Pregnancy - Downs

[joannie10]

A friend of mine who successfully became pregnant through IVF at the age of 37 has been told there is one in 38 chance the baby will have downs and has to have Amnio next week. She is really sad at the moment and of course worried. I want to help but know nothing about any of these (never had a child). Can anyone offer advice of what I can say, how I can support her? ie are these statistics very abnormal for someone of her age etc? What will the amnio tell her?

[filthiestfis]

One in 38 chance? I wouldnt worry too much about it. It's not like a 1 in 2 chance...

[redcrx]

i know a woman who had a 1 in 4000 chance and gave birth to a downs baby.

Is your friend aware that she can refuse this test if she wants to. They cant force her to have it.

What tests did she have done for them to come up with this result. My age alone gives me a 1 in 52 chance of a baby with downs (Im 35), but a nuchal scan (I had a private one as hospitals dont all do them) and combined blood tests came back with a true change of 1 in 3992.

[joannie10]

my first thought was 'well there is still a chance she will have a healthy baby'. She is not feeling that way at the moment.

[Jillius]

I think 37 is quite young nowadays to be pregnant so I don't think she should worry too much. Has she said what she will do if the results show she is having a Downs baby ? If she is going to have the baby anyway then she shouldn't have the amnio as not only will it make her worry for the rest of the pregnancy, there is also a slight risk of miscarriage, though I seem to think an ordinary blood test is done nowadays rather than the amniocentesis.

[daffy654]

I know some women can't stand the thought of their baby not being "perfect" but babies with Downs Syndrome are adorable too. They often have happy,healthy fulfilling lives and these day they live to a good old age. I always knew that in any of my 3 pregnancies that if I had a baby with downs I would keep it and love it no matter what.

[redcrx]

blood tests can only give odds jullius, an amnio is still required to get true result.

37 is young but our bodies are still the same, so the chances of downs etc are increased with age.

[Ethel]

Very normal and routine procedure for a lady of her age - absolutely no reason to worry at this stage.

[joannie10]

redcrx - I am trying to find out what test she has had done. Yes she knew she could refuse but wanted to know. When you say cause of your age you had 1 in 52 chance then likely at 37 she is more likely to have a Downs therefore the statistic she has been given could be quite accurate for many of that age? or am I not understanding it? She said for her age would expect 1 in 100 but her hormone level has taken that down?

[redcrx]

without knowing what tests she has had done i cant say how accurate that 1 in 37 is.

My age alone, before any other tests gives odd of 1 in 52. They get get altered through blood tests, measurement of whats called the nuchal fold at back of babies neck and all this gets combined to give a more accurate result. This is the scan and bloods i had done http://www.babybond.com/ntscan.html

Theres really not a great deal you can do for your friend other than be there to support and comfort her. Perhaps help her after the amnio as she will have to rest very well to lower risk of miscarriage.

[LoftyLottie]

Personally I wouldn't have the test as I wouldn't terminate the pregnancy and there is a chance of an amnio causing a miscarriage. It is a shame that the test redcrx talks of is not widely available on the NHS as it is a far superior test.

[redcrx]

it is available for women over 40, the NHS even pays for it to be done privately if there is a high risk.

I paid privately myself because my fellas aunt had a Downs child. My fellas sisters had free testing on NHS for all 4 of their children and yet we werent deemed a high risk, even though they had their children in their 20s too.

[LoftyLottie]

Thanks for that redcrx. I am obviously a bit out of touch (long time since I was pregnang!!). I certainly wouldn't risk an amnio though.

Such a shame that joannie10's friend is now so unhappy. Pregnancy should be a happy time. I know all these tests nowadays are really a step forward but I often wonder if they have taken the joy out of pregnancy that there used to be. So many people I know have been given too much information about worries from scans etc, that has given them really stressful pregnancies and yet the babies have all been absolutely fine.

[joannie10]

I thank you all for your answers. The test she had done was 'blood test to check AFP/HCG levels' She was told the chance of spina bifida or downs starts at 1 in 100 based on her age but after these tests she was considered low risk of spina bifida but that chance of downs now 1 in 38. I have chatted with her now and told her that from what you guys have said that this is not a terribly unusual statistic. I also pointed out the joy a Downs child could bring to their lives. I think perhaps the nurse has given her this information without really chatting it through with her too much and she has just panicked a bit. She said she is feeling much better now. thanks again.

[natterley]

Dont know if this helps, my sis was 20 when she had her son...and tests showed a 1 in 52,000 chance of a downs baby....but gave birth to a downs baby.
He is now six, hilarious, kind, loving, hard work but is fantastic and loved by everyone....he has a great social life and we wouldnt change him for the world!!!!

xx

[joannie10]

thanks natterly - that is lovely to hear. x

[Psychick]

At both my scans, they did the measurements, back of the neck and nasal, and both times my chances changed and became smaller. They are at 1 in 120,000 now, or something like that, Im 30 btw. This was all included in my NHS scans and therefore I didnt have to pay for them.

My nextdoor neighbours 2 year old son has downs and he is absolutley adorable. He always has a smile on his face and goes to both a special needs nursery and a mainstream nursery. I wont pretend it is plain sailing because it isnt. He is often poorly as he picks things up easier than other children, mainly chest infections. Another thing related to him being downs is his problem with constipation. That was so bad between christmas and new year that he ended up in hospital for a couple of days. But I kow his mum, and family and friends, wouldnt want him any other way because then he wouldnt be him.