Asking for a friend - pros/cons of the anatomy scan

A dear friend of mine is 16 weeks pregnant. She's almost 40 and wants to remain .

She is leaning towards NOT going for the anatomy scan - she feels that at this point, she wouldn't want to know if something is wrong or have to worry unnecessarily if they find something that *might* be wrong, KWIM?

What are some arguments for and against going for the anatomy scan?

Thanks!

Re: Asking for a friend - pros/cons of the anatomy scan

In the end she has do what she thinks is best. But with that said....while she doesn't want to know if anything is wrong it might be in the baby's best interest for the doctor's to know if there is a problem so they can provide the best medical care when the baby arrives....be prepared if necessary.

She can express her desire not to know the results to anyone and everyone that steps near her.

Re: Asking for a friend - pros/cons of the anatomy scan

Re: Asking for a friend - pros/cons of the anatomy scan

Re: Asking for a friend - pros/cons of the anatomy scan

I agree with the pps. They aren't doing genetic testing with this scan, they're checking things like the heart, the head/brain, the abdomen, etc. While at this point she's not going to change her mind about having the baby or not regardless of what's wrong, to me, let's say they found a heart defect that NEEDS to be addressed immediately after birth. I would think she'd want to know about something like that so that there is a ped cardiologist ready and waiting to examing the baby at birth, or she may even need a cardiologist to further examine the scan before birth. What if her hospital is not equipped to handle any of the above situations upon baby's birth? Maybe she'd want to consider switching hospitals to one that is better prepared to care for her baby. To me there are so many more reasons to have it than not.

And she absolutely can stay Team Green. We are this time and during our anatomy scan the tech didn't even go near that area so we have no idea. And if he did we didn't even notice.

Re: Asking for a friend - pros/cons of the anatomy scan

This is my advice..........have the scan because you never know if there is something wrong if it can be corrected now or if the pregnancy isn't viable and you need to make a decision.

My BFF was told everything was fine at her 12 week scan and at 16 weeks they discovered the baby had a rare complication. Long story short, the baby only had only one kidney which wouldn't be so bad except for the fact that the one kidney was not functioning properly at all. She was losing all of her amniotic fluid and things were just not right with the baby. She went and got 2-3 opinions from MD's and all of them told her that while she can go full term if that's what she wanted the baby wouldn't live more than a few minutes after birth so their recommendation was to terminate and at around 23 weeks that is what she did.

So I guess my point is I would rather know if something is wrong because while it was EXTREMELY hard for her to terminate I think that's far better than thinking everything is okay and then delivering a baby that dies in your arms minutes later. I am ALL for testing and knowing because it's the only thing that put my mind at ease for 40 weeks.

Message edited 10/26/2010 9:24:09 AM.

Re: Asking for a friend - pros/cons of the anatomy scan

Sorry. Since she is 40, baby is at a higher risk for being born with a syndrome. Even if she keeps the kid regardless of genetics, it may be a good idea to see if the kid has a heart defect which is pretty common.

Re: Asking for a friend - pros/cons of the anatomy scan

I can attest that it's helpful to have that information. She can still stay , and also have some peace of mind. It's not invasive and it can gather important information. DS was born with hydrocephalus (can't drain his own brain fluid). Knowing this information was instrumental in the delivery (I had a c-section at 36 weeks to not allow or put more pressure on his brain) and being prepared for after it (he had shunt surgery at 1 1/2 days old).

Re: Asking for a friend - pros/cons of the anatomy scan

I can tell you why I think the scan is so important, from my own personal experience:
My first pregancy started out as the "dream" pregnancy. No morning sickness, nice heartbeat every time, no apparent issues at 12 week scan. It was at the anatomy scan that we discovered my son was missing part of the left side of his heart. Both the tech and doc picked this up (it was later confirmed by the pediatric cardiologist). We would have had ABSOLUTELY no idea something would have been wrong and this was a TOTAL shock.

I can understand her point regarding choosing to keep her child regardless. However, if there is a serious defect (such as the heart) it needs to be addressed right away. We decided to move forward with the preganacy but there were so many other issues to be tended to. For instance, we were immediately referred to a high risk OB, one who has delivered many a child with extreme medical conditions. We went for bi weekly trips to a pediatric cardiologist who monitored Liam's heart and worked with us on a steady plan. We met with the surgeon who reviewed these records. Most of all, when Liam was born we were ALL prepared: from the docs, to the nurses to us.... There are instances when a defect isn't caught for different reasons, and it can very likely result in stillborn/death.

Message edited 10/26/2010 9:49:18 AM.

Re: Asking for a friend - pros/cons of the anatomy scan

The anatomy scan is so much more than a search for soft markers....

If, for example, the baby appeared to have a heart defect wouldnt she want the hospital and doctors to be prepared upon delivery?

Im sure she can speak to her doctor and let them know that she doesnt want to hear about how heart defects may be indicative of other chromosomal anomalies....

IMO it's better to be prepared and educate oneself before delivery. If, god forbid, there is something wrong with the baby it will help her care for the baby once he/she arrives.

17 years ago when I was pregnant with my daughter things were not as they are now. They had a lot of the testing that they do...and we did have sonograms...but things were by far not what they are today.

I got 12 hours to be happy that I had a baby girl before I was told that they thought there was something wrong with her. For the next 6 weeks (took longer to get things back from the lab back then) I was torn between enjoying my baby girl and wondering what was wrong with her....

Then...once I found out that she did, indeed, have Down Syndrome...albeit a rarer form....I had to grieve for that "normal" baby girl I didnt have. Your dreams for them change...Your plans change....You're suddenly thrown a huge curve ball....

Much better to know before hand if your baby is going to be facing some obstacles....That way...once they are born...You have all the info that you need and you can somewhat relax and enjoy your new baby....

Re: Asking for a friend - pros/cons of the anatomy scan

I can't understand not wanting to know if something was wrong.

Knowing now gives the doctors weeks to prepare for the childs arrival versus doing everything on the fly when they arrive.

Knowing now might allow her to pick a hospital better equiped to handle an issues versus her delivering and then the baby being taken to another hospital.

I would vote to do what is best for the baby.

Re: Asking for a friend - pros/cons of the anatomy scan

I would go for it. God forbid there IS something wrong certain conditions need surgery at birth or need to be treated at birth. Even if she has no intention of terminating what if there is an issue that needs to be treated at birth - I would think she would want to deliver at an appropriate place and have measures in place if needed. If she doesn't have a scan and there is an issue there could be further complications if it isn't caught immediately.

I can give you my example (which is a mixed blessing for doing the scan). They thought DD#1 might have a TE fistula or an esophegeal atresia (connection between the treachea and the esophagus or the esophagus doesn't go all the way to the stomach). It is a condition they can only say 50% chance in the womb - you need to have xrays and a feeding tube inserted at birth BEFORE the baby can be fed. IF they have the condition they must have surgery before the child can be fed. I delivered at Columbia Presbyterian b.c I was told they see the condition once a month NSUH Manhasset and LIJ see it maybe once every few years and I know someone who delivered at winthrop and it wasn't caught before the baby had some issues. So I transferred to Columbia Presbyterian in case. Thankfully DD was okay.

As far as team that isn't an issue b.c she can just tell them she has no desire to find out - lots of people get scans and chose not to find out the sex of the baby. Just make sure she tells the OB and whoever does the scan she does NOT want to know.

Message edited 10/26/2010 10:08:17 AM.

Re: Asking for a friend - pros/cons of the anatomy scan

Thank you everyone for sharing your stories, opinions and advice! I'll pass this along to her later today!

Re: Asking for a friend - pros/cons of the anatomy scan