnio if you're over 36. I'm not sure what their odds are for Downs over there are. Lets be honest, just because you're under 36 doesn't mean you can't have a Downs baby.

Like I said, though, your odds are quite good. It's up to you whether you want the amnio to put your mind at rest. If you want, you can PM me on Wednesday and I can tell you what it's like.

[snowchickie79]

Hi Rach
Just thought I'd be another to give you some reassurance. I was given 1:119 chance of DS with my DD (I'm 29yo so not in higher risk age group and was NOT expecting it) and had the CVS at 12 weeks. All results came back AOK and DD is a bundle of perfect health.

I was opposite to you and had great BT results but high NT measurement at 3.8mm. I had to go on and have an extra U/S at 26 weeks to check for any heart defects but again DD got the all clear.
It is a very scary time and I must say the worst 4 days of my life waiting for the fast results to come through. I really wasn't given a great deal of information by the doctor who gave us the news (VERY POOR BEDSIDE MANNER) and it wasn't until a few hours after the CVS that a work colleague finally put my mind a little more to rest.. The odds really are in your favour but I'd wait and see what your BT and US results combined give you. P.S. The work colleague had a 1:7 chance and had a healthy bubba also.

Good luck and as OceanPrincess said, ask questions if you need to which really helped me as our U/S Doctor gave me no real information at all.

[DoubleK]

thanks girls. the results of my 12w scan were fine, nf was in normal range.

i had my 20w scan at 17 weeks due to not being able to change my appointment time when my dates changed. the midwife suggested back then to have it at 17 weeks, and if need be, i could go somewhere else at 20 weeks or after if they couldnt see what they needed to.

ive been told that i could have another scan to look for soft markers? i would like another scan anyways, as i did have a later one with dd, just because i wanted to. so i'm making a gp appt today, ill discuss it with him.

thanks heaps for your replies