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Avatar universal

Stressed & Worried - Sleepless Nights

Hi, im 18 weeks pregnant and 31 years old with my 2nd child.  I had some blood work done (penta screen) to check for any down syndrome on the baby or any thing like that...results came back normal (negative) for downs but my dr got me worried because she said that I was positive for Neural Tube Defect, meaning i was at risk for the baby having a NTD (neural tube defect) which im very scared and worried now. My question is what do they check for on a penta screen or how can they determine if your baby is at risk or not. Im scheduled for a detailed ultrasound until next month just to be on the safe side. Im praying that all goes well and that my baby is healthy. I feel perfectly fine with my pregnancy never had no symptoms of any thing what so ever nor any problems with my pregnancy at all. Just very worried and scared now...has any one ever experienced this before?
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Avatar universal
I didn't know there were symptoms for NTDs. Thought it was caused by vitamin deficiency...?

I wouldn't worry about it till you get the ultrasound...
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Avatar universal
Thank you all so much!
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Avatar universal
Thank you so much, im much reliefed now!
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287246 tn?1318570063
Try not to worry.  These tests are go-bys but have a lot of false + readings.  Good luck when you have your u/s.
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Avatar universal
The test looks for an increase for something the baby releases if they have one of the disorders. I can't remember what it's called. However, most NTD & other disorders can be screened for with ultrasound. When I took this test it came back abnormal for Trisomy 18, but they are 98% sure it was a false positive since the u/s's show no signs of the disorder. Just try to remember, this is a screening test. It doesn't mean your baby has anything wrong. Only that more testing is needed.
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4591205 tn?1410605174
i was just told my baby is at an increased risk for down syndrome
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