Triple Test High Risk Category

[linzi74]

Hi
Well yesterday I got a call from the hospital about my triple test. They said my results were quite broad but high risk 1 in 149. They suggested that I come in to speak with the doctor but I said I didn't want to go and do any invasive testing. They were still said I should come in and could I come down today, so I said yes. As soon as I was off the phone I was on to the OH in tears, I kind of expected a call, but really hoped I wouldn't. When OH got home and I told him the results he was a little more positive than me, he thought when I said high risk I mean one in ten or something. I know that 1 in 149 is high, my age group is 34.
We went to see the consultant who explained the situation and didn't seem to worried, he basically said I have a 99.25% chance I won't have a baby with Downs. I understand the odds aren't as good as being in a low risk and it is all based on statistics but I can't help but worry that out of the 149 women just like me I will be the one to have a Downs child. It is all such a shock and I have been feeling very low anyway, now I can't stop crying, I just feel so useless and don't want to spend my whole pregnancy being miserable.

I always said that I wouldn't abort my child and I won't, what will be will be, but when you are faced with shocks like statistical markers it sort of shatters your world a little as I suppose like every parent you want a healthy baby.

Oh, the only good news is that we got a quick scan whilst I was there and the LO was all chilled out, actually sat down with it's knees up and waving its arms about. So at least my fear of the baby had stopped growing has now been replaced with my baby has a chance of Downs.......I thought pregnancy was going to be a joy but it's turning into the longest nine months of my life.

Has anyone else been faced with information like this and how are they coping? OH half has been trying to be supportive but I don't think I am helping when I am an emotional wreck, so any advice from the baby and bump crew would be great.

 

[Lois]

Hi Linzi,

I can totally understand your shock and the upset it has caused you..."high risk" is such an emotive result. As I am independent from your situation I know it is easy for me to say this but my honest reaction to reading 1 in 149 was "Wow, so there's a 148 in 149 chance that the baby doesn't have downs at all." I don't know if raw logic is particularly helpful to you right now but 99.25% is a very high statistical likelihood.

All that said, I completely sympathize with your concern and send you a big hug.
Lxxx

 

[Dee_H]

Oh hun, so sorry to hear about your appointment. Hopefully things will turn out ok for you. Glad to hear you say your LO waving at you, that's cute! Thinking of you

 

[Fossey]

Sorry you are feeling so low. I still think that is low risk no matter what that say. If it were as your OH said 1 in 10 I'd be freaking but its not even 1% so I'd try not to worry about it. I do know how you feel, I didn't go for the downs screening as I wouldn't have aborted anyway so didn't see the point in worrying myself... then the scan women marked down the nt measurement at my anomaly scan as being 4.1mm which is thick and its stressed me even though the measurement isn't usually taken into account so late on. So I don't get why it was measured. So I totally understand your fears.

 

[Shinning_Star]

My sister has bene given a high risk of downs, she apparently has lot of water and the bay has one club foot, I@m not sure on her ratio though. But it scared me cos I'm pregnant as well. Apparently the nf measurement grows as time goes on and after 14 weeks it's not a reliable thing to go by. I've read abt people having a 7mm nf measurement and still all being fine, infact I surfed net and there were quite a few.

As for the ratio's of 1/149 thats not too hight tbh. Sometimes I think we have too much information available to us, I'm actually considering NOT having these tests done next time round. I have my results this time on 23 Oct.

Fact if you wouldn't abort, so other than preparation what difference does it make. I know it's a shock and scary thinking about the chid's quality of life etc. I do feel for your worry.

Try not to worry and just enjoy your pregnancy. I'm sure you'll come out and baby will be fine. If you read forums about it, so many people are terrified by these results and wouldn't have the amnio or cvs, or abortion anyway it just makes me think they may not be worth the hassle and worry!

Love & Hugs

 

[linzi74]

Hi all

Thanks for the replies so far your words are encouraging.

Raw logical thinking does help and I know the odds are statistically in my favour, but I think topped with how I feel at the moment you tend to just look on the negative, maybe I'll feel better in a few days.

I agree with you shining star, all the test does is worry you and if you aren't going to do anything anyway what's the point. Truth is we thought if we did the test it might prepare us just in case but all it does is cause worry. God willing all will go well with this pregnancy and maybe if I decide to have another child I will not be taking the test again regardless of my age.

 

[Beltane]

I can relate to how you might feel. Although I tested low, my baby has a soft marker. It's terrifying to say the least! There were so many things that went through my head and I couldn't stop worrying. Did they find any markers on your baby? Just take it one day at a time and remember that there are false positives.

 

[Shinning_Star]

I completly agree, I had the tests cos I thought it would help prepare you for it, whatever the situation but after seeing how stressed some of ladies on forum and my sister got, and how much I fretted over the nf measurement. I just think what is the point it doesn't seem to solve anything.

But for now hugs hugs and try and stay positive. xxx

 

[mummymadness]

So sorry to hear the results hun . But keep your chin up .
I was 20 years old and had a 1 in 100 chance with my first (Was by nuchal fold not bloods), I declined any investigation but had some very upset crying moments ..
My oh said look on the positive side out of 100 births only 1 of them will be downs whos to say thats us .
And now i have a healthy 3 year old . If you want to chat hun feel free to pm me . xxxxxxx .

 

[Poppeteer]

Hello Linzi, I really do feel for you hun, however I would not put too much faith in these tests anyway. There was a report recently on channel 4 news regarding these tests and how unreliable they are on their own. They can show up as having a high risk, women are then offered amnios which as we all know can cause problems in sometimes healthy babies.


