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.