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Pregnant after 35
Debating about NT scan - who didn't get one?
Hi ladies -
So I have my first ob appt. tomorrow and will need to tell them if I'm getting the NT scan. I'm debating - it wasn't widely available when my son was born, and I declined other screening. Termination would never be a consideration for us, but I'm trying to decide how important knowing one way or the other is either. The only thing that's changed since my last pregnancy is my AMA status, which I know elevates my risk somewhat.
Part of me thinks it would be cool to get the NT scan, but doesn't think that's a good reason. And once I get on the testing train it could be hard to get off. But can't pin down if I "need" to know about genetic abnormalities or not.
So - if you didn't do one, what was your deciding factor? I'm obviously waffling. Thanks!
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Re: Debating about NT scan - who didn't get one?
I didn't get one. Our decision was really based on how easily we got pregnant compared to how difficult it was to get pregnant during my first marriage - which was years ago. I'm 10 years older than I was with my last child and got pregnant the month after we got married this time. No rounds of clomid or IUI's were needed. It may not make sense to anyone but us, but we considered this pregnancy a "miracle" and decided to just take everything as it comes.
We've never doubted our decision either.
It definitely is a personal decision though and I am glad the testing is available for people who want it.
We didn't get one. My deciding factor was I didn't want to unnecessarily worry the rest of my PG if the odds weren't optimum. I just think some things are out of our control. It is a very personal choice though. We had our level 2 u/s and everything was perfect.
Good luck with whatever you decide!
Lots of questions about NT Scans on here... scroll down for more about them in the last week or so.
I'd go ahead and have it.... it's worth it to see the baby if nothing else. But it can open up even more questions that don't have answers.
Just remember, it's in no way diagnostic and can give you a false sense of security or concern. It's merely a marker or guideline that "could" mean something "might" be a problem. Is your U/S Tech experienced at doing them?
My NT Scan was great, but the first tri blood indicated 1:5 for Downs. So what do you believe--- bloodwork or a measurement? Take it with a grain of salt. Since then, we've had no idication of DS, but it's still out there as a possibility.
My thinking was along these lines. While I would have liked to have seen the baby, I am the kind of person who is prone to over-analyze and worry unnecessarily. We also would not terminate, so I felt the "risk" of potential risk/worry outweighed the benefit of seeing the baby. The way I see it: pregnancy is filled with a lot of uncertainty and things beyond our control.
Thanks ladies - I appreciate your input.
Also just realized my appt. is actually NEXT week - arg. Pregnancy brain is a real thing!
both posts = exact same here
I guess I am in the minority here, but I really felt I needed to know. Unfortunately our results were not what we would have hoped, and we decided to have the amnio for conclusive results. We knew we wouldn't terminate, so it was never about that. We have known about our son's Down syndrome for 8 weeks now, and we still have lots of time to prepare. We are already getting a great deal of support and making a lot of connections. We are also being heavily monitored by our doctors. Yes, it is stressful, and I wish things were different but now I feel like I am doing everything I can to set my child up for the best future possible.
It is definitely a personal decision, and I wish you all the best!
I'm with indianasunshine in that I was not going to do it but then decided to do it to better prepare myself (termination was never a part of the decision). We were fortunate in that our results came back really good and we decided to skip the amnio all together.
GL with whatever is decided.
click the pic (blog)
I will be 38 when baby arrives and I really struggled with this decision. At first I thought that I would of course want to have the NT scan. After a lot of thinking and discussing with our OB I ended up deciding not to have one or any of the related blood screening tests. I am the type of person who over-worries and over-analyzes everything, so I know that if we received less than favorable screening results, I would struggle terribly with worry for the rest of the pregnancy. Furthermore, having gone through extensive infertility treatments in order to achieve this pregnancy, and knowing this is probably the only pregnancy we will have, DH and I are not willing to take the costly risks associated with more definitive testing such as an amnio (we wouldn't terminate if we got bad news at an amnio anyway). So, we decided that it would be a bad idea for us to do the screenings, and possibly end up with unfavorable results, only to decline the amnio and to then struggle with worry for the rest of the pregnancy.
Having said all that, this decision is very personal and is really up to each couple. We all have our own circumstances and factors to consider in making this decision. While we decided against it, we also know that there are many, many good reasons to go forward with it. I think what's most important is to consider the pro's and con's for your unique situation, and go with what is most comfortable for you
Best of luck with your decision!