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February 2011 Moms
Mrs.Jocelyn2007
member
Are you getting the triple screen test? Unsure...
Mrs.Jocelyn2007
member
I'm unsure, and leaning towards not getting the triple screen test (for Down, trisomy 18, and NTD).
My problems with the test are -- first, I'm not in a "recommended" group for increased risk (I'm under 35 years old, no family history, no diabetes, etc.), and second, I really don't like how the test returns a high percentage of false positives -- I've read between 5-10%. (It also misses between 15-20% of actual cases, which is a different problem.)
I feel like I am not at increased risk for these disorders, and so why should I take this test -- imagine if it comes back falsely positive and then we stress out, go in for amnio (which carries a 1/200 chance of miscarriage), all for no reason. During my ultrasounds (12 and 13 weeks), the nuchal fold and nasal bones were assessed by the eye and found to be in normal range. So right now I am leaning against this test.
I want your opinions. Are you getting the triple screen test? Why or why not?
Love one another, but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. - Kahlil Gibran
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Are you getting the triple screen test? Unsure...
No. We passed on the NT scan so we will not have the Quad screen.
We are young with healthy personal and family histories so we, as well as my OB, feel there is no reason to do it.
And myszko, imagine if they had terminated the pregnancy! It's really the false positive aspect of this test that absolutely flips me out.
If it flips you out I would just say nay to the test. Since you said you were not in the group considered to be at a higher risk and your NT scan came back within normal range I don't see any specific reason to have it. If, in the end, you can't make a concrete decision talk to your OB and see what she/he has to recommend.
I appreciate the support, but I think it's important to hear alternative rational opinions to make sure I'm not flipping out for no reason. I don't think I'm always justified in my "flipping out"!
Sadly, over here in Doha, even though we are going to a good private hospital, you really have to come in armed with your own information so that you can have a useful discussion with your doctors. They just don't explain things the same way that they do in the US. I forgot that this test would be offered to me when I had my appointment yesterday, so when the doctor brought it up as a possibility, I didn't have concrete things to say to her like, "I am concerned about the false positives of this test, and since I'm not in a high-risk group, would still highly recommend that I get this test, or is it just something that you offer to everyone?" I did try to mention to her that I don't have any reason to expect these anomalies, but she just kept saying, "Well, this is something we recommend in the 16th week." Which is why I had to come home and do my own research to realize that this may not be something recommended for me personally. And yes, this is something I expect will continue to happen throughout the pregnancy...
No you are completely justified in being concerned over it. That is also another reason why we aren't doing any of the testing. I would stress myself out over it and, since medically there is no reason for it, I decided against putting myself through that. I am a worry wart and I have accepted this.
And I wasn't saying you shouldn't listen to other people who have different views. That was just my take on it from my experience.
It stinks you have to prepare yourself though. At least you have a place like TB where things like this are usually discussed a lot.
Good luck.
I think we are on the same page here! Just wanted to see if anyone had a specific medical reason that I was overlooking for getting the test...
Doha!
Ramadan Mubarak! Im over here in Abu Dhabi. Are you having your baby in Doha or are you going back to the US for delivery? I am seeing a doctor here but planning on going back to the US in my 30th week. i think that the most disconcerting thing is that all of the doctors here follow different "protocols". In the US, all OBGYNs are pretty much going to follow ACOG guidelines - here everyone follows different standards. my OBGN (who I like) didnt believe in prenatal vitamins - I went ahead and took the vitamins that my US OBGYN prescribed and it seems like Im always on the phone with my US doctor double checking things - its exhausting. I am also opting on the triple screen - I just dont want the extra stress and we wouldnt terminate our pregnancy even if we had bad results.
Hi Wendy! Sounds like we are having similar experiences.
For example, I asked a doctor here about taking folic acid pre-conception (there are studies that say it's good to beef up on your folic acid intake up to a year ahead of conception). She wrote me a prescription for 5 mg folic acid tablets. FIVE MGs. I looked this up when I got home and found that consensus seems to be that 5 mg of folic acid is only appropriate when there is a major risk of defects (previous experiences, family history, etc.). Otherwise, a normal, healthy woman shouldn't take more than 1 mg -- or less -- per day. This was my first clue that I was going to have to know "more" than my doctor over here.
I have a good friend back in the US whose mother-in-law is an incredible ob-gyn. So I have a source to ask questions and double check things, which is nice.
I'm planning on having our baby in Doha. We know lots of people who had great experiences in the private hospital here. For example, the "lowest" rung of birthing room gives you a private room and bathroom with space for the husband to sleep over if desired; then there's the middle tier, with a shower and some extra space; and then of course there's the multi-room "apartments" that the Qataris use. ;-) You can use the room for several days and everything is covered by insurance. Of course, the downside is having to educate myself on a lot of things that the doctors won't explain fully or don't follow Western-style procedures. I can't wait to try to explain to them that I don't want any pain medication...
And of course, Ramadan Kareem to you as well.
We are not going to have the triple screen. the doctor advised us that unless we were willing to terminate if something was wrong, then it's really a waste of time and nerves. Besides that, I'm not in the "higher risk" category anyway. DH and I figured that we have better things to worry about than that.
Whatever happens, we are already head over heels in baby love, no matter what!
BFP # 1 - 12/19/09 EDD 08/27/10 - D&C 1/26/10 @ 9w5d
BFP # 2 - 06/05/10 EDD 02/17/11, DS1 born on 2/14/11
BFP # 3 - 04/10/13 EDD 12/21/13 - D&C 05/15/13 @ 8w4d
BFP # 4 - 07/27/13 EDD 04/08/14 - CP 07/29/13
BFP # 5 - 09/14/13 EDD 05/28/14, DS2 born on 5/22/14
I do have risk factors and I did have the NT scan and the triple screen. My first pg, when we got the results of the NT scan and the triple screen, there was a 1 in 4 chance that there was something wrong. However, our histories and our ages did not put us in a high risk group. We did the CVS and there was a problem.The CVS is 99% accurate. I would never make a decision based solely on the results of an NT scan and bloodwork, especially without further testing. Apparently there was a 1-2% risk (as there is for all pregnancies) and we were that risk. WE ended up losing the baby, but not from the testing.
You should do what you feel is right for you, your DH and your baby.
We did because we weren't sure of D.H.'s entire family history. The way that we have approached testing is: would finding out something now help us be better prepared at birth as parents, and is there something we could better provide for our child if we knew beforehand that there was going to be any issues. If our doctor told us no, as she did with cystic fibrosis, then we did not test, but if the answer was yes, as with the triple test we did the test, so long as there is no risk to injuring the baby
We did the first step of the test, the ultrasound, and were fully prepared to have the blood test taken. Our doctor told us the ultrasound looked good. The nose bone was forming, the spine looked great, the child looked as if it was developing correctly (more to be known at 20 weeks) He asked, would you get an amnio if the blood results came back positive. He said, there is a 5% chance of a false positive. So, if it comes back positive, we could worry the entire pregnancy for nothing. He also informed us of the possible chance of miscarriage due to the amnio. I informed him that we would not due the amnio nor would we terminate. His advice to us then was to skip the blood test. Which we did.
Yes, we're getting the quad. DH is adopted, so we don't exactly know the medical history of his side. Also, we've decided that we'd want all the information available to determine whether or not to continue the pregnancy. I can't imagine we'd terminate, but we both want all options available.
Thank you all for the good advice and information!
My husband and I discussed and decided that we didn't need to do the test (since the initial ultrasounds looked good re: nasal bones and nuchal fold, and because we don't have any higher risk factors). I appreciate the help in making this decision.