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Scary Ultra Screen Results-- Anyone Have Something Similar?
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Anonymous
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This week I got the results from my Ultra Screen: normal/slightly high NT, low-ish Free Beta, very low PAPP-A, nasal bone present.
Due mostly to my age (39) and the low PAPP-A, my odds for Downs are 1 in 8. I got a CVS test yesterday but won't have the results until Tuesday. I'm trying to optimistic and focusing on the NT measurement being mostly normal. Anyone have a similar situation? If so, what was the outcome? |
Anonymous
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I know it is scary, and I'm so sorry you have to worry about this. With my first pregnancy, I had a high NT (3.5mm). They said it was so high that doing the blood work was pointless, that it wouldn't reduce my risk at all (which they gave me as 1:2). I was 37. So I did the CVS. I have a "normal" 2 year old now.
For my second pregnancy (age 38, 39 at birth) I skipped the ultrascreen and just did the amnio. I wouldn't have terminated for Trisomy 21, but I would have for Trisomy 13 or 18, which are not compatible with life. After such a scare with the screening the first time I just wanted a definite answer. Best wishes to you. |
Anonymous
My SIL was and even the Amnio came back unclear and everyone figured that the baby was going to be born with Down Syndrome. He wasn't. He is of normal intellegence and perfectly healthy, though accident prone and and lacking in common sense 
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Anonymous
| OP here-- thanks everyone, these stories make me feel much better! Now just have to play the waiting game... |
Anonymous
hehe, aren't we all to some extent? 
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Anonymous
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13:35 again...
Personally, I would be more worried about something that is actually seen on an ultrasound such as a lack of nasal bone or high NT. And both of those were normal for you. The blood work is a comparison with other pregnant women of the same age. Which certainly has more variation. Just my $0.02. Try to relax as much as you can the next few days. I know I was a complete wreck, so easier said than done. Rent some movies, order some take-out, watch the Olympics. Read books, magazines, whatever you can do to take your mind off of it. Try to stay off the internet! |
Anonymous
| Also, remember that even with these odds, you have a 88% chance of a perfectly normal baby. Hang in there - I hope your CVS results come back very quickly. |
Anonymous
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I had a very similar situation - normalish nt, normalish free-beta, and very low PAPP-A. I was 32 at the time, and my risk was calculated to be 1:50. I also did a CVS test, which came back normal. I now have a happy, healthy almost 2-year-old little boy.
I am a geneticist myself (although prenatal screening is not my specialty) and at the time I did a ton of reading on PAPP-A, because I wanted to know why my values were so low when I had a normal baby. It turns out low PAPP-A can indicate problems other than Downs Syndrome, namely, it can be an indication of poor blood vessel development in the placenta. This can lead to slow growth in the third trimester and low birth weight. I discussed this with my OB, and she suggested that we do an ultrasound at the beginning of the third trimester to get an indication of the baby's size, and then follow-up ultrasounds every 2-3 weeks thereafter to track growth. In my case, baby's growth was fine, but I had very low amniotic fluid levels which led to an early C-section. Low fluid can also be caused by placenta problems. I was a wreck until I got my CVS results back, so I won't tell you not to worry because that is impossible! But do try to remember that the odds are in your favor to have a chromosomally normal baby. If your CVS results come back normal, talk to your OB about what the low PAPP-A levels can mean, and come up with a plan to more closely monitor you for problems in the third trimester. If I hadn't had that ultrasound at 27 weeks (which is not usually done) my low fluid might have gone unnoticed and I might not have had the happy outcome that I did. Best wishes to you! |
Anjelica
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Member Offline
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My daughter and son - whom I had at 38 and 42 - are both healthy, despite some abnormal results on the ultrasound (choroid plexus cysts and low lying placenta).
Your baby will be fine! |
Anonymous
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Hugs to you, OP. I know how hard that wait is. My baby had a high NT and my bloodwork was abnormal -- 1 in 5 chance of Down Syndome. I had CVS and everything was normal. Just celebrated my son's first birthday.
To PP who said "Your baby will be fine!" -- this isn't great advice. There is a small chance that everything won't be OK. But, OP, even if you get bad news, you will get through it. You are strong and you will do the right thing for your family, no matter what happens. I wish you all the best. |
Anonymous
| Agreed-- the odds are with you, but you also need to be prepared for the possibility of other news. |
Anonymous
| As a pp mentioned I too had low PAPP-A which lead to more frequent u/s in the third trimester to check baby's growth and placental functioning. I had a 1 in 25 odds and did CVS and all was fine. I would just make sure they monitor you in the 3rd trimester for the PAPP-A |
Anonymous
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I had bad blood test results with baby #2 at age 37 and then had an amnio. Luckily, the results came back OK and my baby is now a very bright, talkative 2 year old.
I know it's hard, but try to relax. |
Anonymous
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I had a similar situation -- given 1 in 10 chance of DS due to low (.28) PAPP-A and no nasal bone. I've never been so scared in my life -- and what you find on the internet doesn't really help.
I'm in my third trimester, carrying a genetically normal baby (who does have a nose bone - not sure if the sonographer missed it, or it calcified later). The information on low PAPP-A is very confusing. As someone who's dealing with it right now - I can tell you, my doctors told me once you make it out of the first trimester -- it's typically a wait and see how the baby's measuring and your amniotic fluid is measuring in the third trimester. I'm now getting sonograms every week - baby's measuring big but fluid's a little low. If you are researching DS on-line to familiarize yourself with the possibilities, I highly recommend the DS mother boards on babycenter.com. There are great mother's out there, with children that are thriving with DS. |
Anonymous
| considering that so many of you ended up having 'abnormal' screening test results but then your babies did not have any issues, did you ever regret having the test done, since it caused you so much unnecessary stress? |