1 in 232 chance

RLR5819

of Downs Syndrome. That's the news I got today. Going into the MMS tests hubby and I knew there was a chance of a false positive. Wondering if anyone else has experienced this. We go Monday morning for an ultrasound. Right now I am very emotional and scared. Hubby is on his way home from MS and I can't wait for a hug!!! Lord knows I need it

 

oohgrrl11

That is exactly why I declined all of those tests. I knew it would worry me no matter what the odds came back as. I personally just didn't see the point in finding out and worrying for months. Sorry you have to go through this...

cinderellabella

Looking optimistically, that is still relatively low. I know it's scary to think that there's a risk at all, or a risk higher than you'd like. Just try to see the brighter side.

Structenggal

oohgrrl11:

That is exactly why I declined all of those tests. I knew it would worry me no matter what the odds came back as. I personally just didn't see the point in finding out and worrying for months. Sorry you have to go through this...

 Ditto this.

 But 1/232 is only something like 0.4% chance.  That's seems really low to me.  I hope everything turns out well for you.  

lionessdiane

Try not to stress, it won't do you any good! Wait and see what happens Monday! You still have good odds if the test is even correct! I thought they put the bloodwork results with the u/s results and then give you your "odds". I could be wrong but that's what my Dr. did.

jenny1980

Keep in mind that that is less than a half percent chance, so your odds of a perfectly healthy baby are over 99.5%. I'll be thinking of you and hoping you get reassuring news soon!

 

kristinem17

It always seems worse when you look at/hear the ration - percentage wise, that is .004% chance.... you can also think of it as 231 of 232 that your baby is perfectly fine  

iheartinky

I've been through hell and back with those stupid tests.  At first we had a 1 in 100 chance for SB.  Then when I had it repeated I had a 1 in 12 chance of SB.  We were very confused and extremely concerned.  I've had a total of 9 non-elective ultrasounds and two specialists at this point trying to figure out what's going on with these tests.  All they've found out is that the baby "looks great"  the spine "looks perfect" and I've spent hours away from a job that I really need to be at before maternity leave.  Our latest explanation is that I might have a "leaky placenta" that is causing the abnormal test results.  I personally feel that my baby is absolutely fine and I don't even think about those test results anymore.  I honestly wish I wouldn't have gotten them, but since I'm high-risk, my doctor recommended them and I just went along with it.  IMO, I like these tests b/c it gets you prepared if there is a major issue but in my case I feel like it's done more harm than good.  Good Luck!

TalulaSue

lionessdiane:

Try not to stress, it won't do you any good! Wait and see what happens Monday! You still have good odds if the test is even correct! I thought they put the bloodwork results with the u/s results and then give you your "odds". I could be wrong but that's what my Dr. did.

 

This.  Mine did the blood work and u/s together.   

RLR5819

Thanks Ladies for the support and advice. Trying very hard to stay positive and upbeat. I will post Monday night and let ya'll know what the US results are.

vegemom302

jenny1980:

Keep in mind that that is less than a half percent chance, so your odds of a perfectly healthy baby are over 99.5%. I'll be thinking of you and hoping you get reassuring news soon!

 

This exactly. Sending a lot of positive thoughts your way! 

ValentineNJ

Those tests are only screening tests and are not diagnostic...and therefore can cause a lot of false worry.  The sonogram should hopefully give you more peace of mind.  I'm sure your MD will discuss with you the option of the amnio, as you are at the minimum number of weeks that you can have it done. T&P to you.

mjs_pmk

We had a 1 in 249 chance after our MMS test.  After 2 ultrasounds we have a healthy baby that shows no signs of Downs.

Edited: Oh and they have now drops our chances to 1 in 800.

Goldiefrocks2

kristinem17:

It always seems worse when you look at/hear the ration - percentage wise, that is .004% chance.... you can also think of it as 231 of 232 that your baby is perfectly fine  

 Yes, you should find out the cutoff percentage for risk from your doctor. When my doctor told us about the tests he had mentioned a percentage but I forget. So if .004% is still below that cutoff, then that 1/232 should not worry you as much.

