Kizzy and Grand, The IPS is Integrated Prenatal Screening. They do an US around 11weeks and 13+6 weeks to measure NT and do a blood test to measure protein levels. They repeat the blood test 2 weeks latter and measure the protein levels again. They look at those results plus your age risk factor which gives you a combined risk factor result either high or low in the form of a 1\50 or 1\90 or 1\250, 1\7000...... chance of having a baby with Down's, Trisomy 18 or Neural tube defect.
I am not sure what the cut off is but because amnio has a risk of m\c of 1\200. They only offer amnio if your risk is higher or close to that. So the IPS can't say for sure that everything is Ok it gives you your "chance" of having a problem. Amnio tells you 100% whether everything is ok for the above diagnosis only.
IPS also has many false positives and false negatives so that can be stressful. At my age I would probably test positive and be offered the amnio anyways. So why get the scary IPS result and then have to wait until 18-20 weeks for the amnio worrying because of the bad IPS result which you get around 15 weeks. I will be 36 when my baby is born so my risk level is already 1\400 or something like that. My DH and I need to know for certain and so I think not having the amnio would just worry me throughout the pregnancy even if the IPS was like 1\7000 which is a good result. I know a family who had a 1 in 7000 chance and they were recommended not to have the amnio because this was a good result. But it just happened that they were the 1 in 7000 who's baby has Down's. They really wished they had had the amnio to know this ahead of time.
I really hate thinking about this and this is why I stayed away last week because I just can't not talk about it. It's been consuming my thoughts and some people may not want to think about this yet or at all.
I hope I haven't caused too much stress to others about this stuff. It's very personal and some people choose not to do any testing at all. It is not mandatory and the truth is they can't test for everything so we all have to make the best choice for ourselves as individuals and couples.
I am not sure what the cut off is but because amnio has a risk of m\c of 1\200. They only offer amnio if your risk is higher or close to that. So the IPS can't say for sure that everything is Ok it gives you your "chance" of having a problem. Amnio tells you 100% whether everything is ok for the above diagnosis only.
IPS also has many false positives and false negatives so that can be stressful. At my age I would probably test positive and be offered the amnio anyways. So why get the scary IPS result and then have to wait until 18-20 weeks for the amnio worrying because of the bad IPS result which you get around 15 weeks. I will be 36 when my baby is born so my risk level is already 1\400 or something like that. My DH and I need to know for certain and so I think not having the amnio would just worry me throughout the pregnancy even if the IPS was like 1\7000 which is a good result. I know a family who had a 1 in 7000 chance and they were recommended not to have the amnio because this was a good result. But it just happened that they were the 1 in 7000 who's baby has Down's. They really wished they had had the amnio to know this ahead of time.
I really hate thinking about this and this is why I stayed away last week because I just can't not talk about it. It's been consuming my thoughts and some people may not want to think about this yet or at all.
I hope I haven't caused too much stress to others about this stuff. It's very personal and some people choose not to do any testing at all. It is not mandatory and the truth is they can't test for everything so we all have to make the best choice for ourselves as individuals and couples.
xx
I think you might be the furthest along so you can tell us all we have to look forward to.
When's your 1st scan? EDITED - oops just saw that you had it on Friday!
My heart goes out to you and your DH at this sad time. 
My thoughts are with you and your OH. We'll be right here waiting for you once you're ready to come back. 
And what I'm about to say may seem a distant stretch to you right now, but you absolutely WILL have your little one in the near future. Just know that I haven't given up on that ray of hope for you. 
your way. Take good care of yourself.
hope your pregnancy is going well.
still exhausted. and now getting up 3 times in the night to wee! its great! 
