Ultrascreen not possible

I went for my second try at the Ultrascreen on Friday. Once again, they tried for about an hour but the baby would not go into the proper position. They brought a doctor in to talk to me. He said that he got a measurement but it was not accurate enough for the lab to accept it. He said that the measurement that he got was definitely not abnormal, but it was not truly accurate. They did not take my blood and they will send a report back to my Dr.

I agree 100% that we gave this enough effort and this test was not meant to be for me. I was being poked at and prodded to try to "shift" the baby. I never thought I would have pain after a sonogram!!!!!

I will be speaking to my doctor about whether to go for further testing. My options are: 1. no further tests 2. take the AFP and then decide 3. amnio. I am in my late 30s. I would not have gone for further testing if the Ultrascreen had shown a lower risk than the norm for my age.

I would appreciate any insight that does not start an argument over prenatal testing. Feel free to FM if you are more comfortable giving me any insight that way.

Re: Ultrascreen not possible

In this case...my personal opinion would be to talk it over with your doctor and DH. You have three options available - which is pretty good. For me, I would want to talk to my doctor - knowing how well she knows me as well as all of her experience would make me feel better getting her opinions on it. The hard part is the "it's up to you comment" - they you are right back where you started.

I'm sorry it's not much help - but my advice is to sit with your doc first and then see if that helps you make a decision. I think I would have done the AFP and gone from there if this was my situation.

Good Luck!

Re: Ultrascreen not possible

Re: Ultrascreen not possible

You need to talk to your dr. Then talk to your DH and see what you are both most confortable doing.

I personally skipped the ultrascreen and had an amnio.

Re: Ultrascreen not possible

Kerie, I fm'd you about this over the weekend...go with your gut though & also see what your dr. says.



Hope you're feeling better.

Re: Ultrascreen not possible

Talk with the doctor about all the options. Make a list of pros and cons. Ultimately, it comes down to what you and DH want. Personally, I wouldn't discuss it with any family, so you two can come to a true decision.

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Thanks!!!! We have been leaning toward skipping the AFP and going straight for the amnio but I want to talk to my doctor. I know, it may not make sense to some people, because I I would not terminate the pregnancy unless my child had a diagnosis that meant that he/she would not survive the first few months or a diagnosis that meant a very painful life. I would be going through with the test because I believe that there are valid reasons to know ahead of time if there is going to be a disability.

I just don't know if the Ultrascreen doctor telling me that everything looks fine should be enough or if an amnio is worth the risk being that I am unlikely to terminate the pregnancy. If I were under 35, I would probably not go for any further testing. Maybe I feel this way b/c a friend had a false AFP positive (a while ago and I don't know if the test has changed).

Re: Ultrascreen not possible

ETA Thanks to everyone for not telling me to try again at the Ultrascreen. It's great to see the baby on the screen but it became too frustrating!!!!!!

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At 34 and the fact that I already have a child with Down Syndrome my doctor really wanted me to have an amnio...

B/c abortion wasnt going to be an option any way my DH and I decided to wait for the Ultrascreen and AFP results to decide whether or not we were going to have an amnio...

We received great results on both and we are having our Level II tomorrow..should the Level II show something to be "wrong" we will have an amnio once the viability of the baby is sufficient.

Re: Ultrascreen not possible

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Not a major update, but we are going to sit down with my doctor and discuss ALL options. I've talked to some friends who have children and I am amazed that they don't know of the various tests, that they didn't consider the risks or that they didn't ask questions. I know that too much information is not always good, but we feel that we need to have a conversation with my doctor.

Message edited 5/2/2007 6:57:42 PM.

Re: Ultrascreen not possible

I don't really have much to offer except because I know how frustrating and overwhelming all the testing options can be.

Re: Ultrascreen not possible

I think a lot of people just assume you need an amnio if you are over 35, and don't ask many questions or consider it carefully, as you pointed out.

DH and I are going to see a genetic counselor first to get some info about our overall risk and the tests available. I'm having my Nuchal (?? forgetting the name) soon, but beyond that, I'm not sure how much more I want to do. Like you, I would only terminate if something was terribly wrong with the baby and he/she would face a life of pain, but that's my choice.

I agree with the other posts. You and DH need to find out what your options are and then decide.

It's hard isn't it? When I spoke to my mother recently, she was noting how much things have changed. There were none of these tests when she had us, and no ultrasounds either. I'm not sure if they make things easier or more difficult...

Re: Ultrascreen not possible

I agree that the best thing to do ist for you to talk to your Dr & see which option works best for you. Since you have a fourth option to get the level II and then an amnio, there is more to consider, and I will tell you that the Level II is quite thorough, especially if you go to a sono place that has a high-risk Dr available to talk to you in the event that the tech finds something questionable.

Good luck no matter what you decide....it is not an easy choice.

Re: Ultrascreen not possible

You and DH really need to discuss this after you speak with your doctor. The rest I will leave to FM

Re: Ultrascreen not possible

Just wanted to offer you some support- talking to your Dr is the best thing you can do.
hang in there- this is probably one of the hardest decisions hug: