Pregnancy Info HOME

According to our genetics counselor it has 29% false positive which makes it practically useless.

Michelle- Those tests are known to be wrong. With my last baby I did the AFP and they said that everything was normal and during my 22 week ultrasound we found out or little girl had Spina Bifida and hydrcephalus. Dont lose hope they should be able to confirm or deny the Downs via ultrasound.

We opted not to take that test b/c there was a chance that it would give false positives. Good luck. Try to stay positive.

My doctor said many false positives are due to miscalculated due dates or twins. levels can be off if the baby is further or less along than you think

My AFP test gave a positive result, so my OB sent it back for a re-test. The 2nd time it came back negative, and 5 months later we had a perfectly healthy baby boy. The tests seem to be inaccurate... ultrasounds at 20+ weeks are a better bet.

yes iv had the test and it came back positive and then a few weeks later i made them retest and it came back normal all that test is is to see if you carry a horomone in your blood that may predict it to be possible to carry a downs baby but the test are 15% out of 100 ! so i would worry !

hi every body, im 18 weeks pregnant and my afp test result showed that im having high risk of down syndrome. yesterday i did amniocentesis and ultrasound andwaiting for result. i just want to ask all of you that how much accurate afp test .is it the more chances that im having down's or i hv still hopes. plz share ur experience.

Im 22 years old and I just got my AFP results back and they read I was at higher risk in having a Spina Bifida baby boy. Is there any hope this could be wrong?

Michelle, the older you are, the more chance of it being a false positive. The test compares the results of the test to what your risk is for your age group. Because risk increases with age, the older you are, the smaller the 'window' is that you can consider negative. I would find out what the probability is of someon eyour age is (I think it is generally pretty low after 35, like 1 in 250 or less even) and then see how close the probablility of what they told you is to that.

I got the test and kind of regreted it. You see, no matter what I was not going to terminate my pregnancy. Am 30 years old and now 18 weeks. That test came back saying that I had a 1 in 205 chance of having a down baby as well. It was suggested that I take the amnio. I did not want to do that, so I got the level 2 u/s and made them pay special attention to the markers (the neck, foot, lips, thigh bone). What ever comes my way am ready to deal with. I know a lot of woman who took that test it came back positive, and the all have healthy babies. I wish you luck.

Michelle, at your age, it is very common for false/positve results. I'm 39 and my doctor told me to just skip it because it would more than likely come back positive and just give me something to worry about. So where do you go from here? Well, you're kinda late for an amnio (but you still can do it), so a level II ultrasound may be your best bet to ease your mind. Best wishes

I am 25 and choose not to take the test..... I have known of many women who got wrong results and stressed the whole pregnancy for no reason. Stay positive!

This is exactly why my husband and I chose not to take the test. We knew no matter what we would not terminate the pregnancy, so we wanted to be able to enjoy the pregnancy without unnecessary stress and sadness. I had the 20-week ultrasound last week and everything looks great. I'm so sorry that you are so worried. I wish you the best with your results.

Me again...just want to add that I'm 34 years old. This is our first child. But, even when we have our second one and I am over 35, I will still opt not to take any of these types of tests. The false positives are too common and the unnecessary mental stress is too much for an expectant mother.

I'm 45 and my AFP along with the Nuchal Transluscency Test, the AFP showed positive and showed that I have 1 in 20 chance of having Downs baby. The Nuchal transluscency test was normal. It's an ultrasound test. I've been so worried since 3 weeks because of the results and I'm having amnio to finally know the truth. The AFP gave me so much stress and worry and spoiled my pregnancy experience. Good luck.

i had a false positive afp test result with my second child last year with a 1/80 chance of DS. It all came out false in the end. My doc and more then several girls that I know say that AFP positive results are usually wrong.