Nuchal Scan/Amnio

[fluffyblue]

Hi girls,

Just after a little bit of advice.

Im 38 years old and part of my Midwife Appointment involved talking about Nuchal Scan etc.

Now im 11 weeks I have just called the screening midwife to be told that Nuchal Scans are not offered by our Trust.

So two options I can go privately at a cost of £170.00 which gives me the scan and the blood test etc or wait for a simple blood test as part of the usual treatment and have the amnio.

My sis in law had the amnio after a 1:50 chance and it was fine but it terrifies me cus of my history of miscarriage. But if the nuchal scans are inconclusive the only option is the amnio!

Im so confused what do you reckon??

thanks xx

 

[debgreasby]

I'm not sure if my hospital does actually do the nuchal scans, but as you know Charlie's condition was picked up when the ultrasound tech noticed high levels of fluid around him and measured the nuchal fold. Wish i had asked really.. not sure if she measured it as standard or just because she noticed it!

Am i making any sense lol???

£170 is a lot of money, but worth it for peace of mind. I guess it's all about what will put your mind at ease. You've been through so much already.

 

[debgreasby]

Ok it was bugging me so i phoned the hospital lol!

When i had my 12 week scan the nuchal wasn't offered as standard. The tech noticed the problem and did the measurement.

Apparently now the nuchal is offered to everyone (yay)!

Just wanted to give you that extra bit of info.

 

[Mizze]

My Trust dont offer Nuchal testing either. As im 37 I opted to go private mainly because the screening tests alone are not terribly accurate. Combined with the Nuchal fold test the reliablity rises to about 90%. And because I could have the nuchal test scan much earlier (I was 13 weeks) - my Trust do the screening between 15-18 weeks and I really didnt want to wait that long and then have to wait for results and then have the anmio and then wait for the results and not know until the baby was 20 weeks. Also with my miscarriage history I wanted to be as sure as possible before I had to decide on the amnio

Basically i had decided that if the risk came back less than 1 in 100 i would have the amnio because the risk of mc was about the same as having a baby with downs but that if the risk came back higher I wasnt risking the amnio.

My results came back as 1:2049 with my nuchal being 183mm - well within the normal limits I now know im low risk and therefore wont be having the amnio test.

The combined bloods and scan cost £180 and was worth every penny to me and DH

HTH

Mizze xx

 

[KitKatBit]

Hi fluffyblue,

like debs says, i was told at my mw appointment that I could have the nuchal at my 12 week scan if I wantd, which I do. I would only then go on to have an amnio if any abnormalities were picked up then.

I thought they were available on the NHS nationally, but if I wasn't getting one for free I think I would pay yes and avoid the amnio if poss.

 

[fluffyblue]

Yes thats what I want to do, do the nuchal and see what the risks are.

Hubbys being a complete arse and worrying over the cash I mean WTF he wanted this as much as me !

 

[Drazic<3]

I think it's up to you sweety. Our trust offers NT scans for everyone, but we already decided regardless of the result we would not have the amnio because of the potential risk - if she had downs syndrome, we still would of carried on with the pregnancy, so it didn't ultimatly become part of our decision making process. Sending

 

[goddess25]

I am 36 and am going to be doing the NT.... but not sure about it.... it can only predict what the risk is so do be totally clear on diagnostic factors the only way is amnio and like you i dont want to do that.

I think I would pay and get the NT screen done and if your results come back really low then you wont need to worry.

Its a tough decision to make though.

 

[fluffyblue]

Well I spoke to my community midwife and I may as well have been talking to a builder!

She offered me no comfort or advice and to be honest basically told me to sort myself out!.

Im seeing my consultant today so am gonna express my fears etc and see if she will take a peek on the scan, im 11+3 today so they can do the nuchal measurement etc and also look for the other markers.

Im also gonna do the blood test at 15w and see what the risk is from there and then have the amnio if need be, I am 38 and I do want to know.

I realise its all very political but we all have our reasons to want to know these things.

 

[WannaB]

Unfortunatley the only 100% way to know for sure is the amnio, your odds could come back really low with the scan and the bloods combined but you could still have a downs baby, just the same as they could come back really high with soft markers and you may not. Ive already decided to have the amnio because of my age, the miscarriage rate is not as high as the 1:100 as it used to be, its far lower now. Will be holding your hand virtually all the way fluffy, its a tough decision that really gets your head spinning!