NT scan, or not???

ABC-123

Help!  I need to decide ASAP if we are going to do the NT scan or not.  At first I wanted to do it and then changed my mind after talking with the OB and now I think that I want it again.

Basically I am concerned that the NT scan will make me worry (more than normal) throughout my pregnancy so I am trying to avoid that.  However, I think that I need to know if something is going on with my babies, plus, selfishly I think I would like to try for guesses on the sexes.  However, I doubt we would do amnios if it came down to it...  I just don't know what the right decision is.

What did you guys decide and why?  Does you mind change either way due to twins?  Oh, other info, I am currently 33 but will turn 34 prior to the babies being born.  Also, we didn't do the test for DS and I didn't regret it at all. 

RoxBride

I did it, because we are older, and because there would be certain information we could gain that would have changed our course of action - not termination, but delivering at a different hospital, etc.  To me, knowledge is power, and as a non invasive procedure, I wanted to have the most information I could.

desabean

I did it and would do it again.  Here are my thoughts (I was 36 for the NT scan, so that factored in) 1) I got to see a high resolution u/s of my baby 2) if something was wrong, I would want to know to either prepare myself mentally and have any other necessary precautions in place.

The NT scan was one of the best days of my life.  It was the day it finally sank in that I was most likely going to have a baby.  I was bawling on the table at the site of her.  So, I'm pro-NT scan for sure.

qtpa2t

We did it.  I'm older so it was covered.  My OB just automatically assumed I'd be doing it.  If I was having twins, I think I'd definitely do it.  It's non-invasive, and we needed/wanted to know if there might potentially be anything wrong, and if so if any further testing was merited.  I have a mentally handicapped brother, and so I'm really sensitive to needing to be prepared for such things.

mama_cito95

I'm 33, and wasn't too concerned.  We weren't going to terminate if anything was found wrong anyways, but I did it since it was covered.  Plus I just wanted another U/S )

JustaKidAtHeart

We did it because we wanted to see the babies again.  I didnt find out I was having twins til 11w3d.   I had to see them again.  Fastest way was NT.  But so you know the blood portion isnt accurate with twins. 

firsttogo

This is why we did not do it:

My OB stated that under 35, it is really more of a $$ maker for the Dr than anything. He offered me an extra ultrasound if that was why I would request one, but he did not see a reason to have one at my age, with our risk factors. It is an additional test, cost ect .

ladychicago

it was covered by our insurance and we wanted to have as long as possible to prepare if something was wrong with the baby.   we wanted as much information as we could get our hands on.    we would welcome a special needs child with open arms, but would want to be prepared and have as long as possible to wrap our minds around what it would mean for our family.

crystalgirl

I did it in both of my pregnancies -- the first being a twin one.  (Actually, that's when we learned of our twin loss.  I never had any cramping or bleeding, so if I hadn't, who knows when we would have realized the other twin was gone.)  Do be aware though that the b/w will be off in a twin pregnancy.  The u/s is still useful, though.  I like to have as much information as possible.  So personally, I would worry more without it.

Christakim

I'm not sure we would've gotten it done had the midwife we had at first not assumed we were getting it done.  BUT, it was the coolest thing ever.  It's finally starting to sink in that we are having two babies.  It was so awesome to see them kicking and moving around.

I, however, wouldn't do it just to see the genders because what we got today was just a guess and she wouldn't commit to anything when she told us.  Good luck with your decision, I'm sure you'll make the right one!

laura&dan05

Pisting from my phone so sorry for the giant paragraph! I got one with dd because I wanted an extra u/s and it was covered by insurance. It was a really fun u/s. When we were pg with baby #2 I told OB I wanted an NT scan and she said my age and overall health weren't risk factors and I didn't need one. I told her I selfishly wanted it for the extra u/s so we went forward with it. It turned out to be one of the worst days of my life followed by 2 weeks of he!! Until our sweet baby died. Looking back our baby was going to die no matter if we did the test or not and we would have found out about the T18 after. Looking back I wish I could have enjoyed those 2.5 weeks and not spent them with genetic counselors and doctors and tests. I wish we could have spent that time focusing on other things but instead we cried for weeks, watched our families cry, and have never felt so helpless and powerless. Terminating is not an option for us and it never was so I'm skipping the NT scan this time. If this baby is meant to be everything will work out. If there are any major problems we'll find out at outlr big u/s and I'm totally okay with our decision to skip it this time around.

juliannat

Your hesitation sounds just like mine was, except we don't want to know genders. I am 36 but my donor was 30 so chances of any issues were quite small. Ultimately we decided to do it mostly so I could confirm all was ok and see the babies again (did not do the b/w part though). I also live in Canada so our health care system covered it.

and like pp said, it did make the babies seem more "real"! 

