Low Papp-a protein and hcg levels

jbyles

I just received the results of my NT test. Everything on the scan was normal but my Papp-a protein and hcg levels are low. They aren't worried about chromosomal abnormalities but said I will need consistent growth screening in my third trimester. Anyone have experience with this? I am 13 weeks and read some pretty scary articles so I am freaking out. Thanks for any help!

peppercorn16

I found this out at 13 weeks as well! My HCG was less than half of what it should have been, and the PAPP-A was also extremely low. This indicated a higher risk for Trisomy 18 and 13, but thankfully they ruled it out, as they did with you! That is the good news! I was told that even though that was ruled out, it could indicate improper implantation of the placenta, and that (like you) baby's growth would just need to be monitored closely. I am already at an increased risk for IUGR due to a pre-existing condition, so that was nothing new to me! I am 27 weeks along now and baby is having no growth issues, blood flow in/to the placenta looks normal, and there is no signs of anything going awry at this point. I am getting growth scans on baby every 4 weeks for the duration, though, so I am confident that they will catch it if anything starts to get out of whack. I suggest not reading any more articles, because everyone's experiences are SO varied across the board! It sounds like your doc has a game plan, and they want a good outcome for you and baby!

cloverp

I had this with my 2nd baby. It never caused any issues for me or IUGR (in fact my son was born on the large size). I did develop pre-eclampsia late in the pregnancy and delivered at 37 weeks but it's not clear that the pre-e was related to low Papp-a. You will likely get increased monitoring via growth ultrasounds starting around 26 weeks and I had weekly non-stress tests starting at 34 weeks. I know everybody is different but I am at least one example of someone who had this result and it never caused a problem.

Good luck with your pregnancy and best wishes!