Monday, November 9, 2009

Prenatal Testing: Would You?

There are so many things that you can get screened and tested for when you're pregnant. I actually don't know most of them because we are not so big into the prenatal screening. Here are some of the things you can test for: spina bifida, cleft palate, downs syndrome, sickle cell anemia, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia. Our main reason is that no matter what we found out about baby, it would not make a difference--we would not consider abortion. In some ways, knowing that baby might have different or special needs might be good for mental preparation, but then again, many of the tests have false positives. Also, many require amniocentesis, which has a number of risks. Rob and I feel comfortable waiting and trusting that the baby we get is the baby God is giving us, and he'll give us what we need to care for him or her.

What about you? Have you, are you, or would you undergo the various prenatal tests that are available now?
at 9:49 PM

5 comments:

  1. with my first three babies, i had the triple screen (blood test). with my third pregnancy, i had a positive for down syndrome which we followed with a higher level ultrasound. prior to the ultrasound, we had a meeting with a generic consultant which explained that my age (37) automatically put me on the "positive" side of the scoring. at the end, my chance of having a down baby was almost the same as having a miscarriage through an amnio. we skipped the amnio. i had a false positive but we went through a tense week waiting for the ultrasound appointment. with my 4th pregnancy at 40, i skipped the blood test so my doctor recommended a higher level ultrasound for a closer look.

    the result would never change our mind about the baby but i think we would like to know to be prepared. i think we would do more testings if there were indications of abnormalities in the heart/lung.
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  2. The medical community does a terrible job of explaining what screening is. Screening is not a diagnostic test; it is a process that reorganizes the group being screened into those at high risk, and those at lower risk. Those in the higher risk group (the 'screen positive') simply have a higher risk. The vast majority of them still do not have any of the conditions being screened for. Even if you know you would never terminate a pregnancy, screening is worthwhile because of the additional information that it provides to the caregivers. Outcomes can be improved in some cases by prenatal (or immediate postnatal) intervention, and this can only be done if the condition of the child is known in advance. As well, some of the markers used in prenatal screening will alert the physicians to the possibility of other complications, such as pre-eclampsia, which is potentially fatal to the mother if not detected and treated. There is no downside to screening, as long as screening is understood for what it is and what it offers.
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  3. I chose (or am going to) to test for anything that the baby might have that might influence my choice in pediatrician. If they had turned out to have cystic fibrosis, I would want to have a specialist lined up.
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  4. nope and nope! same as you...
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  5. There are some good points on here I hadn't thought about. I definitely would want to have a doctor lined up ahead of time if I needed them. I would never do amnio though, unless there was a super compelling reason, and my midwife doesn't consider age as high risk, so for her to recommend, it would be a big thing. I feel pretty comfortable with our choices, but I do think every woman needs to decide, and then weigh the risks of any given tests, and the benefits if they find out an answer.
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