ABC-123

My OB is going to do an u/s if we don't do the scan. I just don't know, I am so conflicted. On one hand I want to be prepared if there is something wrong with one of the babies, but I am also worried about false positives due to twins.

newsbaby

mama_cito95:

I'm 33, and wasn't too concerned.  We weren't going to terminate if anything was found wrong anyways, but I did it since it was covered.  Plus I just wanted another U/S )

Same here but I am 32. Good luck! 

ABC-123

Do you know if we will be able to see if there are any issues at the anatomy scan at 20w?

CMM05

I always do every testing......I want to know everything-the good and the bad.

And, for us, if anything came back "abnormal," we would move forward with an amnio. So, I guess I'm not helping you with your decision!

If there is nothing else you would do with abnormal results, then I guess you could skip it.

But......here is a question to think about. If something is wrong, do you want to know during the pregnancy or at birth? If you can be 100% fine knowing at birth, then I guess you can skip the NT Scan.

GL with your decision!

 

debdebtx

Delurking and I am late on this, but wanted to share.  We did the NT scan/quad screen and my bloodwork came back with an increased risk for Down Syndrome.  My level two ultrasounds were normal.  The doctor really pushed for an amnio, I went in for it and chickened out.  My risk was about 1:180 which is high for my age (IVF was on my 34th birthday), that is still less than 1% chance .  DD does not have DS and yes, I did worry until I saw her at birth.  I was not consumed by it, because we were thrilled she was our little girl regardless of the diagnosis. 

I would do the scan again, but I hope I can skip the blood work.  If I had only had the scan I would not have been placed in an increased risk pool. 

The maor benefit to me was that if they detect DS or a NTD, then you can plan to deliver at a hospital that can accomodate you.  They can detect a lot of congenital abnormalities (heart/ skeletal, brain) at the 20 week scan. 

Good luck on whatever you decide. 

klaus

I don't see any reason not to do it.  It's non-invasive - just an ultrasound and some bloodwork.  It's a great opportunity to see your babies and you could probably tell the doctor you aren't interested in the results right away.  That way you will have more time to decide if you want them.

Marc's Mrs.

RoxBride:

I did it, because we are older, and because there would be certain information we could gain that would have changed our course of action - not termination, but delivering at a different hospital, etc.  To me, knowledge is power, and as a non invasive procedure, I wanted to have the most information I could.

This was DH and I exactly.  I'm someone who likes to be prepared.  If the outcome would mean switching hospitals or a different pedi, then I wanted to know so I could be making arrangements.  If I had it to do over, I'd totally do it again.

Cajun_gal

I did and am with this baby as well.  Mainly because I wanted the extra ultrasound but I also wanted to be prepared if there were any problems. 

Just FYI though - guesses that early could very well be wrong.  Our girl at 12 weeks is definitely a boy!  

mybobble

It was recommended because of our age (36/37 at the time). So at 13w1d I went in for my scan. Pretty wild seeing how active ds was yet I couldn't feel a thing.

Because of my age and the fact that it was a MD recommended/ordered scan my insurance covered it 100% originally it was only going to be covered at 80%

 

JamaicaMon!

ABC-123:

Do you know if we will be able to see if there are any issues at the anatomy scan at 20w?

Absolutely.  They will be able to see way more at the anatomy scan.

I skipped the NT.  I was 28 at the time and had a vanishing twin in there.  I didn't want to see a false positive from the bloodwork due to the vanished twin and have to worry about that.  I also knew that I would not have done a CVS or amnio if the NT came back positive.  So I just waited until the anatomy scan to find out if there were any issues.  I'm a huge worrywart though, so that was the best option for me.