October 2018 Moms

Genetic Testing

hi all !

 I am 7w with baby no 2. My first is 19 months old and doing great. I’m slightly interested in doing the genetic testing this time around. More so because I’m not patient and would love to know babies doing well and the sex at 12 weeks. I’m not high risk, so this test wouldn’t be covered by insurance. When I called the company that does the test, they said based on my Insurance it would be $800 out of pocket.  Way more then I am willing to spend. 

My friends who who have had it said it’s been around $250 out of pocket. Am I missing something ? 
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Re: Genetic Testing

  • I did it with my first pregnancy, and originally I was told it wasn’t covered by insurance (and got a bill for like $8000 in the mail) so I called the number of the company, which my dr had given me when we did the test because they said if I get a bill, to call and they’d reduce it to like $100 out of pocket.  After I called them, apparently it somehow got resubmitted to insurance and they paid the whole thing, so I didn’t even have to pay the $100. Not sure what happened there, but I didn’t ask questions. 

    This time, I’m on different insurance so I’m not sure what my coverage will be, but I’m 99% sure I will most likely do the testing again. They usually guarantee a low out of pocket if it’s not covered, but we’ll see what happens this time. 
  • I want to say we paid $300 for both of us to do it. We have really good insurance. 
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  • I had a very similar experience to @pumpkinpancake

    My Dr told me to tell them I couldn't afford the bill and they reduced it to $100.  It worked

     

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  • KFrobKFrob member
    edited February 2018
    I don’t have personal experience but a coworker friend who’s due at the end of June did it.  The company  she used gave her two costs to compare. With her insurance coverage it was around $300.  Without any insurance coverage it was around $100.  So she ended up paying more since our insurance covered it.   Seems so backward but they discount it a ton. 

    Edit autocorrect 
  • KFrob said:
    I don’t have personal experience but a coworker friend who’s due at the end of June did it.  The company  she used gave her two costs to compare. With her insurance coverage it was around $300.  Without any insurance coverage it was around $100.  So she ended up paying more since our insurance covered it.   Seems so backward but they discount it a ton. 

    Edit autocorrect 

    Most likely because it went toward their overall deductible/out of pocket if they did the cost from insurance.

    I'm curious to find out what I can get my coverage to cover.
  • I recently heard about testing to find out the gender that you can do online. It said it's 99% accurate it's just finger stick at home. Any one have any experience with this?
  • @nayyohme if you're referring to the Sneak Peek test, I would avoid it. They are dealing with a class action lawsuit right now because there have been multiple women who relied on their 99% accuracy claim, and gave birth to a baby of the opposite sex. Save your money and wait for the anatomy scan.
  • nugget2ehfnugget2ehf member
    edited March 2018
    I'm bringing this up again, because my doctor at my appointment yesterday asked if we were considering it and can do it at my next appointment. She also said that usually they will bill and then call you and reduce it to around $100. We haven't decided yet.

    Curious who else is considering it (especially if you're not high risk and it's optional)?

    Editted: just realized I could also ask this in the Questions thread, but it was already a thread so I didn't think about it. Whoopsies.

  • @hannaht8516 I still can’t decide if I’m going to do it. I have zero risk factor and I didn’t with my first. I think I’ll just wait till my 20 US ??? 
  • There is also a discussion about this going on in the March AMA thread- but the risk profile is a bit different for that group. 
  • @hannaht8516 We skipped the first time around. We had zero risk factors. Will most likely skip again unless OB finds any new risk factors. The false positive rate is very high, so I felt like I didn’t have much to gain from it. Just the possibility of worry. We did do the quad screening later on though. 
  • We decided today we are doing it. My OB has me seeing a fetal medicine Dr about staying on my antidepressants. They want me in ASAP, but the soonest they can get me in is 10.5weeks along. Since it's too early for the first trimester scan, the nurse recommended the genetic test instead of coming back in two weeks.

    We are going through Sequenom and getting the Maternity 21 test. Sequenom estimated our out of pocket to be zero. So I'll get it done on the 21st of this month. I should know the results when I see my OB on the 28th!
  • @sammierose464 why does your OB want you seeing a fetal medicine doctor about staying on your antidepressant? 
  • I think it's just to be safe. The Dr he's sending me to is the one who will do all of my ultrasounds. He said that since this Dr has more of the research and is aware of the current studies more, he wants his opinion. He didnt tell me to stop them and didn't seem overly concerned, but wanted to be cautious.
  • @sammierose464 I got you! I was just curious because I find the whole issue to be confusing. My psychiatrist seemed very unhappy with my choice to stay on Zoloft and my OB office was like it’s totally fine. 
  • My PCP was very okay with it, my OB just doesn't seem to know enough about it. I'm very adamant about being on something, and I know SSRIs are relatively safe. I told him I'd cut the dose or try something else, but I'm not stopping.
  • I’m on the same page. I’ve been doing well mentally for month than a month the first time in several years and I want to to stay that way through my pregnancy.
  • I figure, I've been on these exact meds for about 7 years, this dosage for at least 2. It's nothing new to my body. And the small risk to my baby is worth it for me to be in a good place mentally through the pregnancy.
  • We are low risk and will do the test. We like to be armed with all of the information as quickly as possible. DH is already dying to know the sex of the baby. He can’t wait for exciting news. I always get birthday presents on the day he buys them because he just can’t wait  :D
  • I've scheduled a nuchal translucency ultrasound and blood test for genetic testing, but it doesn't tell the sex of the baby. During my last pregnancy, they found some markers during my anatomy scan and I wished I had done the genetic testing earlier on in my pregnancy so I could be prepared. 
  • DunkinDecafDunkinDecaf member
    edited March 2018
    We will do the genetic testing. I have a cousin who was born with Down’s syndrome, and was not diagnosed until birth even though my aunt had an NT scan and an anatomy scan. If we’re dealing with genetic abnormalities I want to know ahead of time. Haven’t decided if I’m going to have them tell me the sex with the genetic testing results or wait for the anatomy scan though. With DD1 we found out at the anatomy scan, and with DD2 it was a phone call from the genetic counselor. It was so much more special to find out together at the anatomy scan, but I’m ridiculously impatient so we’ll see if I can wait.

