Blood Screening Showed High Risk of down Syndrome

My cousin was told with 2 different pregnancies that her children would most likely have down syndrome, and neither did!

O.,

Other women will tell you this also, but that screening does NOT indicate for certain that your child will have Down Syndrome. There are countless instances that I am personally aware of where the screening said higher-than-normal likelihoods and the child came out perfectly normal.

Wait for your amnio. That is the definitive test for you. Not statistics.

All my best to you guys!

E.

I never had those tests done because honestly it would not bother me one way or the other. Let me ask you if it comes back positive will it change your mind about the pregnancy, or your feelings? If it wont and you will love the baby no matter what then really what is the big deal. My cousin just had a baby with down syndrome and she is such a beautiful special baby! She is a great gift as is any child. I say if you will love this baby no matter what then why stress about it. You cant change the results so i would just try not to worry about it and be happy either way. Good luck!

O., take a deep breath. The reason that you do further testing is to further rule out things like Down's syndrome. One of my very good friends (at 35) had her blood work show a 95% chance of Down's. She had the Amnio and has a healthy, happy 3 year old.

Remember, the blood test is showing protiens that are indicitive of Down's, not that your baby has it. So try to relax. Your chances are still relatively low.

Good luck!

I don't trust any of those tests and I had refused them all. I was 35 when I had my daughter and I knew I would love her no matter what. I was also told by my OB/GYN that the amino procedure is very risky and could possibly cause damage.

I had a former co-worker that had a son in her mid 20's, all her tests came back normal and her son was born with down’s syndrome. She found out later that there was another child in her husband’s family that had downs as well, so I question if it is hereditary.
Try not to worry, the doctors have to talk to you about everything and all possibilities.

I wouldn't want to give u false hope- pray for best and prepare for the worst. We were given 1/7 chance of a DS little boy. It was stressful thinking of the changes of our family (adding a third child is difficult change on the older brothers, worried even more about a child w/special needs). We prayed and planned and researched, but did end up w/a healthy baby! I prayer the best for you- its a stressful time, but use it! A priest told us to prayer to St Anthony and St Gerard... My son's middle name is now Anthony!

1 in 70 is still only 1.5% chance. Tiny tiny chance. Worth doing the amnio, of course, but hang on to how tiny your risk is. Less than 2%. Best part of amnio is that the results will be "Yes" or "No", not some new percentage of risk, so you will know definitively. Until you get your results back, hang on to how incredibly low your risk is still. Good luck! This is very hard and scary, but you have lots of hope.

I can't believe your doctor's putting you through the amnio test. I was told it was old, outdated, and inacurate by my OB. I was 35 when I was prego with my son. I too tested high, but it was for neuro-tubal defect. My OB said a lot of doctors still do the amnio, but he doesn't due to its inacuracy and had me get a level 3 ultra sound instead. Man, you can see everything on that screen...the spinal column, the em, the hands, the nails, etc. Anyhow, I had a healthy baby boy. So don't worry too much for now.

With my youngest I had the blood screen test and it showed high for spina bifida (sp?). It was a little scary but I retook the test because we thought it might have been too early and everything turned out fine.
Don't stress just yet.

No experience with it, but sending hugs your way.

My blood work for my daughter showed high risk, I declined the amnio because at the age I was (36) I was already high risk for miscarriage and the amnio would have added another 1% chance of miscarriage. For that reason alone I felt that was my small contribution for actually reducing miscarriage. I didn't need any confirmation of any developmental or genetic testing because I was going to care for my baby no matter what. I did my research on how to care for a special needs baby and that was the end of it. My daughter was born on healthy and am for sure happy that I didn't my 1% chance of miscarriage. Ask yourself if knowing before birth is really important for you and your husband, many people like to prepare others not important at all. Good luck in your procedure and rest of your pregnancy.

The quad screen test is NOT a good screening test for Downs. I was 35 when I had my youngest, and got the First Trimester Screen. I know it's too late for that, but that test is something like 95% accurate for detecting Downs, and it is a simple blood test combined with an ultrasound. I was under the impression that doctors were giving it to all moms over 35! I would ask your doctor why that wasn't done, perhaps it's your insurance? I can't imagine as a blood test has GOT to be less expensive than an amnio. Anyway, that quad screen is so unreliable. Lots of "false positives." I've known lots of moms who've been unnecessarily worried because of this. In fact, I didn't even do it with my first child because I saw what my friends had gone through. And with my second, my maternal-fetal medicine doctor said I didn't even need it. Downs was rulled out in the first tri and the level 2 ultrasound would catch anything else. 1 in 70 is a 1.4% chance, which is still very low. Maybe that will help you not to worry as much.

I refused the test for both of my pregnancies. They have a high rate of false positives. The only thing you should worry about is giving birth to a child that you will love and adore, no matter what. The only thing this test will give you is indigestion and heartburn over the stress it is causing you. Just remember that you were given this child to love and care for, and you were chosen for a reason. Try to relax for the remainder of your pregnancy (harder than it seems, I know) and take it one day at a time. Good luck!

Those tests have a high rate of false positives. Hang in there. This happened to me. I did not choose to do the amnio because of the risk of miscarriage (it was higher than I anticipated). My plan of action was to have all of my research and supports lined up and as be prepared as I could emotionally and practically. It took a lot of prayer to get through that time; the waiting was agonizing. My son is nine now, and no Down's. Truly, the high false positive rate is research based!

if the doctor was truly concerned, he would have scheduled you for an amino the next day.dont believe eveything the doctor tells you, chances are good, that he x rayed your wallet when you came in the door.dont believe me, call your insurance provider and ask whether the doctor inquired what procedures were covered under your insurance plan.. just because you are supposedly at risk for downs, doesnt mean much of anything. my obgyn claimed that i had a one in five chance of having a downs baby. why ? because dr hyde, of va. phy. for women, believed that any woman past 25 was at high risk for downs, he also refused to listen when i told me that i had never drank, tested positive for VD, or did drugs, he also believed that my deformed left arm was the result of a birth defect, despite being told repeatedly that it wasnt. best advice, go to a different doctor or midwife, and let them run their own tests, FYI.. my baby is tall, red haired, engaging, beautiful and perfectly NORMAL, no birht defects, no downs, alot of the time, doctors are wrong.(its my baby and i can brag about her anytime i want)
K. h.

There is one level higher for the blood test called a penta screen (instead of the quad screen) that will increase the accuracy but it's best to wait for the amnio. Best of luck

As a nurse, I've seen this on several occasions and the babies were always born completely normal. Don't let this spoil your enjoyment of this special time of your life.

So, what you're saying is that there's a 69/70 chance that your baby does not have Down Syndrome. I know that the way doctors tell you, it sounds really scary and makes you think that your baby probably has this disorder, but actually your baby probably does not. Fingers crossed for you.