my triple screen came back abnormal of being high risk of an down syndrome child

Hello! my doctor took a triple screen test on me to see if i was at high risk of my baby having down syndrome. my test came back abnormal of being of high risk. but when my dr. took my blood test i was measured by my first ultrasound of being 15weeks but my dr. told me i was 16weeks could the test come back abnormal because he made an mistake on how many weeks i was?

[taysmommy]

please anyone correct me if im wrong, but i think these tests are notorious for creating false positives, and again i think that if your dates are off it can through the tests as well

hope this is your case! best of luck

[pixijal]

I don't know for sure, but as long as the test was performed during the time suggested, then it should be accurate.  I have always refused all of these tests with all of my pregnancies even though I'm 'older', as there are false positives.  Sorry I can't help you more, someone will.  Take care.

[AnnieBrooke]

You are right that triple screens are indeed notorious for false positives.  The next step would be an amnio to check the results of the test in question.

[tiredbuthappy]

i don't know for a fact, but if i recall correctly an accurate date is important in those screens because it is somehow entered into their calculations. i researched the triple screen a lot while deciding whether or not to get it (i decided not too), and i read that if your dates are off, it can contribute to a false positive (which as the previous poster stated is quite common, and often the baby is fine). i think you can request that they redo the tests.

[Loki33]

I know so many people who took that test who got false positives. I think you may want to have an Amnio though to rule it out.

[ginmomof3]

I also did not do the triple screening, I knew four pregnant women who had it done and were all told they were high risk, so when my dr. asked I said I'll pass.  Especially if your young and have no family history, chances are ist is a false pos.

God Bless and a happy healthy pregnancy and baby!!!

[2ndBaby]

The triple screen does have a high rate of false positives.  Before amnio you can have a high level ultrasound done with a perinatologist who can give you fairly accurate information via measurement through ultrasound as to whether or not there may be issues with the fetus.  This is MUCH less invasive than amnio, but amnio would then be the next step should the doctor find 'abnormal' (pardon the term) measurements during the u/s.  I went through this with my first baby and everything measured fine in the u/s and baby was perfect!

Good luck to you!

[myrasue34]

I am half way thru a test where they take your blood at 11 weeks, do the ultrasound the above poster was talking about to measure what is called the nuchal sack behind the neck (thickness indicates a higher risk for downs, supposively, and it also tests for spina bifida and one other thing I cant remember which is pretty fatal to the child) then they do another blood test between week 15-18. I forget what it is called but its pretty new. It has a lower percentage of a false positive than the triple screen. I felt like I was scared into doing it but I decided to finish it out and NOT have the amnio. They said since I was "of advanced maternal age" (Im 34) that I should have it done. If I had it to do over I wouldnt have done it but like I said, Ill finish it but thats it. I hope this helps, these tests are scary, they do prepare you if thats something you want, but on the other hand they can cause a lot of stress in some situations that is not productive to you or your child.  

[marra]

hi , i got a false + on my first child and refused amnio because id keep it whatever then at 20 weeks i was told he had a heart problem , was born at 35 weeks complealy normal with no heart problem !
2nd time i did not bother with the test !!!
good luck x x x

[mandie23]

yeah u know what? i would not even bother to worry. those particular tests are so uncalled for. because if someone's child IS high risk of that, what do the dr's think theyre gonna do about it?? ((nothing)) im tellin ya, if i ever get preg again and are offered that test, ill tell em to straight up suck it. girl, thats a money issue, and u know as many unimportant tests they have, someone's bound to agree to do one. thats a way of making the mother"feel comforted" and the dr to MAKE MONEY. DONT FALL INTO THE TRAP, GIRLS!! WHAT DO YOU THINK MODERN DAY PPL DID???

as long as theres an u/s and doppler thingy, they know your baby is okay ((heartbeat,movement, etc...)) good luck honey!

[lfb]

Your due date being wrong can definitely mess up the results.  Mine came back abnormal, but my doctor noticed that when they put in my due date they reversed the numbers from August 21 to August 12.  He said they use a formula and the dates need to be exact and even a couple of days make a huge difference.  They refigured my formula and my odds went from 1:182 chance to 1:763.  I didn't even end up being referred to a peri or anything because the abnormal result was all because of the wrong due date.  So, if I were you, I would ask to have a repeat.  I also researched the internet and found out that if the fetus is younger than thought the level of protein that they are looking at will be lower than expected.  This is what indicates an increase risk of Down Syndrome.  

[5preg2B]

1/3 of them are wrong..  thats why I opted not to have one..   god will give you whatever he feels you can handle//  godbless

[Kimbr7]

Hey sweeting, try not to worry to much.  The same thing happend to me.  I went and had a 4-D sonogram to have the specialist check things out and everything turned out fine for me.  I have a beautiful DD who is just perfect.  Actually she is way ahead of schedule for development.  The specialist told met that out of all the people he sees who come in for a high risk of Down Syndrome only a hand full of people actually have children with DS.  He even mentioned that some people's who triple marker test come back fine, still havea  chance.  You just never know until you deliever.  

You can get an amnio done, but the doc told me that if I am for sure I am going to keep the baby no matter what the results (which I was) then not to risk the amnio because of the high risk of miscarriage.  

I hope my story helps!

[Hulahut]

Hi!  I did the test, too, at 15.5wks, but my Dr. called it a Quad Screen test - assuring me that the triple screen test has to be done much earlier on - like in the 11th week.  The Quad Screen measures four things (go figure!).  Anyway, I hear the quad is even a little less accurate, which makes no sense to me.  Anyway, one of the big things is that date does matter, and false positives are pretty normal.  Someone did say that amnio has a high risk of miscarriage - that is not true, accdg to everything I read and have gotten updated info on.  There is a 1 in 1200 chance of miscarriage (everything you see on the net says 1 in 300 to 400, BUT there was a new study out in November changing those antiquated statistics).  You do need to determine though if that's your route.  It wasn't for me, especially knowing about the level 2 u/s.  For some, any risk is too much, and it was for me.  Good luck and best wishes for a healthy happy rest of your pg and baby!

[2ndBaby]

at 15-16 weeks it is too late for accurate results with the first trimester screen (nuchal translucency measurement and blood tests).  But the BIG u/s at 20-21 weeks can still be done by a perinatologist for measurements that may or may not indicate abnormalities with baby's development.  

I, too, will be 34 when baby is born.  My first trimester screen indicates a higher risk of Down's.  I'm scheduled for another u/s with the perinatologist on May 21.  I've known about this since the end of March and have been tearing my hair out with worry!  99.6% chance that baby is just fine and all I can think about are the 'what ifs'.

It it weren't for my husband pushing for tests, I would say no to everything!  I had the AFP blood work done last week, but told my doctor to not even call me if they indicated a higher presence of spina bifida.  I'm sure she thought I was joking, but I don't want to worry any more!