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Babies: 0 - 3 Months
hightidebride
member
bad first tri screening results...looking for experiences
hightidebride
member
Hi girls,
I am 13 weeks and the doctor just called with the results of my first rimester screening tests. The ultrasound looked good and the fluid on the spine was in the normal range. She just said the the blood test came back with a few numbers very low. Some level of proteins or something were much lower than the normal range. She said it could be indicitive of any number of things including something wrong with the placenta and blood flow. She said the next step is a level 2 ultrasound and more bloodwork. She said they can't do anything before 18 weeks because they wouldn't be able to see enough on the ultrasound before that to get answers. It is going to kill me to wait 5 weeks for answers. Did anyone else have 12 week blood work come back with some low numbers? What ended up coming of it? Thanks!
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Re: bad first tri screening results...looking for experiences
I opted not to do the blood work because it is only a screening it does not tell whether there is actually something wrong. I am a nurse so my OB was just straight forward with me and told me that there is ALOT of false results with these tests, meaning that it the numbers would come back either high or low but nothing in the end would be wrong. HTH!
I actually declined first trimester screening, but when I went to a perinatalogist for a consult about something unrelated, they did the nuchal translucency without saying anything to me about it first, and it of course came back abnormal (2.7mm). The doctor was a total ass about it, was acted like he was just totally certain that something was wrong with my baby, and eventually talked me into the bloodwork which of course also came back abnormal. My PAPP-A (the protein you're referring to) was normal, but my hcg was really high. The screening changed my risk for DS from about 1 in 1200 for my age to 1 in 59. I had already had two miscarriages and wasn't about to consent to an amnio just for the sake of knowing sooner rather than later, so we waited it out. I did have two level 2 ultrasounds and a fetal echo, and waiting for them was absolutely excruciating. They found no markers, which did reduce our risk a little, but we had to wait for the birth to find out for sure. DD does not have DS or a heart defect and she is totally awesome, and I would really like to go smack that doctor in the face.
I am so sorry you're going through this. I know how hard it is to wait for more information. It's easier said than done, and I was really bad at this, but just try and remember that the test is just a screening - it doesn't diagnose anything and the majority of people that get abnormal results go on to have normal, healthy babies.
To say that they cannot see markers until 18 weeks is NOT correct. I don't mean to scare you, but I will give you a few facts about my experience. I was carrying twins, and one came back high risk after the NT scan. Blood work was fine, but one measurement was over 5 on the u/s (1 in 44 risk). Since I was carrying twins, a CVS was not possible. You should be able to do that now if you are concerned, and it will give you more accurate results. I had to wait for my next ultrasound instead. It was agony waiting four weeks. Plus my house was hit by a tornado during that time! Our 16 week u/s showed MANY markers for T-13 on twin B. If you think it, he had it. They were very easy to see (once the MFM pointed them out), but I still opted for the amnio. The results confirmed T-13 for twin B. Twin A was healthy.
My advice is if you are worried, look into a CVS. From what I read during our waiting period until the level 2 ultasound, doctors consider the actual measurement more of a concern over the bloodwork. I know it is hard, trust me, I know. Feel free to message me if you have any questions.