Positive Quad Screen - Coatesville,PA

I think you have to understand the terminology. There is no "positive," and "negative." There is HIGH risk, or LOW risk. That is not the same as positive. You are at an elevated risk, but that doesn't necessarily mean much. I was around the same risk as you, and I was in my mid twenties when my son was conceived. He is great!! If you feel you need 100%, get the amnio. Now, there are a lot of people who will say "If you are going to keep the baby, why get the amnio?" Well, some people want to be prepared. There are certain things that babies with disabilities need immediately after birth. There are also people who simply want to be prepared for the unique challenges. I would not stress too much. The high risk Dr. I went to, said those tests are so flawed. The great majority that come to him, end up having very normal babies.

My mom's friend tested positive. Her dr. even implied that it would be an okay option to abort. People would understand. She decided to keep the baby. Her marriage was very stressed over the decision. The baby was born with very mild, high functioning CP and no Downs.

I refused that test with all my children. I would have never NOT went through with the pregnancy and I didn't want the stress. Our child that had downs passed away. I miss her beyond words and would love to have her with us now. Suffering through her death was incredibly hard, but I would never choose to not have had the experience of her life. I will pray all goes well.

i had a positive 1st trimester screen.. 3 blood markers were tested at the time.. several years ago.. had the ultrasound.. baby looked fine.. had the amnio .. chromosomes were normal.. my son is 4 and perfectly fine and healthy.. the screening test is not a good test. causes a lot of heartache.

First, stop using the word "positive" and remember that the accurate phrase would be "increased risk".

My ratio for Trisomy 18 was 1:<4 with my fifth baby. Yes, that's one in less than four. He is almost 8 months old, and his biggest "defect" is that he can't eat milk proteins. ;-)

1:19 means that nearly 95% of women with the same results as yours have had genetically "normal" babies.

I did not do the blood screening because our doctor explained that the US measurement method was accurate but slower. MANY mothers get false responses from the Quad. I know it's tough but try to relax.

The other responders who have said there is no positive and negative from the Quad screen are correct. The only test that can give you a clear positive/negative for Downs and other genetic issues is the amniocentesis. I skipped all other tests and had the amnio done, to avoid just this kind of stress caused by unknowns.

Also, from your other posts, you are 40 years old? That would put you at a 1 in 85 risk for Downs (I had my daughter at age 40). It sounds like you have a lot of questions for your doctor to answer. I would especially ask them why in the world they are leaving this kind of info in a VM?!! I would be PO'd to say the least. Hang in there!

I totally agree with the ladies below who have said that this is NOT NOT NOT NOT a "positive" or "negative" test. It represents the "odds" or the level of risk you have.

If your odds are 1 in 19, 18 babies are going to be healthy. That's still pretty good odds, I think.

My sister-in-law had the Down's screening come back positive for both of her pregnancies. Neither one has Down's-in fact my niece is leaving for college to become a pediatric neurologist so I think they really had some reliability issues with the testing. My nephew is in all honors classes and the doctors were convinced he had it, especially since it runs in our family. They were considering aborting him but thank goodness changed their mind.
Remember that they are "practicing" medicine. They still don't have it down yet. : )

2 of my 3 came up with a pretty high risk of downs. I don't remember the numbers though. Both of them were born full term, completely healthy, happy and are now 7 & 2. It's based on a mathematical equation and nothing else. Lots of averages. Age has a lot to do with things. If your dates aren't what they think they should be it can give you wrong results. All 3 of my pregnancies did not go to 40wks, I never had 28 day cycles, I practically never if ever ovulate on day 14. More like 21-24 day cycles, I ovulate around day 10, even day 6. So the small window (what..2 weeks)when those tests are supposed to be run aren't the same for me. When I went to see the genetic counselor and answered a list of questions my risk dropped substantially.
We almost didn't do the testing with my second 2 and both of them came back with what turned out to be a false positive. Kinda wish we didn't. What a pain in the behind!
I wish they'd stop those blood tests and just skip to the ultrasound for everyone to save a ton of panic in families. It would be so much easier!

Those tests are terribly inaccurate. I tested positive twice with my two middle children. I refused the test for my fourth pregnancy. I did not have any issues with any of my four pregnancies. The most accurate thing to do is have an u/s. They had wanted me to have an amnio, but I refused, due to the higher risk of a m/c after them. I do have a friend who had a negative test and had a down syndrome baby. This test is essentially a guessing game. It measures a certain type of protein, which sometimes if you are at the wrong week, if you are having multiple births or just putting out more will result in a positive test. They are one of the most inaccurate tests out there.

