What to think of NT & b/w results

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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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.

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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?

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

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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.

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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.

Hey hun

I had an NT scan result as 1: 128 (or something similar) but my bloods bumped it to 1:500 (or something similar). My Ob recommended that we have another ultrasound at 16 weeks. At this ultrasound they did a 15 point check - looked specifically at 15 keys areas of the baby that may have indicated an abnormality (in particular the nose and heart if i remember correctly). They basically told me at the 12 week scan to think about if i would go through with the amnio and that if something came up on the 16 week scan and i decided to go through with further testing they would do it on the spot. It was comforting to know that i only had to wait another 4 weeks rather than 8 to the 20 week scan and that they would be able to give me a better idea of risks through scanning rather than something more invasive.

My scan came back clear on all 15 areas and while i guess you wont know 100% until bubs arrives i felt less worried about it for the rest of my pregnancy.

I hope everything works out well for you and you enjoy your next few months with bubba

J
xo

Thanks everyone for your prompt response. I think we will leave everything as it is and wait till the 20 weeks u/s. DH seems quite calm about the numbers and seem to think everything will be ok. And if we do find out otherwise at the 20 week scan we wouldn't do anything differently anyway. I guess the only difference is if we know, we can better prepare ourselves.

I felt a little lost after the scan because other than the numbers talking and that it is entirely up to me if I want an amnio, no other option given eg. 16 u/s or genetic counsellor etc...

So that I can be better prepared for the next scan, what do they do at the 20week scan? What information should I get.What do I need to ask?

Any recommendations of sonographers that you felt gave you information to help understand your scan? - please pm me

Thanks again

TBH if there is something wrong, they won't really be able to tell. The measurements they take and the particular aspects they look at, the thickness of the neck etc, isn't the same at the 20 weeks, that is why they do the measurements at 13 weeks.

The 20week scan is a morphology scan - so looks at things like making sure the abdominal wall has closed, the organs are insinde the body, the legs and arms are the "right" length and the organs are where they should be and functioning...they also check the spine is gorwn properly (looking for signs of spina bifida)... so basically it is to check that everything is where it should be, attached how it should be and functioning as it should be.
They will look at your placenta and make sure it has 3 vessels and is functioning correctly, and also at your ovaries.

The sonographers are usually very well trained and can explain to you what they are looking for, and why they are looking at everything. They cannot however give you a diagnosis of anything, it is not their job to interpret the scans, just to take them, but they are very helpful in helping you understand what they are doing, why they are doing it, what exactly they want to see.

HTH :)

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.

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!