Triple test result - high risk of downs! - UPDATED

[EmmaLouise]

Hi all,

It seems whenever I post its about a worry - hopefully these will ease very soon!

My midwife came round today with triple test results...

We have a 1 in 199 chance of downs syndrome. I don't consider it to be dramatically bad as we have a daughter with heart defects and know the risk of a heart defect normally is 1 in 100 so I wasn't overly concerned with 1 in 199. I was expecting her to say we had a 1 in 10 chance or something like that. However, it is something else to think about.

The thing is these results may be wrong as the lab didn't have babies measurements when they did the bloods and there is a little comment at the bottom of the lab report saying so (which midwives can't have read), and saying these results need re-interpreting when gestation is confirmed. This also made me feel better as I know they went on my due dates of 15.4 weeks when the scan I had showed I am actually 1-2 weeks earlier than that, so that could have screwed the results too.

So anyway, I have an appointment tomorrow with the consultant to chat through the results and to arrange an amnio if I wanted (and although I think this a very individual choice I certainly don't want one with its miscarriage risk!!). But I will go to the appointment and see what they say. The midwife said to mention to them about re-doing this test as they don't normally do it until 16 weeks and I was possibly only 13-14 (will get definate due date at next scan on Sep 6th).


Has anyone else experience of a high risk result and what did you do after it???

Thankyou

Emma

 

[Pregnopaws]

Well if you are still concerned and not happy with that percentage then you should take the test again as recommended by your midwife. Personally 1 in 199 is still significantly low as compared to 1 in 10 and if that were my result I wouldn't bother with an amnio. Perhaps chat to OH and see what he thinks too?

 

[annem]

Hi,

my friend is a midwife and i phoned her today as i had my results back.

She told me she knows lots of her friends as well as patients with a 1:50 and they all had healthy babies. People with a 1:10000 still have a chance.

Its not just the blood that makes the results its your age and weight. My midwife friend said it was her older friends with the high risk results (obviously!!). Also with the dates so wrong the results are not likley to be correct.

I think its such a personal decision about going for extra tests. however
if you look at it in % it is a 0.5% chance (with those results which are prob wrong) so i would not bother. Just get another blood test!!


x x x

 

[Sammystar]

I'm no expert but as it was explained to me, it's a mthematical calculation and not based on anything medical.

My SIL came back 1:400 and had the amnio, everything was fine.......

 

[Moomum]

I had a 1/55 chance with my first so opted to have an amnio. Thankfully, everything was fine and I had a healthy girl.

This time, I opted out of the triple test as I didn't see the point. I wanted 100% accurate results, so opted to go straight for another amnio. Again, the results were totally normal.

I think it's a very personal choice.

Good luck with everything

 

[Squiglet]

The triple test is not very accurate without the scans. My sister's mother had the triple test done and it came back with a very low risk of having downs so her mother decided against having the amino and when my sister was born, she was born with Downs.

She has a low grade Downs though and is very clever...so the tests can just as easily be wrong as they are right.

I had the triple test and the scan (privately because Spanish NHS sucks) and they came back with a 1:1000 chance of having a Downs/Edwards baby and that was with my genetic history which is high for having genetic problems like that.

Have the test again if you can, and if you are still not happy have the amino to be sure..but the amino, to me only seems important if you are planning on having an abortion if there is something wrong, due to the risk of miscarriage. But it's a very personal choice.

 

[EmmaLouise]

Ok, so saw the consultant this morning (well I think it was the consultant anyway).
Started off by explaining the results to me again and saying amnio was booked for tomorrow. So I stopped them there saying I wouldn't be having that under any circumstances. Portsmouth's risk of miscarriage with amnio is apparently one of the lowest in the country but doctor did agree with me that with a risk factor of 1 in 199 of downs and a risk of 1 in 200 of miscarriage then it may not be a great idea!

I also pointed out a downs baby wouldn't worry me but that I wasn't sure about the accuracy of these results as the date they had me on blood results wasn't what the scan showed me to be at so hcg levels would be out.

I then heard lots of 'umm'ing' and flicking through notes and 'Oh yes, you're right'. Then a quick call to the lab and they recalculated my results with me coming back at low risk of 1 in 895! Slight difference - if only they had used the right dates/measurements in the first place.

Scary thing I think is that they had me booked in for amnio tomorrow morning. What if I hadn't read the notes and realised they'd used wrong dates - had the amnio and lost the baby.. all because of a lab mistake!!!

But at least thats sorted out now.

 

[annem]

great news, really pleased for you!! though it does not give me much faith in our medical profession!