I did have the quadruple test and the hospital lost my results, at first i was terrified, as felt i needed to know my result and i had gone past the deadline to have a repeat of the test.
However, thinking about it, i will not have an amnio no matter what, so IMO the test can only cause stress and worry.... pregnancy is fraught with wory anyway, why add to it, esp with odds such as yours which is still low.

to you hun xxxx

 

[lillysmum]

aw hun am so sorry. i know some women who had high risk results and they went onto have perfectly healthy babies.

 

[porkpie1981]

i hope all is ok. I get my results in just over a week and its nervewreaking

 

[mari72]

Hi, my blood results came back as a 'high risk' so i can understand exactly how you are feeling. In retrospect i think i was slightly cavalier when i agreed to the tests as i didn't think carefully about how i would deal with a higher risk. I had a detailed scan and the consultant had a difficult time assessing babies heart and queried a vsd which increased the odds even more. I decided that i wanted an amnio because my stress levels were going through the roof and i knew that i'd be uptight for the remainder of the pregnancy and that wouldn't help me or baby. I'm delighted to say the amnio came back with a 'normal' result but the stress of those few days was horrendous.
If you wouldn't consider a termination in any circumstances then i have to wonder about the wisdom of having any screening tests. I certainly would think alot longer and harder the next time around.
Also i realise that to other girls on the site that 1 in 149 doesn't seem too high but when you're confronted by other women who are given risks of 1 in 4000 (or 12000 etc) it does become infinitely scarier.
The midwife i spoke to when i had my amnio said she'd had a woman with a 1 in 2 chance come back normal and had other women with much lower risks have babies with downs. The blood test is a screening test and nothing more, its reliability can be influenced if dates are out etc.
The most important thing is to do what feels right for you and whatever makes you feel best.
A friend of mine had a risk of 1 in 140 and and scan increased her odds again to 1 in 100, she didn't have an amnio and her daughter is perfect.
Anyway, most importantly-look after yourself and baby,don't allow this to get you too worked up.

 

[harveysmum]

Hey Linz,
I really feel for you on this and I know it is easy for us to say stuff when you are feeling so low. But I really hate, hate, hate these tests and you need to just reassure yourself that what will be will be. even though they have classed you as high risk, they have also said there is over 99 per cent of a chance your baby will not have down's. the odds are good.

and, at the end of the day, as my midwife said, people have come back high risk and had "normal" babies and others have come back as low risk and gone on to have down's babies, so there is actually, no way of knowing!

Take care of yourself, you will be fine. hugsx

 

[linzi74]

Hi all

Thanks too the other ladies who have left comments on here. I just thought I would let you all know I am feeling a little better about things. (Don't know if its the hormones or what), anyway, I have come to the conclusion that whilst the test is only a screening test I wouldn't consider a termination so what will be will be and there is no point getting stressed. I am going to TRY to be positive and relax I will just deal with whatever hand I am dealt.
As some people have said some women can go on to have a positive low risk result and have a down syndrome child. So all the test does is give an inclination that you may or may not be more at risk.
I hope that if there are any other ladies on this site worrying about getting a high risk result that these messages have been as reassuring and helpful as they have been for me. So a big hug and thank you.
I will keep you updated when i go for my scan in three weeks time for now I am going to enjoy being pregnant. Well until, my hormones decide to send me on three days of constant weepiness!!!!

 

[Amanda]

 

[mari72]

Hi Linzi, my only other comment would be that 3 weeks is a bit of a long tim to wait for your scan-unless you made it totally clear to hospital that an amnio or any other action is out of the question. I was booked in for scan/amnio the day after i received my blood results. How far along are you? I was 18 weeks and they got a pretty good look at everything (bar babies heart) but there were no other soft markers so that in itself was very reassuring. Do you think your midwife could expidate the scan if you were anxious or are you quite ok now?

 

[linzi74]

Hi Linzi, my only other comment would be that 3 weeks is a bit of a long tim to wait for your scan-unless you made it totally clear to hospital that an amnio or any other action is out of the question. I was booked in for scan/amnio the day after i received my blood results. How far along are you? I was 18 weeks and they got a pretty good look at everything (bar babies heart) but there were no other soft markers so that in itself was very reassuring. Do you think your midwife could expidate the scan if you were anxious or are you quite ok now?

Hi Mari
I am okay with three weeks in fact it is more like two it's on the 4th November. I can wait till then and I am okay with everything, still worried and hope they don't spot other things on the scan but we'll wait and see.

 

[dollygirlie]

Hi Linzi, thanks for your comment on my post. After doing extensive research, I get the feeling these tests are a bit of a waste of time. Most babies born are perfectly ok, I think they just add a lot of stress which is not needed to the mother. Scans can pick up abnormalities anyway. I am sure something would of flagged up by now if there was. Like you I won't have the needle in the tummy thing and would keep my baby whatever. But I really understand your worry as I am going through it with you right now. I will phone in today to see my more accurate results, but really these tests are only good for women who really want to know if their baby is downs and will then go onto termination after the amnio. Like you, I won't take this test again. Probably a lot of the chemicals and stuffs in our over 35 year old bodies probably put themselves right anyway over the pregnancy, science is cleaver, but it doesn't know everything, so I would relax, its good that we mentally prepare ourselves for the possibility of a downs baby, but like my brother said, might aswell be half soaked until the actual fact happens. Then you can deal with the facts face to face. Maybe these tests provide us with more detail than is necessary - you know what they say - the devil is in the detail? I like you really want to enjoy my pregnancy, from day one its been like a rollercoaster of worry, I don't think hospitals help really. I have an added complication of being diabetic and have been put on insulin, and am messed about with, poked and prodded with on a weekly basis, and not once do they ask how I am doing emotionally?

 

[dannydustcart]

xxx hugsxxx