anyone TURNED DOWN the downs test?

[ColoradoBaby1]

We opted out of it
Where I'm from, they do a 2-part blood test which either shows positive or negative.
If you show positive, chances are only 1/10 that it is a true positive. 9/10 chance of being a false positive
The only further testing available if you received a positive was an amnio and we were uncomfortable with the miscarriage risk posed by an amnio so opted out of the testing
We would not terminate anyway so didn't see the point in worrying ourselves unecessarily.

I opted out for the same reasons.

 

[majm1241]

We opted out of it
Where I'm from, they do a 2-part blood test which either shows positive or negative.
If you show positive, chances are only 1/10 that it is a true positive. 9/10 chance of being a false positive
The only further testing available if you received a positive was an amnio and we were uncomfortable with the miscarriage risk posed by an amnio so opted out of the testing
We would not terminate anyway so didn't see the point in worrying ourselves unecessarily.

I opted out for the same reasons.

I have always turned them down and I will do the same with this pregnancy for the same reasons.

 

[Lovedupmummy]

I didn't get the test either. It's only 60% accurate anyway so chances are they just cause a whole lot of unnecessary worry.

However I know Im not meant to say this but I personally find the fact that so many mothers would consider killing their children bcoz they don't live up to perfect health morally disturbing.

Loving your children unconditionally is the main ingredient to being a good parent in my honest opinion... Plus considering the test is highly inaccurate I can't help but wonder how many healthy children are unintentionally aborted

Xxxxx

 

[babymama86]

I had the first one at 12 wks but opted out of the second one (we are offered another one before 20wks as well) i stressed over the results so much with the 12wk one and my results came back fine so i couldnt see the point in worrying again!

 

[Jaylynne]

I opted out for a few reasons: this baby is meant to be and I will love him no matter what, it was expensive and I didn't feel like paying money to worry myself, and way too many inaccurate false positives requiring more tests and stress. Oh and I'm not one of the risk categories anyway. Seemed like too much worrying when the outcome would be the same anyway. My son is my son no matter what complications may arise.

 

[HappyAnjeL]

I know this thread is for those who opted out, but..
I opted out at first, but my OH wanted to get it done. He said he wanted to know to be able to research which doctors or schools would be best for her if she did happen to have DS. It made sense, so we got it done. It never occurred to us to terminate the pregnancy if she was high risk, nor would we love her any less. Our decision was based ONLY on being prepared to make the best choices for her.

 

[sunshinefalls]

WOW lots of brilliant responses , thanks ladies have settled my over active brain as usual lol

 

[KittyVentura]

I opted out. It doesn't give a conclusive result and I wouldn't have been able to terminate regardless. Seemed like a no-brainer to me xx

 

[stardust599]

We opted in, the combined blood tests and nuchal scan detect here detect over 90% of babies with chromosomal abnormalities and I would like to be prepared.

My friend opted out and lost a baby a few minutes after birth to Patau syndrome - a serious chromosomal abnormality which is also tested for in the nuchal and blood scans - and it's always been something I think about and would want to be prepared for. Although this is extremely extremely rare and very unlikely to happen to anyone. I can't imagine going through pregnancy thinking everything was fine and then on the day of the birth being told my baby had Down's Syndrome and all the other serious health issues that come with it in the heart and other organs.

The "false positive" result for combined nuchal and bloods is only 5%. An amnio gives a 100% yes or no answer to ANY chromosomal abnormalities but increases the risk of miscarriage by around 0.5 - 1%

I'm waiting on the results and expect to be low risk due to our age, lifestyle etc. but if it was high risk and even if I decided not to go ahead with the amnio I would want very detailed cardio scans etc. so I could be prepared.

That's just ME though and basically saying I would like to know beforehand so I could cope better emotionally at the time of birth? Not sure if it makes sense though.

 

[NuKe]

we didn't either. there's very little that could be out of the ordinary with our little girl that would make us terminate.

 

[Sunshine12]

Im the opposite in that there was no doubt in my mind whatsoever that I would be having it done so thats what we did.
x

 

[Nits]

We opted in, the combined blood tests and nuchal scan detect here detect over 90% of babies with chromosomal abnormalities and I would like to be prepared.

My friend opted out and lost a baby a few minutes after birth to Patau syndrome - a serious chromosomal abnormality which is also tested for in the nuchal and blood scans - and it's always been something I think about and would want to be prepared for. Although this is extremely extremely rare and very unlikely to happen to anyone. I can't imagine going through pregnancy thinking everything was fine and then on the day of the birth being told my baby had Down's Syndrome and all the other serious health issues that come with it in the heart and other organs.

The "false positive" result for combined nuchal and bloods is only 5%. An amnio gives a 100% yes or no answer to ANY chromosomal abnormalities but increases the risk of miscarriage by around 0.5 - 1%

I'm waiting on the results and expect to be low risk due to our age, lifestyle etc. but if it was high risk and even if I decided not to go ahead with the amnio I would want very detailed cardio scans etc. so I could be prepared.

That's just ME though and basically saying I would like to know beforehand so I could cope better emotionally at the time of birth? Not sure if it makes sense though.

