Bad NT test result/scared out of my mind

[bonbon69]

I am 39 (will be 40 in 2 weeks).  I am in my 12th week of pregnancy and just went this past Tues for the 1st trimester screening.  They drew blood but I won't have those results for a week.  They did the ultrasound and told me the baby's heartrate was good, its overall size put me where I should be BUT after the doctor wanted to see me in his office.  He said the measurement of fluid behind the baby's neck (nuchal translucency) was thick and with my age he felt this put me at a high risk for having a baby with a chromosomal disorder.  I was completely floored bec. I wasn't expecting to be given any results until all the pieces were in.  He wanted me to speak to a genetic counselor and tentatively schedule a CVS asap since I am into my 12th week already and the CVS should be done before 13 weeks.  I have no idea the exact measurement as I really didn't know what questions to ask.  I have been crying for 2 days now.  I have looked up so much information online but would just love to hear from someone who had thick NT but went on to have a healthy baby or at least got back CVS or Amnio results that were fine.  

[Suzan1975]

Hello BonBon...

Sorry to hear about your news..I know it must have been such a blow to hear...especially when you are there to see your baby for the first time..and then BOOM you get hit by the mack truck of all news..

I know it can be a emotional and trying time right now...But please stay positive..I dont know how many women I know that have had the same result...went for the amnio..CVS and came back fine...extra precautions..and also...have had friends that have had both tests turn out in a result of news of a downs child within them..only to find out that the baby's were in fact fine..and healthy as a button!!

So hang in there..I will say a prayer for you and your baby...and send positive thoughts your way!!

But dont jump the gun just yet...until you have had all the tests ...and information...You could turn out to be stressing all for nothing...which Im hoping is al it is in the end!

[adgal]

I had a 1:13 risk for Downs with my NT.  I don't completely agree with the others that if you are not going to terminate there is no point in doing the amnio or CVS.  I chose amnio even though I wouldn't terminate as I wanted to know for certain. I wanted to be prepared and also to not live with the worry for the rest of the pregnancy. I too was scared to death.  I also agree 100% with JourneyJo...whatever decision you make is YOUR decision and no one should pressure you either way. In my case,   it turns out my baby boy is perfectly healthy and all is well.  The NT is just a screening test, it is not diagnostic.  Make the decision to explore this further according to what works best for you and try not to worry too much. Most of these screens that come back with high risk turn out that all is just fine.  Take care and good luck to you.

[Pum]

My good friend got a 1/7 reading on her NT test (they generally report it like this, as a risk thing). Generally if the risk is higher than the risk of miscarriage they recommend further testing. Miscarriage from amnio is worst case 1/100. She had the amnio and everything was fine. She also has some heart scans done as sometimes a thick nucal fold can indicate heart problems but again everything was fine. She recently had her little one and he is perfect. Even a 1/7 means 6/7 that everything's fine. At least that's how I think it works.
I agree that you probably should know what you are going to do if the results are poor before you have the test, as you may get pressure to terminate.
I'm sorry you are being faced with this right now.

[JourneyJoJo]

I have a different opinion.  First off, if there is no way that you will terminate the pg then there's no point in doing the test.  That means that you are prepared for life with a potentially profoundly disabled child, though there is also a probability that there's nothing wrong with the baby or that it's not profoundly disabled.  The only way to know if it has a chromosomal abnormality is through CVS or amnio; neither can tell you the severity of the disorder.  The benefit of CVS is that it can be done early (12 weeks, I think) so if the results are not favorable, it's much easier to make a decision to terminate vs when the fetus is five months old (after all results from the amnio are in).  At that point, termination becomes more dangerous.  The decision to terminate is totally and completely your decision and nobody should tell you otherwise.  They are not the ones who have to live the rest of your life with whatever decision you make.  I don't envy your decision, but I can tell you that if my RE had of recommended a CVS, we were going to do it.  It's actually something we discussed when we heard we were pg and I started reading about the tests.  Hopefully your dh can help you with the decision.  Oh, and from what I have read, there is a chance of m/c, but it can be drastically reduced with the experience of the doctor performing it, just like with amnios.  Good luck in your decision.

[stillwaiting52]

I agree with the prior posts. I had a NT test and it came back that my odds for DS were even greater than they thought with my age (38 then), this scared me to death, they also recommended genetic counciling. I was so worried about my baby. I didn't want to take the amnio because that test scares me too. Anyway, to make a long story short, I did a WHOLE lot of worrying for nothing, my DS was perfect!

[BabyBlue07]

I do understand how scare you are right now... I am in high risk of Down Symdrome due to the age...  I will 39 in October and my blood work result doesn't look good... NT scan is fine... doctor want me to do Amnio and Generic Counseling... tell  you the truth... Both of them do not help you at all... If you want have a peace of mind, then you can do Amnio but Generic Counseling won't do any good and waste your time.. They have specialist talk to you about your side and husband side medical history and rule out the percentage you might have baby with down symdrome or abnormal chromosome... Waste time and money....

I personally against the Amnio.. i do not want to take a risk even though it's small risk... I will put all my faith in God's hand and pray to him to keep my baby safe and healthy...

I will keep you and  your baby in my prayer... I believe your baby will be fine.. Just that our result won't be the same as younger mother... There alot of ladies in this forum have same risks as you and me, but they still have a healthy baby... So don't worry too much will affect the development of the baby... keep your inner peace calm and happy.. Whatever happen will happen and things happen for a reason.. just take good care of yourself.. eat healthy diet, exercise when you can, and relax and stay out of stress... EVerything leave it to God... He will take care of you and your baby...

Good luck to you and hope this help....

[Courtcoop]

Hi Bonbon

I know you are freaking out right now but chill out. I cannot tell tell how many times I have read the same situations here only for the mom to have a happy and healthy baby.

Wishing you the best of luck and a lots of prayers...baby will be fine