To NT or not to NT... that is the question.

Zombielove126 · August 2013

So I saw my doctor yesterday and she recommended the NT scan because of my age (I'll be 34?). So it's all set up and I was telling my mom about it and she was like, noooooo, don't do it! She said that she had a friend who had it done and they told her she was gonna have a boy with down syndrome, but she had a perfectly healthy girl! But that was like foreverrrrrr ago, so surely technology's come a long way since then right?! I just don't want them to give me wrong info and I worry about it the whole time. What do ya think?!

Melissa72777 · August 2013

The NT scan is never 100% and they will tell you that at the appointment several times before you have it done. At least they did with me. Sure there are times when doctors are wrong but the risk of false positive is very small (about 5% according to my genetic counselor). Plus if this screen comes back with abnormal results you now have the option of undergoing further blood tests like harmony or mat21 which are much more definitive. And if that result is problematic you can always opt for an amino or CVS which will tell you absolutely. Bottom line is the NT scan is not the end all be all of genetic testing and confirming your baby is healthy. Good luck with your testing!

BabiesFTW · August 2013

I'd do it. They're likely more accurate since your moms story and if something comes up there are more tests that can be done, if you choose.

PinupMomma08 · August 2013

I opted for it this time because I get a bonus U/S. Plus I had second thoughts about not doing it last time, and it was too late.

Stowne101 · August 2013

I am 37 and had it. I just wanted to be informed. My #'s came out in the 3,000-5,000 chances so I feel positive.

Zombielove126 · August 2013

Thank you ladies.

liamandlettie · August 2013

My doctor was very much against it. I pretty much just wanted another ultrasound. ..lol. anyway, we decided not to. We didn't the first time either.

mrscimer · August 2013

My doctor, after giving my husband and I a completely unbiased talk on NT scans and after we politely turned it down, told us that with her first child they elected to do the scan and they were told they were probably having a child with Downs. The positive was false and her baby was fine. Because of this experience she told us she doesn't know why anyone would get the test and have the extra stress put on themselves when only one in twenty people who get a positive actually have downs. Especially when the 20 week ultrasound can reveal with more certainty the possibility of such issues. We are happy with our choice, if we find out at the ultrasound that something is wrong we will deal with it then.

KTdid81 · August 2013

mrscimer said:

My doctor, after giving my husband and I a completely unbiased talk on NT scans and after we politely turned it down, told us that with her first child they elected to do the scan and they were told they were probably having a child with Downs. The positive was false and her baby was fine. Because of this experience she told us she doesn't know why anyone would get the test and have the extra stress put on themselves when only one in twenty people who get a positive actually have downs. Especially when the 20 week ultrasound can reveal with more certainty the possibility of such issues. We are happy with our choice, if we find out at the ultrasound that something is wrong we will deal with it then.

1. One great reason to do the scan it that - It doesn't just test for Down syndrome.

2. It only gives you ODDS of having a child with Down syndrome. So when doctors talk about false positives, it isn't entirely true. It doesn't give you a yes or no. It is just ODDS.

As @bearsbearsbears posted earlier, you really should check out this link.

https://forums.thebump.com/discussion/12043752/a-request-about-nt-scan-discussions-maybe-controversial#latest

avigailandcharlie · August 2013

They would never tell you a child has downs syndrome at an NT scan. It gives you the risk of it. If you have an elevated risk of down syndrome, you either get further testing, or don't. An elevated risk can mean 10%. That's still very low. Your mom's friend is not telling an accurate story. Get the scan, its great for a lot of other things as PP's have mentioned.

troublejessy · August 2013

We just had ours and I'd recommend it (and we haven't even gotten the results yet). It's another u/s that your insurance will cover with the added benefit of telling you whether or not you should seek out additional testing. It is just a screening test, not a diagnostic test - so if the results were to indicate your child is at higher risk then you would make the decision of whether or not to pursue a diagnostic test (amnio, etc.).

Personally, I'm not really sure why so many people debate this test - seeing our little baby, with little fingers and little toes finally put me at ease. I'd been so stressed with earlier issues that I hadn't let myself really enjoy the pregnancy until I saw him/her wiggling around and hiccuping. It was a great experience for me and my hubby.

pccatie · August 2013

We went back and forth on this too...but ultimately decided to do it. The test is not 100% but rather gives you odds, and they explain all of this at the appointment. They will tell you what the odds mean and how to take the information. We were not going to do any testing because at the end of the day it didn't matter. However after much consideration we decided that it was better to know if there was a great chance of our child have one of these genetic disorders so we can prepare ahead of time for his future care. We would be able to chose doctors/pediatricians based on their expertise in whichever genetic disorder he could have had. It would also give us time to prepare ourselves. I was also more concerned with the unknown than I was with what the potential results could be.

We decided to do it and had it on Monday. It was a great experience. We met with a genetic counselor who explaiend everything and took our family history to look for other potential flags. The bloodwork was done a couple weeks ago so they had the results there while they did the scan. The scan itself was great because it is a much more in depth ultrasound than you have had yet, and you get to see your baby moving and all their parts, including their blood flowing. At the end of the ultrasound we were given the results and our risk for DS was 1/3000. They do not get concerned or suggest additional testing until you get close to 1/100. A good friend of mine actually had results of 1/19, and she has a perfectly healthy baby, but she is glad she was able to prepare herself ahead of time.

Hope this info helps you a bit. Good Luck! Oh, we also were given all the photos, and a DVD of the entire ultrasound at the end. I was able to send the video to our families who were very happy to see the baby!

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