This is one of the main reasons why this is such a difficult question. I was taken a bit by surprise when they asked me at my 8-week appointment if we had decided what to do about the tests. I was still trying to convince myself that I was really pregnant, I hadn't even thought about the tests.

I did tell my midwife that I would want to know if the baby had a condition that would make it impossible to survive after dleivery but I didn't care about DS. Both midwives I talked to about it said the tests were mostly for DS and spina bifida. I had the SB one done but opted out of the DS.

But it's a very difficult questions and all answers are valid. It's such a personal matter...

I did have the 20 week us and everything measured great. Her HB was great, we saw all 4 chambers, she gave us beautiful shots of her spine and everything looked great.

They did mention, though, that by 20 weeks it's no longer possible to check for DS just by measurement. I guess they become too unreliable.

 

[laylasmummy]

I had the blood test and scan, only to get a high or low test result to prepare family if it was high risk. I wouldnt have gone for further tests or terminated or anything anyway but i do have a fairly temperamental family. I work with children with Downs Syndrome and they are fantastic happy children! My results came back at the lowest risk but like i said if it had been high risk then i wouldnt have done anything about it anyway x

 

[krysti]

I didn't get the test either. It's only 60% accurate anyway so chances are they just cause a whole lot of unnecessary worry.

However I know Im not meant to say this but I personally find the fact that so many mothers would consider killing their children bcoz they don't live up to perfect health morally disturbing.

Loving your children unconditionally is the main ingredient to being a good parent in my honest opinion... Plus considering the test is highly inaccurate I can't help but wonder how many healthy children are unintentionally aborted

Xxxxx

My sister in law had a surrogate pregnancy for a couple who wanted her to terminate if there were test results showing the baby had d.s. From the beginning of negotiations to even become their surrogate she told then she would never whirring a baby she was carrying. Well, the tests were positive for d.s. (it might've only been the nuchal fold thing), she carried the baby to term, and it was born healthy and normal. It really makes me wonder how many abort their babies unnecessarily due to these less than 100% accurate tests. My husband and I also turned down the testing.

 

[Xlaura_BellaX]

i turned them down in my last and will with this one, i watched a pregnany program just over a year ago showing pregnant women from different age groups and a 40+ woman had a 1 in 8 chance of downs in her baby, yet he was born perfectly healthy

oo and sorry just nosing, having a break from scary 1st tri section lol

 

[Twinks]

I didn't have it either as I would have the child regardless of what the test showed!Ur definitely not alone!

 

[Tigerlilyb]

Same as all the ladies above.

Earlier in our marriage, my husband expressed that if we found out our baby was going to have DS he would want to terminate the pregnancy. I found the idea appalling (although I totally understand it).

But we were younger and not pregnant and it's easier to say what you would do in a hypothetical case. So, when the mw asked both of us if we wanted the test, we weren't sure. She told us to think about it for a few weeks. DH was still unsure and I always knew that I wouldn't terminate it because of DS so I decided to save us all the drama and opted out. He was ok with this.

Our chances are super low but I figure he'd love her regardless once she is born and if not (I know this sounds awful) if I have to choose between my husband and my daughter, I know what choice I'd make.

Anyway, that's what went through my mind when I was saying "no" to one of the most difficult questions I've ever been asked.

I'm was on almost the same boat. I had my mind made up, I didn't want the tests as I'd love my little one no matter what, and they weren't accurate. I'm not even sure I could go through an amnio if the bloods came back high risk. I would never terminate.

Then of course I asked my OH and he said he definitely did want the tests. He said if it turned out our little one had any strong abnormality or disability that would effect its quality of life, he'd probably want us to terminate.

My heart absolutely broke at this point. I could never forgive him or myself if it came to a termination, so I'd probably end up leaving him and raising my child alone back in England. I love him beyond words but this is one thing I would never do for anyone.

Fortunately the tests came back low risk and every scan so far has been 100% healthy and normal, so we haven't brought up the subject again. He seems so incredibly in love with our girl already that it does make me wonder if he'd change his mind had she been diagnosed with something.

 

[overcomer79]

I didn't get the test either. It's only 60% accurate anyway so chances are they just cause a whole lot of unnecessary worry.

However I know Im not meant to say this but I personally find the fact that so many mothers would consider killing their children bcoz they don't live up to perfect health morally disturbing.

Loving your children unconditionally is the main ingredient to being a good parent in my honest opinion... Plus considering the test is highly inaccurate I can't help but wonder how many healthy children are unintentionally aborted

Xxxxx

I surely hope you aren't assuming that those of us who opted to do the test don't love our children unconditionally? I really hope that isn't what you meant. I had the test done on both of my LOs and NO I had zero intentions of killing my children if they came back high risk!! Look at my siggy? I would really terminate a baby that I tried for over three years just because he was high risk?

We choose the test because I would want to educate myself should it be high risk! Amnio was no option for us either. I think being prepared is part of loving unconditionally. JMO

 

[Boothh]

With my son I didn't but this time I did as the mmc I had before this pregnancy had chromosome problems and it seemed silly not to check when I know it can happen to me

 

[bubbles123]

I didn't have it for my son. I choose to have it in this pregnancy as they do a combined test where we live now and whilst I wouldn't abort a downs baby, there are other chromosomal problems that they can find and it would be helpful to know aboutthese before birth X