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Positive Quad Test

CarolinaGirlSp8CarolinaGirlSp8
in Pregnant after 35
Heard from the Dr that results came back positive for Downs. The chances are 1:253. I understand that's around 0.4% chance, but I'm still very nervous. I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder anyway so that 0.4% is freaking me out. I need to hear positive stories. Help!
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Re: Positive Quad Test

  • technigirltechnigirl

    I know that's tough to hear but honestly it's still a very, very small chance.  I was 35-36 when I was pregnant with DD, and my result came back to 1 in 350, so I barely passed (and DD is totally normal!).  A lot of that number also has to do with your age - that's one of the reasons I skipped it this time.  At 38, I figured I wouldn't get good results just because of that.  The other reason I skipped it was because I decided to do the MaterniT21 test instead, which is much more accurate.  Maybe you could do MaterniT21 (or one of its competitors like Harmony) and get a more definitive result without having to do an amnio?

      

    Me - 38 DH - 38 DD - 2 pregnancy
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  • danuli8danuli8 member
    The quad screen is really not very accurate. I would recommend getting a MaterniT21 test (just a blood draw, it's totally non-invasive) for your peace of mind. It is 99.7% accurate and gives you a yes/no result, not these stupid odds things. I got a 1:474 from my first-tri screen, which is great for my age, but followed up with the MT21 anyway. It came back negative.
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  • danieleandwaynedanieleandwayne member

    imagedanuli8:
    The quad screen is really not very accurate. I would recommend getting a MaterniT21 test (just a blood draw, it's totally non-invasive) for your peace of mind. It is 99.7% accurate and gives you a yes/no result, not these stupid odds things. I got a 1:474 from my first-tri screen, which is great for my age, but followed up with the MT21 anyway. It came back negative.

    This! At 38, I had a "whopping" (yes, that's sarcasm) increased chance of Downs that was still less than 2% and barely more than a 25 year old's chance. The MaterniT21 test is so accurate because it uses your baby's own DNA. The quad screen is so outdated and inaccurate, that I'm surprised they bother to run it anymore (maybe that's why my insurance company doesn't even cover it?)...

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  • Haribo1Haribo1
    I know it's hard not to worry.  I was given a 1:4 chance for Down's, and a 10% chance for a normal baby based on NT testing and labs.  I had CVS and fortunately all genetic testing was negative for all trisomies =)  All the best to you!
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  • lilblt19lilblt19 member
    Similar to a lot of the other ladies, I would recommend the MaterniT21.  I had a 1:8 chance for having a child with Down's after my first tri screening but my MaterniT21 came back negative.  Peace of mind is a wonderful thing! Good luck to you!
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  • lalamakitalalamakita member

    I agree with the materniT21 or harmony blood test.  We had a positive quad screen at 1:103 chance, and were really freaked out.  I wish I'd known how unreliable it is.  I would have skipped it.  

    I got the harmony blood draw yesterday and are awaiting the results.  But the u/s they did yesterday didn't show any problems that might be found physically.  

     Good luck! 

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  • msualum96msualum96 member

    They consider 1:253 positive?  Wow...my quad screen results were 1:69 for my son.  I decided to do the amnio (MaterniT21, etc weren't available) because I'm a "need to know" person, and everything was fine!  For DD, I had the sequential screen done, and the ratio was 1:1700 so I deferred any further testing, but I did consider the MaterniT21 since it's non-invasive... I guess it depends on your level of comfort with that ratio.  As PPs said, there's a huge false positive rate on these tests. If it will stress you out for the rest of your pregnancy, then I'd suggest getting the blood test (MaterniT21, Harmony, Verify, whatever) just to ease your mind.  Whatever you decide, good luck!  And H & H 9 months to you!

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  • AliSarahAliSarah

    On the opposite side of the "that test is not very accurate" argument. I have a cousin who was 26 at the time of her pregnancy who was negative on every test for anything wrong with the baby, and her son was born with Down Syndrome. He is the sweetest, most adorable young man you'd ever meet. He'll be 3 soon, and has needed 1 surgery within the first 2 weeks of his life, but is otherwise an incredibly healthy and normal (with only a speech delay) sign language speaking young boy.

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