Hello and welcome to the first installment of Mind The Bump. I’m the editor of Babble Australia, and I’m 13 weeks pregnant with my second child.
I’d like to share the journey with you and start a discussion about pregnancy – the good, the bad and the stretchy! Share your experiences in the comments field below.
This week, we’re talking Nuchal Translucency Tests.
Last week I went for my Nuchal Translucency test, which is an ultrasound scan and blood test taken at 11-13 weeks gestation and used to detect the risk of chromosomal disorders such as Down’s Syndrome.
The scan assesses the amount of fluid behind the neck of the foetus – also known as ‘the nuchal translucency’. Foetuses at risk of Down tend to have a higher amount of fluid around the neck. The scan can also pick up other abnormalities and confirm due dates.
It’s also non-invasive, with no risks to the foetus unlike CVS or amniocentesis. But – and this is the big but – it will not tell you if your baby will have a chromosomal disorder, and in fact will only pick up about 75% of babies who do. What it does is give you a risk calculation, taking into account maternal age.
At 32 years of age I have an age related risk of 1:476 for trisomy 21 (Down’s Syndrome) and 1: 887 for other trisomies (such as trisomy 18, which is usually incompatible with life). After my blood test results and nuchal measurement of 2.4mm, the risks were adjusted to 1:912 and 1:15243. Which is all very reassuring, but the risk is still there, however small.
For women who receive an adjusted risk of 1: 300 or higher for abnormalities, they face a difficult choice. Do they go ahead and take the risk of undergoing CVS or amino testing, which will conclusively make a diagnosis, but risk a miscarriage rate of up to 1:200? It can be an extremely stressful time for women and their partners.
The problem has been highlighted in a UK study, which claimed that “for every three unborn Down’s syndrome babies prevented from being born, two healthy babies will be miscarried because of the methods used to detect the condition.”
The question for couples considering invasive testing is obviously, whether they would continue a pregnancy if their baby was found to have an abnormality. I used to think I would terminate for Down’s Syndrome, but after joining parenting forums and reading about the opportunities children – and adults – with DS now have, it would no longer be a straightforward decision.
Indeed, now that abortion rates for a Down’s Syndrome diagnosis have reached 90% in the United States, parents of DS children are worried that there will be less tolerance for the few people left with the condition, as well as less government funding and support.
It’s for some of these reasons that Medicare won’t fully re-imburse an NT test for a woman under the age of 37, and some women just don’t take the test at all, deciding to let nature take its course.
I chose to pay for the test, because I wanted more time to decide on a course of action should there be something wrong and, to be completely shallow, have a nice little sneak peek at my baby, and check that he/she was growing well.
Did you choose have an NT scan? And would you do it again?
Amber, congratulations on your pregnancy!
I chose not to have the NT test. My husband and I talked it over, and we agreed that if the risk was found to be high, we would not terminate. Having decided that, we felt there was not much point to being tested.
As time passed, and my anxiety heightened — has the baby moved as much today as yesterday?! — I started to wish I had been tested. I longed for the security of ‘knowing’ my baby was healthy. Then the 18-20 week scan showed everything to be normal, and I felt secure once again.
I was 27 when I last conceived. Next time I’ll be >30, so may revisit the idea of having the NT test.
I was happy to have the NT test, but would not have had a CVS if it came to that. I would not terminate, but with the NT results I could at least prepare myself for what lies ahead.
Hi all
The results of the NF and bloods test for our first baby came back at 1/310. It came as a big shock as my wife and I were both 28 (not that my age mattered in the calculation!) and thought that at that age we would have 1/15000 numbers like our friends were hitting. After getting over the initial shock, we decided to have the amnio tests done so that we would know 100%. If the test results were not ideal, we were both prepared to terminate the pregnancy.
The amnio test did carry a greater risk (1/200 as opposed to 1/310 for DS) however this is still a very small risk – its important to keep in mind that chance has no memory. The test process was carried out and, according to my wife, although it was uncomfortable it was not a painful or prolonged process. I was with her the whole time and it was done within a minute.
In our case we were fortunate in that the results came back clear and we were blessed with a lovely baby girl many months later.
The stress between receiving the initial NF test and the results of the amnio was quite intense. This was not helped by commentary from ‘friends’ and family who would chime in with their own thoughts on whether or not what we were doing was appropriate in their eyes. This was not helpful at all.
Upon receiving the results of the amnio, an unbelievable weight was lifted from our shoulders which would otherwise have been there the remainder of the pregnancy.
Do not feel bad if you choose to have the testing available to you done.
So I’m a bit late to the party but better late than never huh…I’m 28 and 11 wks pregnant and my DH and I have decided not to have the test done.
I’m not really sure what we would do if it came back and showed a higher risk rate….I don’t think I’d do anything and then the rest of my pregnancy would just be filled with worry…The risk of the amnio is to high for me to even consider it and I think I prefer to let nature take it’s course…but I also understand that everyone feels differently and has the right to their opinion.