Having picked up K___'s pregnancy pack from the GP, we've both had a look through to see what's in store. The main thing coming up is tests.
At roughly 15 weeks, they will carry out a 'quad test'. This is a blood test carried out on the mother and investigates whether certain markers appear in the blood. Depending on the levels of chemicals detected, it will be possible to determine that Down Syndrome, Spina Bifida and other potential problems. Even if detected, there is no guarantee that the foetus has a problem, but it does indicate more testing is required.
We have decided that we will probably ask to have an additional test called a Nuchal Fold Scan. This is a non-invasive procedure that can detect potential abnormalities in the fetus, again including Down Syndrome. However it can be carried out some weeks earlier - about 11 weeks.
K___'s uncle had Down Syndrome and although it is highly unlikely that there is any danger of it being hereditary, we want to know.
This might seem like a bit of a sober post, and thought there are obviously sobering aspects, the chances of anything being wrong are very low. More importantly, the advent of testing and scans seems to make the whole thing a bit more concrete.
At roughly 15 weeks, they will carry out a 'quad test'. This is a blood test carried out on the mother and investigates whether certain markers appear in the blood. Depending on the levels of chemicals detected, it will be possible to determine that Down Syndrome, Spina Bifida and other potential problems. Even if detected, there is no guarantee that the foetus has a problem, but it does indicate more testing is required.
We have decided that we will probably ask to have an additional test called a Nuchal Fold Scan. This is a non-invasive procedure that can detect potential abnormalities in the fetus, again including Down Syndrome. However it can be carried out some weeks earlier - about 11 weeks.
K___'s uncle had Down Syndrome and although it is highly unlikely that there is any danger of it being hereditary, we want to know.
This might seem like a bit of a sober post, and thought there are obviously sobering aspects, the chances of anything being wrong are very low. More importantly, the advent of testing and scans seems to make the whole thing a bit more concrete.
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