Older Mothers and prenatal testing

[anney]

Hi,
I had my first bub at 40. I had a m/c at 38 and a troublefree pg at 40. Many people have a miscarriage and yes the stats do go up with age (i think they are around 35 to 40% at 40 ) but try not to think about it as you still have a great chance of having a healthy baby. I have lots of friends that have had babies at 40.
Kate has given you the stats for Down Syndrome which is what the nuchal fold test is for. It is a screening test so not a definitive answer. Depending on the results of the screening tests you could choose to go on to have the CVS or amnio which are definitive tests for DS and some other genetic abnomalities. It is a difficult thing to make a decision about as you really are only theorising on what you would do, until you get a result. I agree a statement like "i would never terminate my pregnancy" is not helpful as no-one really knows what they would do until faced with the situation. all birth defects (including DS) can vary in their severity so stats are not really that useful. for example a 43 year old friend of mine had a baby with a cleft palate. It was very minor and she had 2 operations and lots of followup and support and now at 2 has no ill effects. That would be included in stats but it is nothing that anyone could not deal with.
I will give you my experience. At 40, I was determined to have the amnio and ensure everything was OK. (I have an intellectually disabled brother and was sure I could not handle something similar) So I had the amnio and everything was OK but I did not put any really thought into what I would do if everything was not OK. I was a bit naive about it all.
I have been trying to get pg again since and have a few times but miscarried. the second time around I would be different. we have tried for 5 years to have a baby. there is a fantastic doctor at our ultrasound place that I have 100% faith in. I would have the nuchal fold test and the associated blood tests and if he said they indicated no increased risk for my age then I would not take the risk of the amnio causing a miscarriage (i had a very close friend have an unexplained miscarriage 2 weeks after an amnio). I would not choose to terminate the pregnancy just on amnio result as I have tried for a baby for 5 years and have no chance of having another. DH has a diferent opinion but we will come to a decision if we need to. My opinions have changed due to my experience.
Likewise you are your DH will have your own experiences that will influence your decision and are the only ones that can make your decision in your circumstances and you are doing exactly the right thing doing your research. Hope your pregnancy goes well.