Highrisk blood test for down syndrome..never been so scared in my life. (pix)?

Question

I had my 18 week scan yesterday...
& they kept asking about my blood test, did anyone call you?, did you get your results.. and they told me if something was wrong ( the blood place) they would call me. Knowone did, so i assumed everything was a.ok...
Well they had to call to get my blood test, and the ultrasound , the main main doctor was called in to talk to me and told me my blood test came back high risk, and I had the risk of a 35 year old woman,
I am 19....
I went into a break down, I couldnt even breath.
She told me I believe the risk was originially 1/200 or 1/300 and then after they did a pretty detailed ultrasound she would put me at about 1/700 or 1/900 a forgot the numbers because I was hysterical
She said that it decreased because she checked for things downs babies have (the thickness behind the neck, a shorter pinky finger, there big toe seperates from the other toes, it has heart defects, can have spots in the heart or brain, short limbs, ect..
And they didnt find any of that....

Im so scared... I dont understand what else would throw the blood test off, she said I had high hcg,
it just doesnt seem promising to me.. a blood test seems so official even if it is a 1/700 chance what else would cause a higher level of hormone that downs babies produce....


http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a145/Arielle69/FRANKENBERGERARIELLE200904271154161.jpg

Him from his ultra yesterday

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a145/Arielle69/FRANKENBERGERARIELLE200904271155088.jpg
Little arms =]


http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a145/Arielle69/FRANKENBERGERARIELLE200904271157191.jpg
Foot

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a145/Arielle69/pregnancy7.jpg
From 12 week scan. Does thickness look ok behind neck?

Answer 1

You child looks perfectly fine. he has the prettiest nose. Perhaps the most common finding are heart defect and lack of a nasal bone and your child looks perfectly fine. The nucheal translucency also looks normal.



Beware that the AFP blood test is no 100% accurate. This blood tests yields many false positives and false negatives; that's why it has to be combines with an ultrasound.



Your risk, although higher that your age, its still good. They will not refer you for an amniocentesis unless you are like 1 in 100.



I know it's hard to relax, but do not give it a second though. You will be surprised how many women get so stressed over this, and then the baby is perfectly fine. Blood test IS NOT A DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURE, it simply gives you a mathematical calculation of your risk, but no no means it is is a certainty that your child may by affected.



Considering that you are so young, I would not stress about it. If you really want to know, then ask for an amniocentesis or CVS sampling; but to tell you the truth, you sonogram looks really good and the blood test alone means little where there is no physical evidence of the contrary.



Good luck and congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 2

When I was pregnant with my twins the doctors gave me a choice about having the blood work done for Down's because I was originally pregnant with triplets adn lost one very early on. They knew that my blood work would come back with an elevated count simply because of that. Since there was no way my partner and I would have terminated the pregnancy the doctor suggested waiting until we had the 18 week ultrasound (the big one!) to see if there were any other indicators of a problem. If there were, then at that point we could do a more advanced ultrasound or blood work.



So yes...it is possible to have an elevated blood count and NOT have a Down's baby.

Answer 3

Slow down sweetie. For 1, those blood tests are just for caution. For 2, they have a high rate of false positives. When I was pregnant with my daughter, and with this one, I'm opting out of the blood test just because of the high rate of false positives. I figure if there is something wrong, they'll see markers in the ultrasound. Which is more reliable than the blood test. I don't need the extra worry with wondering whether or not that the test is right. If there's nothing in the ultrasound, chances are, it's a false positive. Just have faith dear that everything will be ok. Good luck and congrats!

Answer 4

Please don't be worried! Those tests aren't always accurate! My results were worse than yours (1 in 50) and my baby is perfectly healthy. I'm also 19.



My sister was told she would definitely have a baby with Downs but she is perfectly healthy as well.



If you are really, deeply concerned about it...maybe you should have an amnio done? If you are against that (like I was) then you might want to do some research on it and prepare yourself just in case.



Good luck :)

Answer 5

Is this the AFP screening test? If so, it has a *huge* false positive rate. It can be thrown off by something as simple as being slightly mistaken about the due date. I'd ignore it since your son has none of the other risk factors.

Answer 6

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Answer 7

My doctor advised against getting these tests because they come back false positive so often and cause a lot of trauma. Try not to worry. If you can't stop worrying about it, consider asking to be tested again.

Answer 8

Please try not to worry anymore! Your odds are good news, not bad news.