You are at an increased risk of having a trisomy 21 baby. If you want to know for sure, you need to have an amniocentesis. That is the only test that will tell you (other than waiting and seeing what happens). I skipped all the other testing and just did the amniocentesis since it is the most accurate predictor of genetic anomalies. You should be able to call your doctor's office and speak with a genetic counselor. At the hospital I had my amnio you spoke with a genetic counselor before doing any of the tests so you would understand what options would be at each stage.

A friend of mine just tested positive, but the ultrasound showed everything was normal. False positive. I'm not sure if it's on the same scale, but it was for SLOS. I never got those tests done myself (mutually agreed between me and my husband)... being pregnant was stressful enough for me!

I was told 1in5 for 18, then later called ... after the freak out and nearing the termination decision that the results were mixed up ... then I cried for the other mother's results and child - turns out there were two women with the same due date and same name and same gender in the same office at the same time ... she also was two doors down at the same hospital HOW ODD eh? So, before the total freak out I would call to confirm the results, ask to re test if possible or have the amnio done and prepare yourself from there. I would understand any choice you made with this information and I hope you are coping well.

Hi Late July,
From what you wrote, I think you had the first trimester screen (aka NT screen or ultrascreen) because that is normally done around 10-13 weeks. The Quad screen is done between 15-20 weeks. The detection rate for Down Syndrome with the first trimester screen is about 91% with a 5% false positive rate. If they looked to see if a nasal bone is present, the detection rate is about 95% with a 2% false positive rate. The only way to know for sure at this point is to have an amniocentesis. Hope this helps and is not too overwhelming.

A little over 9 years ago I tested positive for a Down's screening. At that time I made the decision to move forward and not do any further testing because it could potentially be fatal to my baby. I decided that I would rather have a baby with downs syndrome than no baby at all. My son is almost 9 and extemely healthy and extremely smart and in the top of his class at school and..............he does not have even the slightest touch of Downs. This was the best and smartest decision I ever made in my life. Obviously this is a real personal decision..........I made the right one. I wish you and your baby well.

These are notoriously wrong. They very often turn up false positives. Many people refuse to do them at all because they very often lead to further testing which is unnecessary. Or, sometimes to abortion if a woman is fearful of delivering a Downs baby. I think the test should be outlawed. They usually only lead to stress and fear. Without warrant.

When I was expecting a few years ago at age 38, I had the NT ultrasound and was told my risk of a baby with Down's Syndrome was 1 in 15. My risk simply based on my age should have been closer to 1 in 250 (to the best of my recollection). A good way to understand your risk as calculated by these results is this: if you had a room full of 20 moms who were the same age as you, 19 of their babies would not have Down's and 1 would. As someone else pointed out, there is a 95% chance that your baby does not have Down's.
In my situation, a CVS confirmed that the baby was genetically normal. Stay calm, have further testing if it will help you in your particular case, and be gentle with yourself. The results from a CVS or amnio are not immediate, so at best you are in for a couple of weeks of waiting to find out.
Best of luck, no matter what happens.

It is confusing to interpret the results of these, but others are correct that there isn't a 'positive' or 'negative' for these, but just a risk ratio. A genetic counselor should explain this to you in detail. If you don't already have an appointment with the genetic counselling office at your hospital, please call your OB's office and ask for a referral. They should get you in very quickly, because the risks of certain tests are higher the later you get them.

There are 2 followup tests that can tell you for sure: CVS and amniocentesis. They work the same way and both carry a small risk of miscarriage. But CVS is safer the earlier you get it. If you miss the CVS window, then you can decide if you want the amnio. So please make the appointment ASAP, so that you can make an informed decision about whether or not to have followup tests, and which test is best for you and your baby.

I forget my odds, but I know with my oldest they said it was possible and with my twins on of the twins was at a higher risk. None of my boys have Downs. I am thinking it had something to do with them all having cleft lip and palate. My sister in law was told her oldest boy 100% had Downs throughout her whole pregnancy, Evan was born perfectly healthy and without Downs.

I will say this about the amnio testing, PLEASE REALLY DO YOUR RESEARCH AND REALLY THINK ABOUT IF IT IS WORTH THE RISK!!! My perinatologist and both OB's, i went to a different OB with my twins, all told me that there is a 1 in 500 chance of miscarraige with an amnio!! To my husband and I those odds were to risky. We choose to not do the amnio and just did the blood work testing.

At this point worrying is only going to make you sick and even though I know how hard it is to not worry or play what if, it doesnt help. Just pray, try to relax and talk to your doc tomorrow!!