    eta: for us the genetic testing option is the maternit21 
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  • I’m doing the testing- but what testing, I don’t know yet (NIPT, CVS, NT U/S?).  I have an appointment with the genetics counselor for a week from today.  I’m 38, so my risk of having a baby with Down’s Syndrome is significantly higher. Honestly, of all the things about pregnancy, this is what worries me most.  
  • I want all of the testing. All of it. 
  • I would like to do genetic testing this time around. I used to think “I am going to keep him/her no matter what so there is no point” but now since my last bmb I know that it’s more than that. It’s about being as prepared as possible and maybe even changing to a specialist in another area/hospital if needed. I just don’t know which test. I am leaning toward a blood test of some sort but I don’t know what my Dr does or what my insurance covers! It will take some research on my end that’s for sure.
  • sammierose464sammierose464 member
    edited March 2018
    @DunkinDecaf - we are doing the same test. Thankfully it's done at a different dr than my OB, and I see my OB the week after the testing. We are going to have him tell us then since my hubby can come with me to that one.

    @ninji15 - we are doing Maternity21 from Sequenom. They help if it's not covered by insurance. They are who our dr referred us to.
  • We reviewed genetic testing at our appointment today.  I am leaning towards the dna blood test since my OB said it was more accurate.  I have Kaiser so I don't know which brand test they use. She just called it the serum DNA test.  She did not mention coverage so I have to find out about that.  DH was on the fence about genetic testing but since discussing this morning he is more on board.  With DD we did not do any testing but this time around I want all the testing and all the info.
  • My DF really wants to do all the genetic testing available to us, not because we have any risk factors but because he's paranoid. I'm on the fence. I have no risk factors or family history and I don't think any other testing would be necessary aside from the NT and anatomy scans. I'm sure we'll discuss it at my first prenatal appointment, though, and I'm leaving the option open for DF. 
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  • ninji15 said:
    I would like to do genetic testing this time around. I used to think “I am going to keep him/her no matter what so there is no point” but now since my last bmb I know that it’s more than that. It’s about being as prepared as possible and maybe even changing to a specialist in another area/hospital if needed. I just don’t know which test. I am leaning toward a blood test of some sort but I don’t know what my Dr does or what my insurance covers! It will take some research on my end that’s for sure.
    I think that's a really important point. It's not just about whether you would keep the baby or not, but being as prepared as possible for the birth and care afterwards. 
  • We are undecided... and need to decide before my appointment on Friday!

  • Doing all the testing. I just did carrier screening last week and I’m waiting for the results. 

    Genetic testing for the baby is happening at 10 weeks. Apparently they can do it by just pricking my finger?  H’s parents are from another country so we can’t get a lot of information on his family history.  We opted to test so we can be as informed and prepared as possible before baby arrives.  NT u/s in April at 12 weeks.  And then I will feel a little more relaxed!
  • Thanks for all the comments. I decided to go ahead and do the testing as well. Excited to ge the results in a few weeks !
  • I didn't know they'd lower the cost to $100, that may be worth considering if that truly applies to everyone. It's standard to do certain genetic tests at my OB. So we do the blood work and u/s at 12 weeks and then another scan at 16 weeks (I believe this may be the nuchal exam? I know they measure the nose and spine) but tbh I agree with @ninji15 . When you factor in the changes in our overall environment, the food we eat, the things we expose ourselves to we can't properly determine our risks solely from hereditary genetics (this is obviously overarching, there are certainly abnormalities that are passed down but we're casting a wide net here)
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  • Hi, everyone!

    I'm mostly interested in how to interpret the NIPT results. Does anyone have experience with this?

    I'm still trying to decide if we want to get the NIPT or not, and we're mostly on the fence because of how the results are interpreted. 

    Please help!
  • @stithof the company we are using, Sequenom has a genetic counselor to review results if you need it.
  • rc-colarc-cola member
    edited March 2018
    Deleted post
  • @knottieamusements Thank you for sharing! That's reassuring. Will you keep us updated on the results and how they're interpreted? That's what I'm most curious about in deciding whether to go through with it or not.
  • @knottieamusements it's great that the counselor was able to give you so much insight! Please share more as you find more out and are comfortable.
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