Question about prenatal tests

[VSilva]

I'm about 17 weeks and my doctor wants to do a blood test for the AFP triple screen- has anyone done this or turned it down?
I know people who have gotten false positives on this test- which causes worry and more tests and stress-
I asked my doctor what they could do if the test came up positive for any problems and she said they could just monitor me more closely- this to me does not sound worthwhile- does anyone else have experience to share?
Thanks for all of the great posts btw- they have really helped me as a first-timer :)

[Erin Pavlina]

I declined the AFP in my last pregnancy and in this one too (I'm 18 weeks along now). The high rate of false positives seems like a good reason to skip it.

Basically it is used to detect spina bifida and down's syndrome and other genetic disorders. But they told me they could detect these same things via ultrasound. Since we were alredy getting an ultrasound, I didn't see a point to taking the AFP test.

Plus, a lot of women end up with an amnio when they get a false positive from the AFP, only to find out the baby is fine and they worried for nothing, AND there is a chance of miscarriage with an amnio.

So, you are right to question the necessity of the AFP.

Are you guys planning to get an ultrasound?

[VSilva]

Thanks Erin- it is good to hear someone else with similar reasoning- the nurse in the office seemed bewildered that I didn't want the test :)
We will have another ultrasound- I've already had two plus a Doppler to hear the heartbeat.
They were talking about maybe doing a more detailed ultrasound since we declined the AFP test- has anyone taken one of these?

[Erin Pavlina]

Yes, we got the more detailed ultraound which was fine with me. :)

My doctor this time around also looked shocked when I declined the test. I told her about the high false positive rates and she said she had never heard that. Lordy.

[HeatherG]

Hi. I am currently 21 weeks pregnant. I had a Quad test done, which is the same as the triple test but the lab my doctor uses offers the Quad. Anyway, my AFP came back abnormal. It was 1 in 194 for Downs. We then did the amnio and the results came back that I am having a perfectly healthy baby girl. I was a complete wreck for 3.5 weeks waiting for the results. If they had come back possitive there is nothing the doctors could do but tell me the baby had downs. So it is totally up to you, there are alot of false possitives and amnios are risky.

[Jen]

I am 21 weeks and declined the triple screen.
My doctors were very cool with my decision. Dh and I decided that we wouldn't do anything if the test turned up abnormally, and since I'm a worrier anyway, why give me one more thing to woory about?

We did have a routine ultrasound @ 18 weeks and everything looks great with our daughter!

Good luck!

[kykarraliv]

I am refusing the triple screening. This test has a too high of false results for me. I would not change my course anyway if I had a positive come up anyway. I am also not have a routine ultrasound. So this baby will most likely be a suprise as to wether it is a boy or girl. :)

[Christa]

I did have the triple screen done with both of my girls. I know that there is a risk of false positives, but thought that I would want to know for my hubbie's sake if we had an increased risk - he was highly stressed. Yes, they can detect spina bifida via u/s, but Down's syndrome is not so easy to see on an ultrasound. Sometimes they see things that are suspicious, but the triple or quad screen is much more accurate on detecting Downs.

If they had come back as increased risk, I don't know if I would have gone on an had an amnio, though b/c of the risk of miscarriage and complications from the procedure (again, this is still small).

Initially I had thought that I wouldn't do the triple screen b/c I wouldn't abort even if there was something wrong, & figured that this was the only reason to know. However, someone did point out to me that if you knew ahead of time that your child might have a disability, you would have all of that time before s/he was born to research treatment options & get over the sadness. I thought that this would be worthwhile so that I wouldn't have a problem bonding due to disappointment or whatever - I know that something could have still been wrong, but it was some reassurance.