What to think of NT & b/w results

[tweetypie]

Hi everyone,

Just seen the sonographer and obs and been given my NT & b/w results.

I am 33 yo and this is my first pregnancy.

The risk of d/s for my age is 1:383.
The NT test gave me a calculated risk of 1:390 and when combined with the b/w it bumped the risk down to 1:469.
There was also a nasal bone detected in the u/s

I guess with this number it puts me in the low risk category ..only just

The Obs have left it entirely up to me to decide if I wanted to proceed with an amnio.

I don't know what to do. I guess it's because I am not high risk nor is my risk eg 1:10000.

If I don't go ahead with an amnio, what are the other options? Another u/s? Wait till the 20 week scan? 4d scan? Genetic counselling?

Sorry, as you can see I am abit lost about what I need to consider seeing that I am classified as low risk (only just) but still given the option of having an amnio.

Please advise/help - confuse.

TIA

[Miss.B]

Hi Hun,

Don't know if I can offer any advice, but I think having an amnio is a very personal decision. I know that there is minute risk of a m/c. I had my DS only recently and I'm not a spring chicken, so I was worried about the d/s risk etc. My doctor basically told me that unless the risk in like 1:100 or lower, I shouldn't consider an amnio. I guess that becasue my DS was conceived via IVF, he didn't want me to risk a m/c after all I've been through already. Having said that, I think my risk for ds was 1:900 or something like that combined with bt. GL hun, only you can make that decision, but in my personal opinion, your numbers are not that bad.

B x

[~Kim~]

Totally agree with all Beata wrote.

The decision to proceed with further testing is very personal and if your care providers thought that was the path you should take, I'm sure they would discuss that thoroughly with you. I'm also certain that they would happily discuss your concerns as well.
When I had DS I was 30 and my combined results came back 1:252. My Ob also said they usually would recommend amnio unless it's much lower. I had no further testing. For us even if DS had a genetic disorder, we would not have done anything differently.

The 20 week scan also looks for anomalies and different hospitals and docotrs have different policies but generally I don't think they'll want you to have any further testing.

[PollyA]

If it helps the risk of miscarriage following an amniocentesis is around 1 in 200.
Many people find this helpful in that if the risk that something going wrong to a baby who is actually healthy outweighs the risk that there is something wrong they don't proceed. However it really depends on how important it is to you to know. If you really need to know for your mental well being and for a happy healthy pregnancy then it is something you should consider.
Even though the numbers suggest that there is 382 out od 383 chances your baby is absolutley fine you need to think about what you if you were the one, if you would keep going with the pregnancy anyhow, then that risk is too high...IYKWIM
Hope that helps

[LimeSlice]

What will you do if you know bubs has something wrong?
Once you answer that then you will know how to proceed.


FWIW there are lots of women on BB who have been told they are certain bubs has something wrong, only to birth perfectly healthy and wonderful children. The NT scan results are no where near accurate in so many cases.

[HotI]

FWIW there are lots of women on BB who have been told they are certain bubs has something wrong, only to birth perfectly healthy and wonderful children. The NT scan results are no where near accurate in so many cases.

The NT scan and blood tests are not diagnostic tests, they are screening tests. They do not claim to indicate with certainty that 'bubs has something wrong'. The result is a calculated value that predicts the likelihood of the baby having T21 or T18/T13 which can help determine which women should be offered further diagnostic testing. So, its not that these tests are inaccurate- they are accurate at what they do. If you want a definitive answer then you have CVS or amnio.

[OceanPrincess]

FWIW there are lots of women on BB who have been told they are certain bubs has something wrong, only to birth perfectly healthy and wonderful children. The NT scan results are no where near accurate in so many cases.

I'm one of them. My DD was 1 in 30 based on scan. 1 in 20 when combined with BT.

We had CVS and it was all clear.

This time round with DS it was more like 1 in 300 and we didn't even think to have CVS.

Have they left it up to you what to do?

Its a very stressful thing to go thru. I'm here if you have any questions or anything!

[appletree]

Tweety, fwiw I think you have made the right decision, it is debatable what the line is for 'high risk', most people tend to think 1 in 300 is appropriate.

We came back with a high risk nt for ds, which really taught me a lesson! I am very anti nt scans for people who are not at risk because at best it is an inaccurate screening. I however got impatient and decided to have one as I really wanted some pics, couldn't wait to see my bub and had the cash to pay for it (very poor reasons i hindsight). Then, to be told we are high risk and should have an amnio was like a kick in the guts...

I did not agree to an amnio, so opted instead to speak with a genetic counsellor who organized our 20 week scan to be slightly early and with the maternal fetal unit at the nearest large hospital. Along with doing the normal morphology scan they looked for any indicators of abnormality typical to downs syndrome.

I won't say it was easy doing this, it was a very emotional 7 weeks between scans and I spent a lot of time questioning my decision and wondering why I didn't just have an amnio. At the end of the day though, you need to decide what you are comfortable with. I wouldnt have agreed to an amnio unless our result was more than 1 in 30. Something i wasnt prepared for, but this may be different for you as you have an ob, but because i refused an amnio i was not allowed to see team midwives like I had elected and was stuck in the drs clinic until our scan was done and the genetic counsellor had given us a low risk status. I was really not happy about this! Good luck with your next scan, i will be thinking of you.

[Tegam]

Just wanted to give you a hug.
This is exactly why DH and i dont do it! Call us chicken but we just couldnt decide either what number we would be happy with or what we would do with that info. So i am 100% behind you in whatever you decide. So soory it couldnt have been one of those 1:1000000 chance!