Did anyone else not do the n/ t scan?

jkm123 · February 2012

We have decided not to have this done. Mainly because our Dr. Says if something were abnormal, there really isn't anything you can do to fix it. What are your thoughts on the matter?

ELF4321 · February 2012

I'm a need-to-know person -- Although I know some people prefer to NOT know things, I honestly don't understand that. I want time to research and plan if something is wrong. I would go crazy wondering otherwise and would never forgive myself if something turned out to be wrong and I didn't take advantage of the opportunity to find out early enough to plan for it and find support to help deal with it.

A few other points:

1. the NT screening is much more accurate than the 2nd tri bloodwork for predicting risk of down's and trisomy (95% accuracy v. 80-85% accuracy for the 2nd tri screening). In the vast majority of cases, it will give you better odds than you get just based on your age. For example, based on my age (37) alone, my odds for Down's were like 1:250-300. After the NT scan/bw results, my odds are now 1:3200. So for most people, it will actually tell you that you have less to worry about, not more.

2. the NT screening also does more than just look for Down's and Trisomy -- it is also an early screening for possible heart, spine, and brain issues --- According to the research I found, it can detect up to 50% of congenital heart defects and up to 75% of some neural tube defects. Many of these issues can be dealt with if they are caught early and you get appropriate specialist prenatal care and make arrangements to deliver at a hospital with the resources to deal with them. I couldn't pass up on a chance (even 50% chance) of finding something like that sooner, rather than later.

mandalinn25 · February 2012

We did it for a few reasons. First I am AMA and at a higher risk for defects. Secondly, I want to be prepared for any health issues, especially major ones. That way I can choose to have the necessary specialists in the delivery room, etc. And there are issues that can be found and fixed. Amnioctic Band Sydrome is one of them. And finally, while some wont agree with me, if my child had major issues, we would've done an amnio (which are completely accurate) and if they were incompatible with life, we would've terminated.

Good luck in your decision.

drubie · February 2012

mandalinn25:
And finally, while some wont agree with me, if my child had major issues, we would've done an amnio (which are completely accurate) and if they were incompatible with life, we would've terminated.

This.

Plus, I'm a planner, and I'll appreciate knowing all of this earlier, rather than later. I also liked the reminder that some of these defects can be planned around in terms of hospitals and MFM docs.

Crispity · February 2012

I chose not to. Something that I have learned about myself through this process is that having less information about things I can't control is better for me emotionally. For example, for this successful IVF, my new clinic never told me how many follies I had, and didn't give me any information on my embryos until the day of transfer (aside from telling me how many fertilized). They would have told me if I asked, but I was SO much calmer not having that information to obsess over, as I had during my first cycle.

Some people want to have all of the information that they can get, and this is perfectly fine, but it's also ok not to want this. For me, I knew that if my results came back as higher risk than they should have, I would be completely freaked out. I would also probably feel compelled at that point to do an amnio, because I would have to know for sure, and the risk of miscarriage from amnio was not something I was willing to take.

Even if the results came back as average for my age (which is something like 1:800 for Down's), I knew it would upset me to come on here and see that other people were being given ratios that were much better for their age. For me, there was just too much of a chance that I would be freaked out over nothing, and I am already freaked out enough!

Like I said, not knowing is not for everyone. Many people want to know so that they can prepare for a child with special needs, and this is perfectly valid. My DH is a very level-headed guy who wants all of the information he can get, and if it only affected him, he would have wanted all of the available testing. However, he agreed that it was best for both of us not to do the N/T scan, because he knows me very well!

Good luck - it's not an easy decision!

jkm123 · February 2012

Thanks for all the feed back... This is definately a hard decision for us!

UMichGirl · February 2012

We didn't either. The way DH and I figured it, if our results came back anything other than perfectly ideal, I would stress about it. I absolutely did NOT want an amnio. I know it's a small risk, but there is a risk of miscarriage associated with it. I wasn't going to do anything that could potentially cause that kind of harm, and if our NT/quad screening results came back to where they'd want us to have an amnio to verify if something was wrong or not, we already knew we weren't going to do it so I'd basically live in a constant state of panic and stress for the rest of the pregnancy.

It's a personal decision though. Good luck making it! I know we went back and forth for awhile.

DrRx · February 2012

I didn't do it because I couldn't get in to see the OB before 13 weeks due to her vacation and my vacation. I figured that the 2nd tri/quad screening along with the a/s would be enough for me.

I was on the fence on it for a while, but ultimately decided that I didn't really need to have it done. However, if anything, it gives you a chance to see LO an extra time!

SLPMel · February 2012

We chose not to do it-after having a discussion with the MFM and our OB. A couple of reasons.

1) The blood work on the NT Scan is not accurate when having twins. When looking at your bloodwork, there are two babies, which then becomes more of an "average" of each one. It can lead to false results.

2) We had 2 friends and one sibling that had false "positives" in which they chose not to do any further testing. We saw how it impacted their pregnancies until they were able to do the A/S and find out everything was perfectly fine with their children. We already struggled so much with enjoying and relaxing during our pregnancy, I think this would have sent me over the edge.

3) We knew we wouldn't do any further testing, nor would we terminate. Our MFM and OB felt it was better for us, with twins, to do the A/S at the specialists office, where a highly trained tech could do the measurements and we would be able to see the MFM right away if necessary.

Please don't feel that if you choose to not do a NT Scan that you won't have access to specialist or further testing. In our case, our A/S found a SUA. The next step was to do a fetal echo at between 22-24 weeks. It would have been picked up at the NT Scan, and we would have spent the next 10-12 weeks worried about what the possible implications were before we could do whatever testing was necessary. Instead, we were able to do it 2 weeks after our A/S and to see a pediatric cardiologist at 24 weeks. This timeline was not impacted at all by our choice not to do the NT Scan.

Alliebooberz · February 2012

We didn't do it. I think the reasons for doing it and/or not doing it are incredibly personal and hard to describe to other people without risking offending people, so I'll just leave it at that. It's each parent's decision.

DeputiesWife · February 2012

I dont believe we are doing it -- my dr didnt discuss it with me and my next OB appointment isnt until the 29th, I will be 14 weeks 4 days.

Lisa07 · February 2012

DrRx:

I didn't do it because I couldn't get in to see the OB before 13 weeks due to her vacation and my vacation. I figured that the 2nd tri/quad screening along with the a/s would be enough for me.

This is pretty much what our situation was. We were on the fence and then due to scheduling conflicts it just didn't work out. I'll be getting the quad screen blood test at my appt next week and my a/s is the week after that. Those will have to be enough for me.

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Did anyone else not do the n/ t scan?

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