Did anyone not get an NT scan?

[Deleted]

My doctor didn't say a word about sending me for an NT scan yesterday. I totally should have asked, but it slipped my mind. So it looks like I'm not getting one. I don't have any of the risk factors for downs and it wouldn't really change anything, we'd have the baby anyway, so I guess it doesn't really matter but I wanted to see if anyone else hasn't gotten one and for what reasons. 

[Deleted]

I'm on my third pg and have never had it done. DH and I decided we wouldn't do anything if there were an issue so it really was pointless. I could see the side where it's beneficial to know what you are dealing with so you have more time to process things, but figured we'd find any possible issues at the 20 week a/s.

I've had a few friends who have had false positive markers and it caused them a lot of worry and stress. Not worth it to me.

[2curlydogs]

I didn't with B. I did, however, do the quad screening at 16 weeks. And obviously the anatomy scan at 20 weeks.

I did with this one, but I'm AMA.

[LaceyV]

I did not, we decideded that we wouldn't do anything if there was something wrong and that it would just cause me a lot of anxiety so I declined one.

[bazinga]

I didn't have the NT scan. My doctor didn't feel it was overly important and it would have required going to a different clinic from the one I usually go to and she also thought insurance wouldn't cover it. I did have the quad screen at 16 weeks and A/S at 21 weeks.

[Deleted]

I called and left a message. I guess we'll see what she says. I'm going to bet she doesn't recommend them for people without risk factors, which is just fine for me.

BTW, you guys are much nicer than my BMB. I asked the same question just to get more opinions and was almost flamed for asking a question they discussed a few WEEKS ago. Oy. They're scary over there.

[Velar Fricative]

It's standard at my doctor's office, so we did it.

[vmars]

Why would you be flamed?

They have new blood testing involving genetics leads to almost no false positives. I believe I had the harmony test. I had to go to a maternal fetal medicine office to have it done. It also can tell you the baby's gender. Oh and bonus ultrasound.

[browneyedgirl9]

I didnt choose to have it done. I could have requested to have it done, but after talking to my midwife and my husband decided against it. It would not have changed anything for us, and we still would have moved forward with the pregancy no matter what. I think it would have caused me to worry and freak out more, and I have heard of people who get false positives. We have the a/s scan in a few weeks, I am just praying for a healthy baby

[winemaker06]

I only opted for it because of family history.

But IRL, no one I asked has had it done. Half of my friends and coworkers didn't even know what it is. So I guess it seems common on boards like these, but it really isn't so common depending on age, risk factors, and maybe even area too.

[Deleted]

Aug 13, 2013 14:14:49 GMT -5 vmars said:

Why would you be flamed?

They have new blood testing involving genetics leads to almost no false positives. I believe I had the harmony test. I had to go to a maternal fetal medicine office to have it done. It also can tell you the baby's gender. Oh and bonus ultrasound.

I guess flamed would be the wrong word. Just looked down upon, I guess? The responses were really snippy. They 'already discussed this ad nauseaum a few weeks ago' and I guess there's a rule that a lurker can't ask questions that have already been covered (not really, I'm being sarcastic but you get the idea). 

[piaffe]

Also didn't do it will have an A/S

[Stingyshark]

I didn't have one done - I called about it; they said the OB doesn't order them unless the mother is at risk, or over a certain age. They don't do them in the office; so they would have to send out for it to be done.

[Jalapeñomel]

Nope. They don't do it in Lima.


And the Bump sucks...stAy over here.

[Deleted]

I didn't get one with my last pregnancy-- it was never mentioned. I might bring it up at my next appt (scheduled for 10 weeks 4 days) and see what they say. I have a feeling they don't do them unless you are high risk.

[Cheesecake]

We chose not to, even though I'm no spring chicken (just 1 year shy of AMA).

With us we know that whatever the result was, we wpuld want to keep the baby, and we wouldn't want more invasive teats done since we had trouble TTC and the risk of miscarriage for me with my health issues far exceeded the chances of an unhealthy baby at any age.
With not being able to do further testing with a negative result, the screening would likely only have made us more nervous than less - especially since the NT scan isn't a definite result, but just gives you stats.

It's such a personal decision though.I'd say you and YH should think about all the options and then decide whatever is the best choice for you - your life and personalities.

Sent from my Xperia Z, please don't mind typos!

[Deleted]

For those of you who did not get the NT scan because deemed low risk, I am wondering how old you are? Like are you below 30 or below 35? Just curious.

I will be 32 by my EDD and I was thinking that is close enough to 35 that I wanted the screening. I asked my dr about it at my last appt and she made it sound like it was optional. I requested it and it will be covered by insurance.

[Cheesecake]

I'm 34. And according to my RE back when I first saw her 'not at all old yet'.

Sent from my Xperia Z, please don't mind typos!

[VeryViolet]

I really hope you guys don't mind me posting over here as I am just a dirty lurker. I also really hope I am not overstepping and please feel free to flame me if I am. This is an issue that is super close to me as I am low risk, 28yo and had an NT Scan that discovered abnormalities.

First off I do think in some areas they are really common and other areas they are not. I had one done because my doctor recommends it to everyone since it isn't invasive.

I just wanted to say that Trismoy 21 (Down Syndrome) isn't the only abnormality they look for and there are a lot of pregnancy complications that can result from any issues. I just think that as it is a non-invasive procedure even if you know that termination isn't an option it is a good thing to have done. You then have the opportunity to not only prepare yourself emotionally but also to protect your health and your baby's health as much as possible if there is something wrong.

I really hope I don't scare anyone because that isn't my intention at all and I really hope I expressed what I am trying to say okay. If you don't want to have it done that is totally fine and I get it.

