Hi

Ive been told that my bloods have come back at high risk for downs. They said that anything under 1-250 chance is considered high risk. I was thinking 1 - 250 were still pretty good odds and expected her to say something just under that. Then she told me my risk was 1 in 13.

I'm shocked and out of my mind with worry, OH and I keep going round in circles about whether to have an amnio. I keep thinking I'm the kind of person who needs to know and I know I'd never be able to stop worrying for the rest of my pregnancy if I dont have an amnio. But I'm also terrified of knowing and them having to decide whether to continue with the pregnancy. From a distance i always thought I'd never terminate and have the baby no matter what. Now I'm actually in this situation and its real, I just dont know how I feel. Neither of us feel equipped to have a child with downs but I guess evryone feels like that.

I guess I need to have the amnio so I can be fully informed but I'm terrified of the risks. Has anyone had an amnio? Has anyone gone through this. The hospital said the miscarriage and preterm labour risk is 1-150 and that the team who do them are highly competant. But still there is a real risk. I know people say false positives are common but 1 in 13 is much different from 1 in 200 - both positves for high risk.

Anyway sorry, I guess this is a fairly pointless post as only we can make the decision but it woudl be good to hear from people who have had amnios. thanks.

My MW said when she offered me the blood test, that out of 100 "high risk" results, the amnio results come back normal in 93-96 of them.

Big hugs to you
I'm not in this situation but it must be very hard for you both.

I don't think any amount of advice is going to help here, I would just sit down and go go over and over the issues and decide what you want to do. The test is just fact finding it won't make the decision for you. You're in a situation a lot of people would hate to be in and it's really a decision only you can make.

Some facts that would be helpful to find out would be, how accurate is the amnio? does it tell you the severity? would this make a difference? Did your test come back for any particular reason ie are you in the older category for child birth or is it more a genetic reason?

Good luck Hun, let us know how it all goes.

I haven't had amnio ... but i have had CVS. No one can tell you what decision to make.. you have to do what's right for you and your family.

How far along are you? Have you had any scans yet?

Have you had a NT scan? Did that show anything abnormal? I know there are some ladies on here that have had amnio's so hopefully you'll get one soon xxx

in the meantime though hun xxx

I am sorry you are going through this. I also just got the call today that I am high risk for downs 1:190. The doctor explained the first step is a detailed scan, and then an amnio. My hubby called the doctor back to get more details and she told him that they get more false positives then false negatives and she has had women with a 1:4 risk give birth to perfectly healthy babies. Personally for me, I will not have the amnio due to the risks, and because the results won't sway my decision to keep this LO. Good Luck.

so sorry to hear your going through this! It is such a tough decision to make isn't it! I had an amnio a few weeks back and all the emotions you go through are so overwhelming... I found it so scary that when I got those results that was final, I had to make the decision IYGWIM... However, I still went through with it and it was the best thing I could have done as now I can relax and enjoy the rest of my pregnancy knowing all is ok... I did a lot of research into amnio risks as well asnd if done by a experienced person your risks of MC are usually much lower. The OB who did mine had a MC rate of 1 in 500!! the stats they often quote are quite outdated and many changes in amnio have happened in recent years which have decreased the risk of MC - e.g. smaller needles...

I'm 16 +3. the amnio will give me a definate yes or no for downs so at least we will know. I was told a detailed scan wasnt an option as it cannot give any reassurance. Midwife said that a lot of the soft markers for downs are there for 'normal' babies and vice versa - not present despite downs. She said the only way to know would be an amnio and the risk of miscarraige was 1 in 150. If I had a risk of downs that was lower than the risk of amnio I probably wouldnt have one but 1 in 13 is really high.

Thanks for your replies, I think we'll have to just keep going over and over all the options and try and make a decision. Im 36 by the way so yes in a higher risk category anyway but the risk just on age is 1 in 260 so the fact that mine has come back as 1 in 13 means the hormones they screen for must be really abnormal.

By the way I wasnt offered NT scan as they are currently being trained in them. If I was pregnant this time next year I'd get one routinely.

Cherry -

I couldn't possibly begin to give you any advice. I don't think anyone who's not in your situation could possibly - even what you thought before about what you'd do or not do could be easily out the window. Do what you and your husband feel is best, and please ignore what anyone else has to say.

Your MW is right the only way to know for sure is an amnio - all the scans in the world NT or not will only give you an indication not an absolute yes or no.

Obviously you and your OH will do what you decide is best for you. I do know of a woman on B&B who had a 1 in 10 risk for another Triosomy condition and had an amnio which showed her baby was fine. A 1 in 13 risk still means that you have a much less than 10% chance of having a baby with downs.

Good luck with deciding and hope it all goes well

Mizze xxx