I am 13 weeks pregnant and had my first sonogram last Thursday. Everything looked great baby had strong heart beat of 165. Because of my age 36, my doctor had me take the panorama test to make sure the baby doesn't have any issues such as down syndrome. It takes 2 weeks for the results and I am also told I will find out the babies gender. I am worried about this test because back in 2013 I took the AFP quad test when I was pregnant with my son and it came back 1 in 10 chances of my baby having trisonomy 18, which is fatal for the baby. It was horrible worrying and I did not get to enjoy most of my pregnancy. Future tests and sonograms revealed my son was healthy but the stress while thinking something was wrong was terrible. Is the panorama test more accurate, I hope I can enjoy this pregnancy and not have to go thru that again
That is exactly why I refused to do any of the test with either of my pregnancies. And, nothing would have come back positive and be correct, but one is autistic which wouldn't have shown up.
I hope you are fine, and maybe forget you took the tests, don't ask for the results, and just be happy you are having a baby!
The Panorama tests the baby's actual cells drawn from your bloodstream. The test is 100% accurate since it's testing the baby's DNA, not ju at looking for possible indicators.
What does your doctor say?
Here's the thing- a huge percentage of those tests will lead to false "positive" results, meaning something that freaks you out but comes to nothing. I had a similar scare when they found choroid plexus cysts on my second baby's brain at the 18 week ultrasound. The presence of these cysts means about a 1% chance of trisomy 18. Which seems small, but when they say 1 in 100 it sounds terrifying. Trisomy 18 is extremely rare. I found out that the biggest telltale sign is that on ultrasound, a fetus with trisomy 18 will not open its fist. When I went in and saw his little hand open and shut, I knew he would be fine :) Honestly, I would wait for tests. Go in for that 18 week check, watch the hands. The best diagnostic tool is an amnio, if you must know, balance the 1% chance of causing a miscarriage and look into that option. Otherwise, don't worry unless they see something on the ultrasound like problems with the heart, kidneys, cleft palate, clubbed feet, and fisted hands. Trisomy 18 is really terrible ("not compatoble with life" as I was told) and usually diagnosed well before a delivery date.
I am also 13 weeks pregnant with my fourth and have decided to do no testing. I am now over 35 (37, to be exact) so I considered it, but after research and talking to friends, I didn't want to risk the false positive. My doc said these are all just screening tests, and while the test given over age 35 are more accurate, they are still not foolproof. The only thing that is accurate is an amnio. I've had friends get false positives and stress out, only to find out later that all was well. At any rate, I was told at age 37 that I still have a less than 2% chance to have a baby with a chormosome issue...so over 98% chance that the baby will be fine. I was surprised by this, but confirmed it with both a geneticist and my OB. So, the odds are in your favor! Best of luck with this pregnancy and I hope all the test come back with good news. I know it's hard not to worry about all this, and wonder which path to take! It's nervewracking!
