Monday, June 8, 2009

First trimester/NT screening results

I wanted to post our first trimester/NT test results here, in case people are looking for data points or information. For anyone unfamiliar with the process, the screening consists of an ultrasound and a blood test, which they smash together to give you your odds of having a baby with Down's Syndrome or Trisomy 18.

The kicker is that the test is only a screening, and it's only 85 percent (or so) accurate. The only definitive way to know if your baby has one of these abnormalities is via amniocentesis (otherwise known as "the big old needle in the belly"), which has its own set of risks. But, it can be a good way to determine if you might want to consider amnio, which was kind of our reason for doing it. That, and who's going to pass up the chance to have another look at that cute little nugget??

Anyway, so our ultrasound last Thursday went well. They measured the baby's neural tube (a small area at the back of the neck). If your measurement is above a certain range, it increases your risk of Down's or Trisomy 18. The range changes depending on gestational age. We were at 12 weeks, and our measurement was a "normal" .08 cm. We found that out right away.

Then I got some blood drawn. The doctor asked me if I was OK with the sight of blood, and I was like "Honey, unless you're taking more than 13 vials, I'm not even going to bat an eyelash." Don't these doctors know what they're dealing with when they draw from us IVFers? I almost ENJOY having blood taken at this point.

But I digress. I gave the blood, we waited a few days, and then got our results. They were also good, and bumped us to a 1 in 4,700 chance of having a baby with Down's (up from the standard-by-my-age-of-33 odds of 1:290) and a 1:10,000 chance of having a baby with Trisomy 18 (up from 1:1000).

So we're pretty happy with that. I can't believe I need to wait another 5 weeks to have another look, but I suppose I'll have to get by somehow.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Glad it went well!

Anonymous said...

Congrats on the great numbers! :)

K said...

Yay! I love reading good news. :)

Teresa @ Grammy Girlfriend said...

Congratualtions...I loved reading your blog today. It has been so much fun making new friends through the blog world. This is my fourth month to have a blog. I am amazed at all the unique and fun sites. I am posting about our recent Disney trip and have a couple more posts about our visit with the "Mouse" ....then I will have more than a few posts about a new "grandson" arriving in just a couple of weeks...

Emily said...

Congrats on some kick-ass results! Yay for baby barefoot! my nt is tomorrow so this post was extra special informative tonight! thanks :)

Carrie said...

WOOT WOOT! I am so glad the baby is doing SO well in there! That is a long time to wait for the next u/s, and I would hate waiting, too. I could totally enjoy weekly scans. :)

So happy for you!!!

A said...

Yayyy Thats great news! Congratulations! :)

Michele said...

great nrws!

Flower said...

That is great news...glad all is well

Me said...

Great results. I'm glad the tests went well. And, I totally know what you mean about having your blood drawn. I almost look forward to it as sick as that sounds. Ha!

Tracy said...

Great news!! So when will you be "Barefoot and Pregnant"? :)

Anonymous said...

Great results. you must be relieved.

SS said...

congratulations!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on your pregnancy! I've been following your blog for awhile, and couldn't be more excited for you. I started an online resource for expectant parents at Barefoot & Pregnant www.barefootandpregnant.com - that's how I first came across your blog (similar names and all). I think your story and content would be a great experience to share with our community. I'd love to discuss it with you further if you are interested! Sorry for the long comment, but I couldn't find another way to reach you on the blog. :) stacy@barefootandpregnant.com

My Endo Journey said...

So glad to hear about your results!! :)

Anonymous said...

Great news! We have our NT ultrasound on Tuesday so this was great to hear how yours went.

Good luck with the traveling - I'm sure you will, but be sure to drink a ton of water. Flying is the worst for dehydration - ugh.