I sit here thinking about how suddenly
it all seems so real.
We are finally pregnant and our family
is going to expand by two feet.
I feel so very blessed and so very fortunate.
This is finally happening for us.
The next decision to be made in this pregnancy
is whether or not we will have the “triple screen test”,
during the 16th to 18th week of our pregnancy.
For the screening, a sample of blood is drawn from me
to measure three basic things: the levels of hCG
(human chorionic gonadotropin) and estriol,
which are produced by the placenta,
and the level of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP),
which is produced by the baby.
The levels of these three substances
can help doctors identify a baby at risk
for certain birth defects such as neural
tube defects like spina bifida or
chromosomal abnormalities like Down syndrome.
We have heard that there are more “false” results and
many go on to have an unnecessary amneosentesis.
I am not interested. I don’t want to take the risk
of the amneosentesis. Our Dr. tells us that
1 in 300 pregnancies result in an “abnormal” baby and
1 in 100 amneosentesis result in miscarriage.
I’ll take the 1 in 300.
He also said, “Interstingly, most couples who have difficulty
getting pregnant don’t take the test.”
{ 3 comments }
glad to see you are taking the 1 in 300.
hmmm…don’t know why that posted twice…weird…lol
Funny, we’re are in that very same discussion in our house…
We took the test for our very smart 2 year old and it came back fine so no further discussion was needed. But we are going through the debate once again…
It’s a tough one. But we also know that we don’t want any part of amnio…
Funny though, my test is being done earlier…first bloodwork is done at 12 weeks, followed by an ultrasound the next day, then a 2nd group of bloodwork done at 16 weeks….
The only thing that is making me lean towards yes is that I get an ultrasound a few weeks early 😉 (we’re going to find out the sex this time)…
It’s all still up in the air. Good luck with whatever you decide…