Also, how old are you? Since I'm 34 the doctor told me that I will most likely get a false positive for risk for DS because all kinds of factors like age and race are calculated in the statistical analyses to come up with that 1/232 figure. So the doctor suspected I would just be worrying myself if my fetus ended up at risk when it was just my age putting me into the risk category. He also said that if I refuse to do amniocentesis (which I do) and terminate, then what's the point of the bloodwork when I won't be able to definitively find anything out without the amnio? 

I wanted the bloodwork just to prepare ahead of time and get services lined up if there was a problem. I work with kids with disabilities so DS is not the end of the world to me compared to the myriad of other things that can go wrong with a child. But my husband didn't want to know anything and worry for 9 months if we weren't going to do amnio or consider termination if DS was the result.

squirrel

My bloodwork came back with a possibility of spina bifida with my first and Dr. said it was a false positive and our son turned out to be perfect. We didn't even do the bloodwork this time around. The opinion my dr. has is, if you find out they baby has a deformity/downs, would you terminate? The answer for our family is no, so she said she wouldn't even bother with the test. It would just make you worry. Best wishes and good luck to you. I'm sure you'll have a healthy baby.

bbowie

My friend went through this.  Her initial test came back 1 in 150.  She did the next step up ultrasound (forgot what it was called) and it rose her odds to 1 in 200.  She did the amnio and everything came back normal.  It was a tough few weeks for her.  GL!

adriennevla

I was told 1 in 180...and I'm like, positive that everything is just fine.

 So many things can alter the effectiveness of the blood screen.  My U/S is on the 17th, so I am happy that I got to get my U/S moved up, but I did freak out once I first heard about it...

I know how you feel, but just think...over 99% of the time, there's nothing wrong!  something like 1 in 20 women gets an "high risk" result and we all know that 1 in 20 is not the actual rate of Downs.

I am actually positive that my due date is a week off (since my cycles are long and they used LMP to determine my EDD), and that can mess up the results of the test.

Try  not to stress Your U/S is really soon, so that's good!

Jalynn06

I received a phone call from my Dr 2 weeks ago that we were 1/90 for Down Syndrome.  I followed up with my perinatologist, whom I already see for my Type 2 diabetes and he did a very extensive sono, taking lots of measurements.  We cleared the sono with no signs indicating any signs of Down Syndrome, so that decreased our numbers to 1/180.  My chance still remains high due to the fact I'm 32, I have type 2 diabetes and I was overweight before I got pregnant.  My husband & I did declined an Amino due to the risks associated and the fact that even if we knew for sure before she is born, it's not going to change anything.  These tests also have a very high False positive rate too as my Dr explained to us.  Keep your head up!

Angelzkisses

Your chances are extremely low.

 

Either way that baby will be wonderful, and loved.  Babies no matter what are a blessing, and sent for a reason.  I used to work with special needs children and honestly children with DS are the most loving people out there. They show a love like nothing else on this earth, and every day presents something new and wonderful for them.

 I hope your child is perfect and doesn't have DS.  Children don't need to face any more complications in this world.  

 GL hun, and I'll send you positive thoughts.

 

alatchaw

We were told the exact same thing and had to go in to see a genetics counselor, etc. the day before our wedding (they called with the odds 2 days before our wedding). We declined the amnio and have had 5 ultrasounds to take measurements, etc. and the doctors are quite confident that she does not have downs.

I didn't know anything about these tests when I initially had them done and since my "scare", a lot of people have told me about how doctors told them their baby DID have downs or a great chance of downs and their babies were perfectly healthy. I know until you hear a doctor tell you that you are in the clear you will worry (I know I did), but just take into account that these false positives happen a LOT. We will never be doing diagnostic testing again. Good luck-- I'll be thinking of you!