Pregnancy and Triple-screen False Positive

I am 33 years old, pregnant with my first child, and the results of my triple-screen came out "positive" with a "slightly increased risk" of Down's Syndrome.  At first I freaked out, and then I did a little research which made me feel a little better.  I have my Level 2 ultrasound tomorrow, and I have decided that no matter what I will not have the amnio due to the risks involved.  I guess I'm just still worried, and I am looking for reassurance/advice/happy stories from those of you that have had a similar experience. Also, in one of the posts I read online, a woman noted that her false positive results were because her pregnancy had started out as twins and the second one didn't develop.  I had an ultrasound at 7 weeks, and there was a baby AND a "yolk sac."  Could that be what happened with me?

[jenstam]

No-everyone has a yolk sac in the beginning, which is what feeds the baby until the placenta completely takes over. That is normal. Good luck on your level 2. I'm sure it will be fine.

[GNicole]

I have heard that false positives are very common. I almost did not have the test done because of this. I am sure you are fine.  Good luck to you and keep us posted!! :)

[2songbirds]

this is my 3rd dc, and I had a false positive with this one, for spina bifida. they are common.

[newbie2b]

Hi.  We've heard quite a few stories on this forum about false positives.  Maybe you can go back into the archives and find some of those stories (cant recall them off the top of my head).  And from what I remember, not one of them were actually postive.
Good luck and I suspect that yours is also a false positive.

[Hulahut]

Hopefully this will help: of all the research the estimated rate of positives being false is approximately 97% - it is very likely your little one is absolutely fine.  Good luck and your level 2 will be more reassurance!

[TLilly]

I had the Level 2 Ultrasound on Friday, and I found out that I am having a perfectly healthy baby girl.  I have also decided that I am strongly against the triple-screen test!

[AImbra]

I am 25 years old expecting my third child and i had a positive downs result from the triple screen and i just read that wemon with female fetuses are 72% more likly to have a false positive hope this is the case for me.

[AQZQT]

I had a Triple screen done without even knowing that I can decline this test.  My results came back for Down Syndrome.  I have no  history of it in mine or my husband's family.  I'm 24.  I was schocked and scared.  It's not easy having these people tell you something is wrong with your baby and then have to wait. Right now I'm waiting to see if there is something off with my due date. Apparently this makes a big Difference in result.  They think I'm 5 days off.  Keep this in mind or try the ultrasound before doing an amnio! Maybe your date is off or you're having twins!

Wish me luck!

[melfitz77]

I just went through the biggest nightmare of my life. I am pregnant with my third child. I went for my triple screen test when I was 19 weeks. My doctor called me about a week later and told me my risk for having a Down Syndrome baby was 1/178 which is not correct for my age. They sent me for a level 2 ultrasound with a high risk OBGYN. The level 2 ultrasound did not provide any reassurance even though their were no DS markers. I decided to have the amnio done. I went back to the high risk dr the next day to have the amnio done. I really didn't want to spend the next 20 weeks worrying about the future. Luckily the amnio went fine. I didn't have any complications. After 4 agonizing days of waiting I got the preliminary results back showing everything was fine. I would not have the triple screen done again....after reading everyone's comments about false positives I think this is just another unreliable test.

[mom2be510]

Hello everyone! my name is Sarah and I am 20 weeks pregnant with my second child. Last week we got the news that we have a red flag for down syndrome. This broke my heart and I lost control. After ferther talking with my doctor and doing some research I feel a lot better knowing that there are a lot of false positives. My husband and I are both in our early twenties, and it doesn't run in the family so I hope this has lessoned our chances for DS by a ton. We go in next week for a high tech ultrasound to see what he finds out. The closer Monday gets the more nervous I find myself getting. I think a lot like most guys my husband is not comfertable talking to me about this. I am just looking for some clouser with women who understand what I am going through.