NT Scan?

sloannmark

Who didn't/isn't doing NT scan? Why not? Just debating whether we should get it done and would love feedback...

mandalinn25

I had it done. First off I am AMA, so it's recommended. I also looked at it this way. If my child is to have any issues, I want to know ASAP so I can find the right pediatrician and have specialists that might be needed in the delivery room. Knowledge is power. Good luck. 

mswood1977

I decided not to have the NT scan done even though I am AMA. The NT scan only tells you your risk, not if your LO has any genetic problems. You need to do additional testing (usually CVS or Amnio though some doctors are using a new blood test for downs) to find out if there is actually a problem or not.

I knew I would not do a CVS or Amnio no matter what the NT scan showed.   If the NT scan did show an increased risk of an issue,  I didn't want to spend my entire pregnancy worred about "what if". 

UMichGirl

We did not.

The way we looked at it, if our odds came back abnormal then I know they'd have recommended an amnio/CVS...which I was not going to do.  Although the risk is small, there IS a risk of miscarriage with those tests, and after all we'd done to get pregnant I wasn't going to self-impose a risk like that on myself and our baby no matter how slight the chance would be.  Knowing we wouldn't do invasive diagnostic testing like that, it didn't make sense for us to do the NT scan and quad screen...We'd just spend the entire rest of the pregnancy worried to death about our "odds".  I work with a woman who was flat out told her baby was going to have downs syndrome.  He's perfectly healthy.

I was bummed that we wouldn't get an ultrasound though since we were declining the NT scan.  When I told my doctor this, he got us in for a regular u/s anyway so we still got to see baby!

Good luck with your decision!

limpetfan

I'm doing it.  Part of my reason is because I want to see the baby again, but I also have a family history that makes me think it's best to screen - my dad's side has had cousins with Down's and with spina bifida.  

If I didn't have the family history, and I wasn't a nervous wreck over whether or not the baby is still OK, would I do it?  Probably not, because I'm pretty sure I will NOT do CVS or amnio if they do find something troubling.  

mdiblasi10

We did the NT scan. Like mandalinn said, we would want to be prepared if there was anything wrong. We also would have done further testing if the results came back abnormal. Good luck!

TJ1979

I did do the NT scan at the recommendation of my RE (his theory was that there's no reason not to, it's just another good look at your LO.)  But then I went to see my OB and she said that she actually recommends against it most times (unless there are certain risk factors.)  Her argument was that you need to think about what you would do with the results.  If the results came back that there is or might be something wrong with your LO, would you do further testing?  If not, there is no reason to stress yourself out further with knowing there may be issues.  If you would definitely pursue further testing, then she recommended going ahead with the NT. 

bumpuser6119831

We did the test but mostly to see the little one again since we would have gone at least 2 months before we saw it again. It was also the first time we heard the heartbeat. We were interested to see what the blood test would say but it would not have changed our minds nor would we have done further testing. Really we used as piece of mind.

ccam

I opted out of the NT scan.  Our decision was based on the fact that the NT scan is a screening, not a diagnostic tool.  Like the PPs said, if our odds were greater based on the NT scan, further invasive testing would have been recommended, which we personally would not have done.  So instead of spending the remainder of my pregnancy thinking "what if", we decided against it.  (I will admit I still have been thinking "what if", maybe not to the same extent though.)

One of our doctors said that there are 3 groups of people when making this decision - (1) people who would contemplate termination; (2) people who want as much information as possible to prepare themselves and (3) those who figure ignorance is bliss... I guess we fall in the 3rd category!

This was a huge conversation between DH and I.  It's a completely personal decision though and everyone has their own reasoning behind it.  Good luck! 

naybird

We did it because I'm AMA. I would have done further testing only if the results came back showing a risk.

I chose to do it because had there been a problem I would have wanted to prepare myself the best that I could.

ELF4321

mandalinn25:

I had it done. First off I am AMA, so it's recommended. I also looked at it this way. If my child is to have any issues, I want to know ASAP so I can find the right pediatrician and have specialists that might be needed in the delivery room. Knowledge is power. Good luck. 

This!  Even if you're not planning to do any invasive testing like CVS or amnio, the NT results are more reliable than just the standard 2nd tri bloodwork. 

mandalinn25

I just wanted to put this out there too. We have a lady on our July BMB that lost a child due to amniotic band syndrome. Her doctor told her to have the nt scan done next time she was pregnant, because it can be fixed if caught early enough in utero. So just another thing to think of. It is a very personal thing of course and there is no right answer. 

Jeepie Doll

We did not do the NT scan because we did the MaterniT21 test instead.  If this blood test was not available, I would have done the NT scan.

kobrie01

ccam:

I opted out of the NT scan.  Our decision was based on the fact that the NT scan is a screening, not a diagnostic tool.  Like the PPs said, if our odds were greater based on the NT scan, further invasive testing would have been recommended, which we personally would not have done.  So instead of spending the remainder of my pregnancy thinking "what if", we decided against it.  (I will admit I still have been thinking "what if", maybe not to the same extent though.)

This! We decided the results of the NT wouldn't change our mind about the pregnancy and we wouldn't be open to further testing like amino due to miscarriage risk (albeit small). 

cutebride73

We did the NT scan b/c I too wanted to have an idea if there was something wrong.  Expecially with having twins.  We were also considering CVS or Amnio for confirmation (no other reason) if the NT worsened my risk considerably (which was high already due to my age).  The NT scan lowered my risk to that of a 35 yo - I am almost 39 - so that was a relief to me.  Plus, it was great to see the babies looking so much bigger.