[SallySparrow]

I'm 28. My doc doesn't start "recommending" it until over 30. It's presented as an option, but we declined.

I feel like sometimes people feel the need to defend their choice re: this, like " I did it because" or "I didn't do it because". There's no right answer...definitely do what will make you most comfortable.

[blindyswife]

I also didn't do the NT scan, or any optional testing. I didn't want to pay extra, and I figured any major abnormalities would be discovered at the anatomy scan. I'm 30. When/if I have more kids, I may change my mind, depending on my age and doctors reccomendation.

Also Ruby, the BMB are brutal over there. If you aren't a reg, they'll harass you for posting anything. "Who are you? We don't know you so we don't care about your input/questions/advice." I haven't posted there because they're all crazies, but I occasionally lurk at the craziness. The latest thing on the Aug board is ladies (who aren't regs) posting their birth stories and getting ripped a new one because "no one cares about your story!" Bananas.

And VeryViolet right on topic with that, you are welcome to add your feedback here, even if you are a dirty lurker.

[VeryViolet]

Aug 13, 2013 15:29:30 GMT -5 sameoldash said:

and pshhh, VeryViolet. stop being a dirty lurker. you're pregnant just like the rest of us, silly!

Yeah but now I would have to dig myself out of the debbie downer persona I decided to break the ice with. I just like looking at all of your questions and filing away the answers for myself.

[Cheesecake]

Aug 13, 2013 15:37:17 GMT -5 VeryViolet said:

Aug 13, 2013 15:29:30 GMT -5 sameoldash said:

and pshhh, VeryViolet. stop being a dirty lurker. you're pregnant just like the rest of us, silly!

Yeah but now I would have to dig myself out of the debbie downer persona I decided to break the ice with. I just like looking at all of your questions and filing away the answers for myself.

No digging needed, just start an intro topic stating you're a pregnant former dirty lurker and you decided you want to come play

Sent from my Xperia Z, please don't mind typos!

[Cricket0619]

I chose not to.

[chicago]

Ruby, stay away from TB! Not worth it when we are way more fun over here!

[Jalapeñomel]

Aug 13, 2013 15:03:03 GMT -5 @missy1 said:

For those of you who did not get the NT scan because deemed low risk, I am wondering how old you are? Like are you below 30 or below 35? Just curious.

I will be 32 by my EDD and I was thinking that is close enough to 35 that I wanted the screening. I asked my dr about it at my last appt and she made it sound like it was optional. I requested it and it will be covered by insurance.

I'm 34, and the baby should be born before my 35th birthday...actually he better be born before then since my EDD is 2 weeks before my birthday.

[redpenmama]

I wasn't offered one. I could have done the blood test, but I declined it per my doctor's recommendation given that I am low risk (I am 32, so no spring chicken in fertility years). If I'm pregnant around/after 35, which is entirely possible because we want at least one more, then I would do the NT scan if offered (like others, not to terminate, just to be prepared).

[stealthmom]

Aug 13, 2013 14:14:49 GMT -5 vmars said:

Why would you be flamed?

They have new blood testing involving genetics leads to almost no false positives. I believe I had the harmony test. I had to go to a maternal fetal medicine office to have it done. It also can tell you the baby's gender. Oh and bonus ultrasound.

This is what I had done.  Over 99% accurate.  When I heard about the feed back that the quad screen gives you, I was all, Oh HELL no.  and amnio was too invasive, so blood test it was.

I got the results today.  It's nice to have the results with over 99% accuracy. 

[stealthmom]

Aug 13, 2013 15:20:48 GMT -5 VeryViolet said:

I really hope you guys don't mind me posting over here as I am just a dirty lurker. I also really hope I am not overstepping and please feel free to flame me if I am. This is an issue that is super close to me as I am low risk, 28yo and had an NT Scan that discovered abnormalities.

First off I do think in some areas they are really common and other areas they are not. I had one done because my doctor recommends it to everyone since it isn't invasive.

I just wanted to say that Trismoy 21 (Down Syndrome) isn't the only abnormality they look for and there are a lot of pregnancy complications that can result from any issues. I just think that as it is a non-invasive procedure even if you know that termination isn't an option it is a good thing to have done. You then have the opportunity to not only prepare yourself emotionally but also to protect your health and your baby's health as much as possible if there is something wrong.

I really hope I don't scare anyone because that isn't my intention at all and I really hope I expressed what I am trying to say okay. If you don't want to have it done that is totally fine and I get it.

I agree with all of this.  However, I still was not comfortable with the kind of results that the quad scan gives, which is why I opted for the blood test. Also not invasive, but over 99% accuracy.

I *really* bristle at the "we wouldn't do anything different" comments.  There is SO MUCH you can do now for babies before they're even born. Are you honestly saying if you found out something was wrong you wouldn't research it, find the best specialists to see after the birth, line up social services if you're eligible, just come to terms with the diagnosis yourself?  That's not to mention any medical steps you could take before the birth or immediately after.

I didn't do any genetic testing with my first b/c I thought I wouldn't do anything differently. But in the years since I've read many posts of parents whose child had an abnormality and were able to do LOTS of things differently (to effect a more positive result for the child and themselves) b/c they were informed ahead of time. It just seems like a win/win to me.

[Cheesecake]

As one of the people who said she wouldn't do anything different AND gave reasoning your comment kinda hurts me.
Of course I want what's best for my child, but stress and insecurity isn't all that great either and in my case (and for enough people, unfortunately) the risk of something bad happening due to testing is greater than the risk of anything actually being wrong that could be helped/bettered in utero.

Sent from my Xperia Z, please don't mind typos!