At 16 Weeks (around Nov 17th) I went to my OB for the normal routine 16 week check up. They took a few vials of blood to test for this, that, and the other. Nothing to worry about, or so I thought. A week later my doctors office calls me back, the blood test came back abnormal and want me to come in and discuss, so I made an appointment for the next day (Nov. 23, the day before Thanksgiving, and the day we leave for NJ). My doctor told my that the combination of different markers in my blood indicated that my baby had at 1:10 chance of having Down Syndrome. The alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), unconjugated estriol (uE3), and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) make up the standard tests, known together as the "triple test." Sometimes a marker called inhibin A is added, making the "quadruple screen." These tests are independent measurements, and when taken along with the maternal age, can calculate the risk of having a baby with Down syndrome (For more info click here). The doctor wanted to discuss my options and wanted to know what I would do with this information. I've waited so long for this baby, there was no way that I was gonna terminate this pregnancy, but I still wanted to know if the baby had Down Syndrome. I wanted to have the heads up so that I can do everything in my power to take care of my child, no matter what. So Tim and I decided to have an Amniocentesis done to know for sure. We called the Genetics & IVF Center in Fairfax to make an appointment. We were able to get in for the following Monday (Nov. 28th).
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