Testing for special needs during pregnancy?

Question

Did you do the testing for special needs when you were pregnant or do you plan on doing it? Is it invasive for the baby? I'm just trying to see, I have heard some horror stories about it. Any comments about your experience would be great too!

Answer

There are several different types of tests.
NIPT is a blood test (sometimes called materna21, panorama). It's completely non-invasive, safe for baby and it's 98%accurate for most things, except T13 which is only 96% for some reason) It's expensive if you aren't covered.

First trimester screening - done at 12 weeks, usually covered by any insurance. A combination of 2 blood tests taken a few weeks apart and an ultrasound which measures the nuchal fold. This is the test people will say gave "false positives" because it is NOT giving a diagnosis, it's only looking for soft markers which MIGHT indicate a problem.

CVS and Amnio - these tests are more invasive however the risk of miscarriage did not increase for women who had these tests. The risk is about 3%, which is your risk of a miscarriage in any pregnancy.

As for "is it worth it"? My baby had a thickness of the nuchal fold at 12 weeks and a heart regurgitation, at 13+5 they discovered fluid on the brain and chest, at 15 weeks (after an amnio) we were told our baby wouldn't survive very long, if at all. I personally do not believe in bringing a child into this world knowing they will know nothing but pain before they die only a short time later. And before all this I would have told you "it wouldn't make a difference". But once you see the statistics and know what the realities are, it does make a difference, to me at least. I firmly believe "judge not, least ye be judged". I believe everyone should make their own decision. But I also believe you need the knowledge to make the right decision for you.

Answer

It's a simple blood test. Not invasive at all. To me it was worth it as it gave me peace of mind. I found out that my chances of having a baby with Down syndrome are 1 in 40,000 so basically no chance. You can go without it though too. I skipped it my first pregnancy and felt fine with my decision.

Answer

I chose not to because it wouldn't change my mind about my baby whether or not the tests came back positive for something or not. And I've heard so many stories of they got the tests done for the baby having something and the baby is born perfectly healthy. So why stress about a test result that doesn't seem to be very accurate. And I've heard there's one that is pretty invasive , (can't remember which one) and I didn't think it was worth the risk.

Answer

I went to a specialist so no amniocentesis because that can cause a miscarriage. 
They draw blood & do a ultrasound to check for any abnormalities.

Answer

If you would decide to terminate based on the results then the tests are worth it. If you're not at risk you may end up having to pay for the test out of pocket so that is a factor too.

Answer

I did all of the screening tests. I just wanted to be prepared ahead of time and for the doctors to be prepared for anything that were to come up at birth.

Answer

I had the Panorama test done because I'm considered advanced maternal age. It is just a DNA  blood draw that tests for chromosomal abnormalities. It can also tell you the gender of the baby as early as 10 weeks.

Answer

I would personally do a blood test but not amniocentesis. The results wouldn’t change my desire to sustain the pregnancy, but I already parent a child with special needs and more knowledge ahead o time just helps us better prepare, especially if they have a condition that will require immediate medical intervention.

Answer

I had the blood test for down syndrome that I had to pay for when I told my mum she was surprised and said that's normally only done to wemon over 40 who are pregnant. She also said isn't that dangerous? Because back when her and a friend had kids they took fluid from around baby to do the test. If it was that then I wouldn't have had if done after our first loss at 21weeks 3 days when my waters broke. 
But the blood is safe if that's how your doctor/hospital do the test.

Testing for special needs during pregnancy?

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