Downs test??

[babyblonde]

I have to say i'm quiet shocked how this thread has turned out,it's a thread about a downs test not about implcations of abortion.
I myself had an abortion booked many years ago as i was 17 and alone,i was pressured by the babies father and family.
I couldn't do it,i keeped my daughter and with the help of my family i had Jenna who is my angel.Jenna is also autistic with learning and behavioural problems.She's now 22 and will be looked after me for the rest of my life.
She went to our local special school so i've met lots of parents with kids with all sorts of problems over the years,and yes caring for a disabled child is hard but it can also be rewarding.

I'm as i said not taking any tests as i wouldn't abort if the results were bad but i do understand the peolpe that would.

I'm also a firm beliver that my daughters autism developed after she had the MMR vaccine,but i have since let the rest of my children have the vaccine,i've seen children who had measles at birth and had terrible disabilities and gone on to die at an early age,so i would rather have 4 children with autism than 1 that was diabled through measles.

Probably totally off track here and i don't mean to upset anyone.

Interesting Sueken! I had mumps as a child and ended up giving it to Ben who was a baby at the time (think he was too young to have had the jabs yet) - me and my mum were discussing whether that is the reason he ended up with Aspergers? Wonder if it's another one of those you're damned if you do and damned if you don't things!

 

[ejjie]

Its something only you and your OH can decide hun, have a good chat with him, men are pants at talking about this sort of thing

xxxx

Tell me about it, I've tried 3 times to talk to him about it and wasted my time! I will try once more before Wednesday

I think I might have the first round of tests but not the second (even though the midwife not keen on that) and then I will at least be able to preapre a little if the chances are high.... Arrggghhh x

 

[Sherlock]

It depends what you mean by 'Downs test'.

Here the default offer is the two non-invasive tests (NT scan and triple blood test). You can opt out if you want. You can also ask for either of the two invasive tests (chorionic villus sampling <14w, amniocentesis >14w).

Since the NT scan is much more accurate when taken in conjunction with the blood test, and since there is no risk at all to the baby, we will have both of those. We'd be unlikely to take the testing further. We would rather prepare ourselves if possible - if it turns out our baby has a chromosomal disorder incompatible with life, and is unlikely to make it to term or more than a couple of days after birth ( this doesn't happen...) we would rather know that than allow ourselves to get too excited. If the baby is high-risk for DS, then we'll just accept that risk and take whatever we're given. It's not just DS that the hospital tests for, however, but other (fatal) chromosomal disorders, and knowing people who had a baby with a serious chromosomal disorder, who died just 3 days after birth, we're both aware we'd much rather be prepared for that. Our friends had to go back home to a freshly decorated and kitted out nursery, welcome home banners, and no baby.

I guess some people like to be prepared and others would rather not think about it in advance; it also depends on your interpretation of 'high risk'. Personally, I wouldn't be too bothered by a 1 in 200 risk, but if it was a 1 in 2 risk, I'd much rather know.

I might well feel differently if the only test on offer was the NT scan by itself; and if my hospital didn't offer the NT scan or blood tests, just CVS or amnio, I'd definitely say no.

We opted for the NT and bloods are its non invasive and as you say covers other chromosonal disorders. There are not many NHS trusts which offer it at the moment (equipment and lack of trained staff for it) but they are gradullay making it available around the country. We had to go private for ours which we were happy to do. It also meant we didn't have to worry about bloods and a possible amnio later on. Amnios in themselves carry a risk of miscarriage so there was no way I'd have considered that.

A Nuchal Translucancy scan and bloods made the most sense to us.

I'd recommended this scan and blood tests to women over bloods and an amnio at 16 weeks or later.

 

[emeraldsroses]

2. I know someone who had the test done in the second trimester and ended up having a stillbirth because of it.

This is one of the reasons I refuse to have a test for Down's. Of course, I know there are non-evasive ways of finding out, but I don't want to find out by means of an amniocenthesis as the risk of miscarriage/stillbirth is still high (just about as high as it is for me to have a baby with Down's at the moment).

I told my DH that I won't have the test. I think he supports me this time around (havev't really asked him, though).

 

[Frog99]

I've mentioned this in a previous post but might as well write it here too:

I completly wasn't prepared to answer when the midwife asked me at my first appointment if I wanted the Downs test (a measurement taken at the 12 wk scan to determine high/low risk). It wasn't something I'd even thought about let alone discussed with my OH. In the end I said I didn't want the test as I wouldn't risk the possibility of miscarriage by the invasive needle test if I was high risk and also wouldn't abort if the baby had downs anyway. My OH agreed when we discussed it later too.

If my baby has downs then so be it.

Someone made a point about wanting to know to prepare themselves with research - there's nothing wrong with this but I'd simply research once the baby is born as I don't think in the very early days a child with downs needs any additional care (and I'm sure if they did the hospital would tell me all I needed to know before I took the baby home).

As for the heater discussions on the forum I'm actually shocked to see what some people have written. I'd just like to say that everyone is entitled to their own opinions and people shouldn't judge one another.

 

[Kittykins]

As for termination, I don't think any of us can say what we would do in another person's shoes. We all have different resources (financial, family, local authorities, even our living arrangements) on which we can depend and whilst DS might cause a little extra work/planning for one woman, it could push another one over the edge. Those of us who are so sure that we wouldn't terminate for that reason should thank our lucky stars that we feel able to cope with whatever we're given.

When I wrote my earlier post saying that I would want to know, the friends to whom I referred had a baby with Edwards. I still don't know if I could take the responsibility to terminate, even knowing that the baby would certainly die and in pain, and I don't want to think too hard about it - but I do know that if I knew at the 12-week scan that there was a high risk of Edwards, I would hold off decorating the nursery, buying the baby stuff, etc. There's very little that you actually need in the first 2 weeks, especially if the baby's in your room anyway, and if all turned out ok, we would simply enjoy the shopping later.

It's interesting that everyone here has focused on the negative aspects of the NT scan/blood tests. Most women get the all-clear and thus reassurance. But the scan can also pick up heart problems, many of which can be fixed either in utero or shortly after the birth, if the medics are prepared - another friend's baby had a minor heart defect that was picked up at the NT scan and resolved before it was born. My own feeling is that I would be negligent if I didn't take advantage of anything which could be to my baby's benefit and which came with no risk to its health. I don't think I'd forgive myself if I opted out of the NT scan and then they picked up something at 20 weeks which could have been solved easily in the meantime, but by the time it was found, required surgery after birth - especially since I have a heart condition myself.

Frog99 - the reason I would want to prepare myself for a baby with Down's is that many DS children also have heart problems or other health issues. Depending on the severity, it is quite likely that a DS baby would need surgery/special medical care, so you wouldn't necessarily be taking him/her home immediately. The shock and separation can also cause bonding issues. If you're mentally prepared for the possibility, you tend to cope much better.

Then again, it's a reflection of personality too. Some people are happy to wing it, others want to prepare for every possibility. Some people will worry more if they don't have the (non-invasive) tests whereas others will worry if they do have them. There isn't a right or wrong answer to this, especially since the options given to each woman are not consistent across the country. It's easy for me to say that I will have the NT scan and blood tests, and not the amniocentesis, because my hospital offers the former. If they didn't, and I had to pay, I'd probably think harder about whether I wanted them and it would probably be directly related to the cost!