Hi- So, I'm about 15.5 weeks pregnant. They encouraged me to get the ERA because I'll be 35 at delivery. The ultrasound part came up beautifully and they said the baby looked totally normal. However, one piece of the blood work came up abnormal and showed that I had a high level of a certain protein in my blood which could indicate a risk for a down syndrome baby. I don't want to get the amnio since it poses a threat for miscarriage and I wouldn't want to abort even if it turned out to be a down syndrome baby. Has anyone came up with abnormal blood work and had a totally normal child? I've never experienced this before with my last two pregnancies and am scared and confused. Thanks.
I know probably a dozen people whose blood work showed an increased risk for DS. Not one of them had a baby with DS.
Best of luck!
Are you talking about the AFP blood test? If so, I got what turned out to be a false positive for my second and third children. I was 33 and 38, nearing 39 when they were each born.
That particular test is wildly inaccurate, and when you are older it is immediately stacked against you just because of age.
It takes average numbers and puts you on a chart that assesses your "risk". When I met with the geneticist each time they asked me a series of questions about my health and family history. After answering all those questions my "odds" went way down from the originally high odds that something would be wrong with my babies. They did the advanced ultrasounds with both of them and found no markers at all. In the end I have two completely healthy children that are now 9 and almost 4.
The ultrasounds are far more accurate than that blood test is. If they find no markers at all in the baby you are more likely to be growing a completely healthy baby.
One note, I did do the amnio with my second one after some pressure to do it and I ended up contracting and on strict bedrest the entire weekend. I had it done on a Friday. In fact I began contracting on the drive home and had to pull over in a parking lot and call family to come drive me. Because of that, when we had the same thing happen with my third we decided to not have the amnio if the ultrasound came back clear, which it did and so we didn't.
Good, news, I bet you are having a boy! (okay, I'm trying to be positive and humorous).
Also, they normally give you odds not a false positive. Did they do this? They should say for example the odds are 1 in 200 chance this baby will have X. They will suggest the amnio if the odds out weigh the chance of a miscarriage (not that you need to get the amnio either way). You can check the odds, but normally the suggest the amnio if your odds are 1 out of 350 or worse.
I have known people to have normal babies with odds of 1 our of 50. Think about it...98% normal and a 2% chance of the 'thing'
Usually they put all this information together to give you an odds ratio. As a theoretical example, they might say that given all of the info, you have a 1:79 chance of having a baby with Downs. What that means is that for every 79 women with those test results, one will have a Downs baby, and 78 will have perfectly healthy babies (so yes, the vast majority will have healthy babies). If you find out what your odds ratio is, you can think about this more concretely.
We have had screenings with all 4 pregnancies (we are expecting no. 4 in August) due to a family relation with DS. In addition to the screenings, you should talk to a genetic counselor. They will help you put the information you have in context.
Our counselor is great. She stresses that 97% of pregnancies are normal. She also talks about the risk numbers - based on my personal test results what possible percentage of risk we have for a child with a genetic condition like DS (there are several other conditions that the early screening can lend itself to) versus say the risk of an abortion from an amnio. I hate to make things sound so callous but it really is a numbers game and how much "risk" you are willing to take on and are comfortable with.
Because I too will be over 35 at the time of birth, I found the doctor a little bit more aggressive but not bad. At my 20 week, she said the baby was lovely - that was enough for us. The genetic counselor was still able to temper the doctors enthusiasm for a more advanced procedure. Remember, it is a doctor's job to rescue you and to treat a medical situation/emergency but being pregnant is generally neither a situation you need rescuing from or a medical emergency.
Oh, and as a side note, the generic counselor did offer me a new test in which they draw my blood and spin out both mine and baby's and can make a partial genetic map of the baby's DNA. Apparently it is not a standard of care yet, but it is another tool. We opted out of it becuase it is still fairly new and not generally covered by insurance, but it may be another non-invasive option for you to use.
Good luck in your decision.
~C.
Ask for the maternity 21 test. Make sure you see a flier that says if the insurance company doesn't pay for it, you pay something like 272---I'd have to look it up.
It's diagnostic. A simple blood test, that also tells you the sex.
I had the same- 3rd pregnancy, 35yrs old, clear ultrasound, extremely high odds for downs with the blood test. My dr said that he was confident it would b okay, but we couldn't ignore it, so I had an amino, and thankfully it was all fine. Take a deep breath, make ur decision, and I hope and believe that it will be fine.
Joining the chorus to say, there are sooooo many false positives for Down's. I had that -- a false positive, I mean -- and my son does not have DS by any stretch. I was like you, though, I would have had the baby no matter what, and I elected to avoid an amnio b/c of the risk of miscarriage.
For whatever it's worth, I am pro-choice, but I am anti-eugenics. I am really uncomfortable with the way women are subtly pressured to abort if the fetus is found to have Down's.
yes.. same as you.. ultrasound was fine.. neck measurement was good.. but one of the 3 blood levels was high... so they recommend amnio..
I had the amnio.. and baby was fine. he is in kindergarten now and totally normal.
if you would not have an abortion if there was a problem do not have an amnio.. they are expensive.. the needle is big and painful..
I don't understand. You won't get the amnio because it's too much risk to the baby, and abortion is not an option. Then why get the test to begin with? So you can worry yourself the rest of the pregnancy over something you can't control and PROBABLY is nothing anyway? Do you even realize how many false-positives those tests yield? Did your doctor discuss that with you? I always encourage people to refuse those tests. They are a waste of time.
That test gets sooooo many false positives, more false ones then real ones. I chose to get the Amnio for my own piece of mind since it is the only surefire test.
Even your age factors in, not just blood levels. If you are over 30 you automatically will be given a higher risk number.
My daughter had an abnormal blood test with her first pregnancy. She had the amnio. That test was normal and so was the baby. Her blood tests for the next 3 pregnancies were normal.
