NT scan- to do or not to do???

babyluvin

With my previous PG we never had the NT scan done. Primarily b/c I figured if there was something wrong we wouldn't terminate anyways so why do it.  My Dr is great but not very helpful on this matter, she's pretty much like it's up to you, it's not diagnostic- just screening- could give you false neg, etc.  If any of you ARE having the NT scan done, why, is it more important if you are older, etc???

TIA

BlairWaldorf

We are having it done because we've lost a baby due to a severe chromosomal abnormality.

WhitterC

I'm not doing it. But I also wouldn't terminate if there was an issue.

It also depends on if you have a family history of the issues they are scanning for.

For me, it wasn't worth the stress of a false result or just the worry in general.

sandollar

I had decided not to do it because of the extra stress, I have no risk factors, etc. Then my girlfriend convinced me to do it just to be prepared in case there is a problem at birth.. and to get an extra US. I am not too helpful.?

MrsBro6116

We're doing the AFP test. It's a little less invasive but has less of an accuracy rate than the NT scan. I think the afp lowers to 80% accuracy (please don't quote me). It's up to you.

We picked that because it was the least invasive... 

BlueMoonBeauty

i'm not sure. My mom had a screening done in her first tri, and was told that my sister would be born with Down's. Her doctor told her to terminate the pregnancy. She didn't, and my sister was born perfectly healthy, and without Down's.

staycee

I'm 37 and wasn't sure if I wanted it.   My doc told me that if I wasn't planning on going on to CVS or amnio (depending on the results), then it really was unnecessary.

I skipped the NT, but did the quad screen at 16w.

jjwheat1007

We had it done and it was just a huge relief to see that the baby was in there wiggling away and being a baby.  We haven't gotten all the test results back yet (I'm thinking Friday) but the NT measurment was right where it should have been and that was a good feeling. 

I've been feeling pretty okay these past few weeks as well so of course, I got the whole, "Is there really a baby in there? Am I still pregnant?" feelings... I'm so glad we went and I got to see it again.

If anything, it's a peace of mind that the baby is still doing well.

MrsACT1

since my SIL has spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) we had the screening done with our first pregnacy....the screening notified us of a very severe heart problem that made the pregnancy no longer viable.  We are having the screening done this time just for piece of mind, but the chance of it happening again are rare.  My OB left the choice up to me and I just needed to get past this and know for my own sake.  Since we both had genetic testing and DH is not a carrier for SMA and neither am I we don't have to do the screening this time if we didn't want to....the choice is really up to you.

Temp308688937504427

We are not taking the test mainly because of the false positives

KellyOct15

We are going to have it done this time, just because it's an extra picture of the baby. ?My new OB automatically does it so I'm going to roll with the punches and go for it. ?I also wouldn't terminate the pregnancy, and the ratio of false positives kind of scares me, but my genetics say that it shouldn't be a problem anyway.

Lizard2022

We decided not to have the NT scan.  We are on the young side and don't have any risk factors.  I don't want the risk of getting a "false positive" or high ratio of chance and freak out.  Also, even though it is covered by my insurance, the way my coverage works is we have to pay a percentage of costs after we pay the deductible up to a certain amount. 

babyluvin

Thanks ladies for all the replies!!  It would be nice to get another U/S!  Neither of us have any genetic issues in the family, so maybe a false + would just make us stress...it's alot to think about!  THanks again!!

At1stsight

We were going to do it just to know and prepare if there were any potential problems (termination was never an option), but my insurance doesn't cover it and it costs about $350 so we opted out. Apparently our OB does a quick and simple u/s at practically every appt which doesn't get billed to insurance since it's considered a routine medical procedure and uses different equipment from the big u/s's (dating and sex identification), so we don't really feel like we're missing out. Plus, we don't have any risk factors, so we're not bothered. If I was over 30 something and insurance didn't cover, we'd probably pay out of pocket for it.

BeckyB23

I'm not 100% sure, but I believe the NT test only requires an ultra sound and some blood work.  Not invasive at all - unless you consider getting your blood drawin invasive. 

kiki4

I'm not sure how the NT scan gives you a false positive, since the u/s combined with your blood work tells you what your odds are.  I'm 38, so we plan on using the scan to decide whether or not to do the amnio. 

marciana

I'll turn 36 this week and just scheduled the sequential screening. I wouldn't terminate, but I want to be armed with as much info as possible in the event that something is wrong.

soontobeahigh

BlairWaldorf:

We are having it done because we've lost a baby due to a severe chromosomal abnormality.

 

Ditto. I didn't have it with my last pregnancy after my loss, in fact my dr. has never recommended it with any of my pregnancies. But today I met a new dr. and she said I should go for it b/c of our previous loss. I am having it done in 4 weeks when I will be 12 weeks. Im not sure what we would do if something was wrong, but since we have had issues before, it won't hurt to know.