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pjay
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Member since 5/07 1551 total posts
Name:
PJAY
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afp, triple, quad
are these tests all pretty much the same? at how many weeks are they given?
i am debating on getting an amnio tomorrow 16 weeks or just wait for afp, triple, quad then decide to get amnio or not.
any advice?
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Posted 7/15/08 9:52 AM  |
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kerrycec03
Mom of 2 beautiful boys!!
Member since 6/06 13519 total posts
Name:
Kerry
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Re: afp, triple, quad
I have no idea what any of them are.
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| Posted 7/15/08 9:53 AM |
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mikeswife06
Drama Momma
Member since 9/06 9947 total posts
Name:
Anne
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Re: afp, triple, quad
The ultrascreen is at 12 weeks. It is the preliminary screening for DS and Trisomy 18. It is non-invasive, a sono and a blood test and poses no risk to mother or fetus. The quad screen/AFP is at 16 weeks. It is a blood test, again non-invasive and poses no risk. It tests 4 levels (quad) of things in your blood looking for DS as well as neural tue defects. A CVS is an invasive test done between 12 and 15 weeks which they insert a needle to get placental tissue and test for DS. It is done sooner than the amnio but a tad more risky. An amnio is done between 15 and 18 by inserting a needle into the abdomen and testing the amniotic fluid.
If your Ultrascreen and AFP come back normal there is no reason really to get the other invasive tests. You don't need to get any test really, but most people get the ultrascreen and AFP.
Why are you considering the amnio? Abnormal ulatrascreen results? Age?
Message edited 7/15/2008 10:01:52 AM.
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| Posted 7/15/08 10:01 AM |
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Goobster
:)
Member since 5/07 27557 total posts
Name:
:)
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Re: afp, triple, quad
http://www.arupconsult.com/Topics/PerinatalDz/PrenatalScreenDx.html Scroll to the bottom for test explanations. I found this link last week, it explains the tests.
To answer your question, I had a decent ultrascreen. I just had the quad screen done last week (pending results). If the quad screen comes back good, I will not get an amnio. If the quadscreen comes back abnormal, I will discuss with my dr if a level 2 sono may be enough or an amnio would be better. I can't make any decisions until then. Just sharing my experience, only you can decide what's right for you.
Message edited 7/15/2008 10:05:00 AM.
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| Posted 7/15/08 10:02 AM |
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pjay
YAY! I CAN WRITE HERE....
Member since 5/07 1551 total posts
Name:
PJAY
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Re: afp, triple, quad
well i am considering amnio b.c my DS risk increased from ultrascreen but i prefer something non-invasive b/c of all the false positives. so i am wondering if I should get quad screen before amnio. I will be 16 weeks thurs. if my quad came back normal i would obviosuly not get amnio but if it still put me at increased risk, i would get amnio. is this a good plan or should i just suck it up and get amnio? my risk for DS for my age is 1:311 but it increased to 1:125 b/c of a blood level. i dunno,,, anyone have any ideas?
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| Posted 7/15/08 10:18 AM |
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Goobster
:)
Member since 5/07 27557 total posts
Name:
:)
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Re: afp, triple, quad
Posted by pjay
well i am considering amnio b.c my DS risk increased from ultrascreen but i prefer something non-invasive b/c of all the false positives. so i am wondering if I should get quad screen before amnio. I will be 16 weeks thurs. if my quad came back normal i would obviosuly not get amnio but if it still put me at increased risk, i would get amnio. is this a good plan or should i just suck it up and get amnio? my risk for DS for my age is 1:311 but it increased to 1:125 b/c of a blood level. i dunno,,, anyone have any ideas?
There are a lot of reasons the blood work can be off. That's the tricky part. So the quad could come back amazing b/c some time has gone by for matters to resolve themselves. I know a few people who all had test results that showed DS possibility, and none of the babies had it at all. So blood tests can be very misleading. Amnio is definitive, however, if the quad screen and the level 2 come back good, then you can have much more peace of mind.
Don't forget, level 2 can also be helpful in combination with the quad screen results. I had my quad screen drawn at 16w5d. I am very nervously awaiting the results, but only until I get them can I decide what to do. My level 2 is at week 20 but I am pretty sure if the quad came back abnormal, they would push up the level 2 to see what they could see, so you can make a decision in a timely manner if you really want to get an amnio then. If the quad is normal, then the level 2 will stay at 20 weeks.
I would say getting the quad screen would not be foolish, and then you can take it from there. But please keep in mind, BW really can be falsely abnormal for many reasons.
Message edited 7/15/2008 10:27:38 AM.
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| Posted 7/15/08 10:25 AM |
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Lauren82
LIF Adult
Member since 10/06 4580 total posts
Name:
L
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Re: afp, triple, quad
I believe that the ultrascreen is viewed as more accurate than any of the other blood tests...my doctor felt more strongly that I use the ultrascreen results to base decisions than use the afp test results (due to the higher risk of false positives than on the ultrascreen, I believe)...good luck with your decision...
ETA: you can also ask for a true Level II ultrasound (as opposed to an anatomy scan, which I discovered this pregnancy that many doctor do instead) with a perinatologist...this was very reassuring to us when we decided against an amnio but had abnormal triplescreen results
Message edited 7/15/2008 10:29:19 AM.
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| Posted 7/15/08 10:26 AM |
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Goobster
:)
Member since 5/07 27557 total posts
Name:
:)
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Re: afp, triple, quad
Posted by Lauren82
I believe that the ultrascreen is viewed as more accurate than any of the other blood tests...my doctor felt more strongly that I use the ultrascreen results to base decisions than use the afp test results (due to the higher risk of false positives than on the ultrascreen, I believe)...good luck with your decision...
My dr feels that combining the ultrascreen with the quad screen gives the best overall picture and best overall lack of a false positive.
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| Posted 7/15/08 10:28 AM |
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Katie111806
Team Pink!
Member since 12/06 5349 total posts
Name:
Katie
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Re: afp, triple, quad
Posted by Goobster
Posted by Lauren82
I believe that the ultrascreen is viewed as more accurate than any of the other blood tests...my doctor felt more strongly that I use the ultrascreen results to base decisions than use the afp test results (due to the higher risk of false positives than on the ultrascreen, I believe)...good luck with your decision...
My dr feels that combining the ultrascreen with the quad screen gives the best overall picture and best overall lack of a false positive.
Same here. The combined scores of the ultra and quad screens give the greatest percentage of accuracy. If you are choosing to do one or another than I think the ultrascreen is more accurate alone than the quad.
To the OP the quad tests for 4 abnormalities including AFP. Some docs do the AFP on its own without testing for the other 3. The other 3 make up the triple screen. The quad screen is the newest term that incorporates them all.
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| Posted 7/15/08 11:28 AM |
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