12 week sonos

Did everyone do this. My doc seems upset that I want to hold off on this. Am I being a pain. Help

Liz

Re: 12 week sonos

Why do you want to hold off?

Re: 12 week sonos

You're referring to the ultrascreen right?
We did this test - and it was peace of mind for us.

Re: 12 week sonos

Re: 12 week sonos

I think I am nervous that is will find something i dont want to know. Plus the baby is so tiny. just wanted to wait till its bigger

Re: 12 week sonos

Oh, sorry for the confusion - I thought you meant a reg. sono at 12 wks and was

The ultrascreen is b/t 11-13wks, correct? When did you want to have one done? Ultimately, you have to do what you're comfortable with

Message edited 8/23/2007 1:48:39 PM.

Re: 12 week sonos

We didnt have it done. My dr felt there was no reason for it and honestly I was happy with that decision.

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if you are referring to the ultrascreen, there is only a short period of time in which it can be done so I can see the doctor not wanting to push it back. the test is totally non-invasive, so we chose to do it - but it is up to you!

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We chose to do it....but my doctor told us it was optional...so its up to you.

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They said its to check for down Syndrome. I made an appointment with the doc next wed. I am sure he will push for it. I just want to wait till like 15 weeks since the baby will grow alot between now and then.

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The 12 weeks sono is called the ultrascreen.

They test for downs syndrome as well as Trisomy-13 and Trisomy-18 ...

It is not an end all be all test, it just gives you the odds of something wrong. For example, before the test you may have a 1/1000 chance of having a baby with downs syndrome (from your age factor alone). After the test, it may be 1/500 or maybe 1/50000.

For down syndrome they take your age, the blood work (particular hormone) and the neck fold width.

For Tri-13/18, they take your age and blood work only. They do not look at the sonogram at all when making their assessment.

These tests are ONLY good if you know what you are going to do with the information they provide.

I'll share my a terrible experience with this test. I had it at almost 13 weeks. The sono tech showed us the baby from every angle imaginable. He showed us hands, feet, neck folds, brain butterflying, etc ... he showed us 'because the baby is making a fist, that is indicitive that there is no trisomy defect." ... "because there is no club feet, it is a good indication that there is no trisomy defect" and so on and so forth. He showed us EVERYTHING.

Fast forward TWO WEEKS to week 15 and I get a phone call from my OB saying that my risk for Tri-13/18 went from 1/4000 to 1/240. We were told to get genetic counseling right away and to possibly have an amnio.

Genetic Counseling happened 1-1/2 weeks later (the earliest they could see us) and we walked into the office and the counselor said "so you are here for an amnio?" We said no, we're here for counseling on what the next step is. The counselor was AWFUL .. basically DH and I went through what we learned with the sono tech, what our history was and what we would do with the amnio results.

I would have been 17 weeks at an amnio. I would never have ended the pregnancy at that point. In addition, the counselor could not give us any other medical reason to wonder if we had this defect. Also, a 1/240 chance is still less than 1/2% of a chance of anything being wrong. Plus we were confident with what we saw on the sono to basically say that the age/blood hormone was just off. PHEW.

So we said no. Week 17 we had the AFP Quad Screen Test (something I was dreading after the 12 week sono) and results came back PERFECT for the baby.

These are just SCREENING tests with a lot of false positives. They do not take into account a lot of things and you need to think about what you are willing to do with the information presented to you. I wasn't asked if I wanted the 12-week, I was told to get it. For the next time DH & I really need to consider if the undue stress of the results is worth what the test tells you and what choices you need to make (couseling, amnio, termination, living for 6+ months knowing your baby is ill), etc...


I am not saying it is wrong to take the screening (I may kdo it again with the next one, I do not know yet), but know what you will do with the information the outcome will provide before putting yourself through the test.

I hope my prospective helps a little. I wish I would have considered all of this before I went through weeks of uncertainty.

v

Re: 12 week sonos

I decided not to have it since I'm having an amnio done next week (at 16 weeks)

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i was offered either the 12 week ultrascreen or the blood test at 16 weeks to test for downs. i chose the 12 week test, honestly, because i wanted the extra sono the pics i got from that sono were the best i've gotten the whole pregnancy - see my avatar

but if you'd rather not have the test, i think you should assert yourself and refuse it. it's your body, and your baby.

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I have my ultracscreen next Tuesday, I too am a little nervous, but I think that is natural, good luck with whatever you decide to do and try not to worry

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Whether something is wrong is not, I think its important to go for the screening and educate yourself on the different possibilities in case God forbid something is wrong. The first semester ultrascreen is performed between weeks 11 and 13 (for best results) and highly recommended for all ages.

I think you should do it...

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It has to be done at a very specific time frame like others mentioned. Its the only time the results are consistent...

you can opt not to have it. No one is forcing it on you if your not comfortable.

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Yup, entirely your choice whether you want it or not.

My good friend opted not to get it.

She is 17wks now.

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It depends on what you would do if god forbid your results were not good...
For me, I absolutely wanted the test, it is ultimately your choice in the end

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We decided to do it and I was glad we did. It put my mind at ease. I think the cut-off for doing then is 13 weeks. I think it would be okay Liz but it's personal preference.

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We chose not to have this test done and are very comfortable with our decision.

It really is a personal choice. Just understand that this is a screening test. If the results show that you are at a higher risk of certain abnormalities, they want you to have an amnio done. If you would not consider having an amnio, then it doesn't make sense to have this screening test.. IMO.

But like I said, personal choice and I hope you are happy with the decision you make!

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I did the ultrascreen. For us no matter what the results we would have not terminated. Honestly, I wanted to be prepared and I also wanted so see our baby. Our dr. didn't push it on us though. We also had the AFP test done. You should do whatever you are comfortable with

Message edited 8/23/2007 7:58:38 PM.

Re: 12 week sonos

if you are referring to the ultrascreen test (combination bloodwork and ultrasound)----the ultrasound part is usually done between 11-13 weeks---im not sure they do it any later then that. i had it done at 12 weeks---we are now dealing with some not so great results. honestly--before the test i didn't really take the time to think about what i would do if the results were bad---so thats something you should think about. my doc encouraged the test, but its still fairly new

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If you are saying you want to do it, but just hold off until later, Im pretty sure thats not possible--its a test that needs to be done between certain weeks.
If you are trying to decide whether or not to do it at all I would say not to. I did it without thinking twice about it because I wanted to see the baby, ended up having not so great results, totally stressed out about it, had an amnio and everything is fine. I had many weeks of unnecessary stress and my baby is totally fine. The results wouldnt have changed my mind about my baby, but the thought of having anything wrong with your baby can freak you out. I wouldnt take the test again with future pregnancies.

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I did it and it was fine. That baby actually looked like a baby at that sonogram which I thought was awesome.