Are you getting the NT Screening?

carstekj · January 2016

This is my third pregnancy and I've never had the NT screening. I have a new OB and he offered it to me (my past OB never mentioned it). Since I didn't know much about it, don't know if insurance will cover it etc. I declined. Now I'm wondering how many of you are opting to get the screening vs. not getting the screening - and why?

Pepper6 · January 2016

I am and I did with my daughter as well because of a family history with Down Syndrome. It wouldn't change anything for me, but good to know. Plus, always nice to have the opportunity to see the baby again.

Kristin712 · January 2016

Yes, I'm getting it. I want to be able to make an informed decision and be prepared. Depending on the results, termination is a possibility. Otherwise, I would want to educate myself and family on the diagnosis and arrange resources ahead of time. I would want the doctors and medical staff prepared to treat the symptoms from birth, arrange for therapies/evaluations/medical devices if needed, etc.

ETA: OP, if you're on the fence, you can ask your OB's office for the procedure/diagnostic codes associated with the NT scan and call your insurance company to verify coverage.

SkiChic626 · January 2016

Yup, I got it with DD and I'll get it with this one. The results wouldn't change anything for me, but knowing either way is information that the medical staff should have so they can proceed accordingly. This is what my aunt was told when she wanted to decline - if not for her sake, it was for the staff in the delivery room.

carstekj · January 2016

Kristin712 said:

ETA: OP, if you're on the fence, you can ask your OB's office for the procedure/diagnostic codes associated with the NT scan and call your insurance company to verify coverage.

Oh!! Thanks. I never thought of that!

Sonicstef · January 2016

Yes absolutely. It's risk free and painless.

Ceventa · January 2016

Yes, we had it done when I was pregnant with my son and we will be doing it again. Like others said, no harm in getting critical information right now if there is news about how the baby is developing.

bsckgb7 · January 2016

Yep. My appointment is the last week of January.

lalalorelai · January 2016

My OB actually does not do the NT scan or the first trimester combined screening at all. I asked about it, but she says they instead do NIPT in the second trimester for high risk pregnancies or women who request the extra testing. That, combined with the anatomy scan, usually catches everything the NT scan would. I have no idea why her practice has switched to this instead.

Honestly, I am a bit uneasy about not doing any first trimester screening. I want to be as informed as I can be about my baby. But I took the time to discuss it with my doctor and feel better about everything.

amccul20 · January 2016

we did it with my son and are doing it this time around as well. my husband and I want to be prepared if anything is wrong with baby

WinnieLou82 · January 2016

Yes, we plan to do it and my appointment is next week. In my mind, information is power. Although scary to think about, even if the results show a less than favorable likelihood of issues, I'd want to know so we can make well thought out next steps for further testing.

LilLambie · January 2016

***trigger warning: termination mentioned***

I am 100% for this scan. Last pregnancy I really just did it for a look at bubs, however it picked up a very severe issue. Bubs had LUTO, which ended with his kidneys being severely damaged and his bladder bursting. When it was first picked up it looked like he would be eligible for treatment in-utero, however once his bladder burst that was it. My son's was the most severe case that the specialist had ever seen.

I opted to have a termination, simply because there was no way I would make it past the second trimester due to running out of amniotic fluid and even if my some miracle I made it to full term, bubs would immediately need surgery, a kidney and bladder transplant and his lungs wouldn't be formed enough for him to breath- a respirator wouldn't be of any use because his lungs wouldn't have the capacity to get oxygen into his blood. He would have immediately suffocated. I chose to control my miscarriage/son's passing.

I have my scan next week and I am only really looking for this issue repeating. I unfortunately know what I'm looking for so as soon as they bring up the scan I will be looking there.

Before this occured I was firmly against tfmr. I still would not consider it if the child had a condition that didn't affect their quality of life too much i.e. down's syndrome. If the child had a condition that would result in them having a poor quality of life, i.e. something that causes severe disabilities and the child to suffer I would consider it.

Edit: clarification

ZedPM3 · January 2016

Yes. We're planners and we want to know if something is wrong so that we can learn more about the condition and make post-birth preparations. Our insurance covers it as long as bloodwork is done as well, which is standard. I'll be calling to schedule mine tomorrow.

ramoseecology · January 2016

Yes, my scan is scheduled for the 25th. PP have mentioned the reasons why.

revlaurawittman · January 2016

Ours is scheduled for February 15. This is our third baby and I've never had it before, but figured it couldn't hurt to do it this time.

imakeeff0rts · January 2016

@LilLambie
Thank you for sharing your story. I am so, so very sorry for your loss.

We did last time and we will this time. Turns out we have a family history of spinal deformities (two were found on me in November), and my dad was adopted. We don't have his medical history, so we don't know what I could potentially be carrying. Honestly, I'd rather have the information and be able to prepare for baby.

soon2bwhalen · January 2016

I just did mine on Wednesday. I Would have the baby either way but I did it just so my doctor and my husband and I can be prepared. If it makes you feel any better it was the coolest ultrasound yet. They just move the wand on your belly and I was able to see my little one bouncing around in there. It was amazing. The tech was able to tell me off the bat that everything looked fine but I'll find out results next week. They just look at the thickness of the skin near the neck. They also Prick ur finger and make you dot a few dots of your blood on paper. It's totally up to you to have it done but I just wanted to be prepared.

mooncusp22 · January 2016

We didn't with DD1 and don't plan on with this baby either. Our thought is if there is nothing that can be done while in utero then we will accept what God has given us.

bluesky24 · January 2016

Like many PP have said, we will do it since it's covered by insurance, risk free (as far as being non-invasive to the fetus) and informative. We're skipping the NIPT blood tests since more screening does not always mean better, and I'm too young for it to be covered by my insurance.

Fremdschamen · January 2016

I'm Canadian, so it is free. I will be doing it-- mostly because I want an ultrasound before 20 weeks, but also, if there was an abnormality, I would want to know sooner rather than later. Unless the diagnosis was terminal, I don't think we would terminate the pregnancy, but I'd rather have time to seek out resources and do some research ahead of time, if need be.

Ceventa · January 2016

@LilLambie I am so sorry for your loss, that must have been heart breaking. I got teary eyed reading your post, thank you for sharing. Best wishes on your NT scan!

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