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What was your result? They usually give you odds as a number. It comes back positive a lot of the time because its a screening test to see if you might be at risk and would need further testing so try not to worry too much. Did you say your Ultrasound came back indicating Downs?

i'm 18wks 1 day at 37. My AFP test came out positive for DS at 1/100. When I went for genetic counseling at 16 wks, I found out my baby has a calcium deposit in her heart, which could be normal, but I'm still concerned. Now I have to wait for my second US to know for sure what is going on. I told myself that no matter what happens, she will be with me. I try to keep faith and pray a lot and get read for the worst case. But once in a while, I feel distraught.

Hi, I'm 27 and carrying Twins.I have used Clomid prior to pregnancy. Now i'm in my 18th week of pregnancy. I had a AFP last week. Today my doctor called and told it came back with a positive for Down. My odds are 1 in 60 where as it is 1 in 180 for normal. Also she told the test was run cosidering the fact that i'm carrying twins. We got the U/S appmnt for next Tuesday. i.e 5 days from now. Thinking whether to take the Amnio prior to that or not?. i'm in my 18th week as per (LMP). If the amnio comes back positive we are planning to terminate the pregnancy. Will it be complicated to do abortion after 20th week? Anybody have any idea..please help me.

The AFP test has a high rate of false positives and your twins are likely fine. A lot can be seen on the u/s and an amnio will give you 100% certainty but carries the risk of miscarriage.

Well i had read that the test was inaccurate in a twin pregnancy. But if your doc told you otherwise, then perhaps i'm wrong. I'm not by any means judging you... but it seems quite odd that you would terminate the pregnancy if one of the babies, or both, has down syndrome. I'm confused. You said you were on clomid so you were obviously trying for a baby for a long time... and now you're blessed with two! Like Squished said, the amnio has the chance of causing a miscarriage so it hardly seems worth the risk if your babies look healthy in an u/s. If you deliver two healthy beautiful twins and one or both does have Downs, make your decision then. I'm sure you would love them wholeheartedly and if not, bless someone else with the most generous give you can give thru adoption.

The AFP are certainly not accurate. It is just a gauge. Ask ur Dr. what the chances are of Amnio complications w/ Twins and where u are at ur pregnancy. Chances of complications are higher earlier in pregnancy and lower in 2nd trimester. Tell ur doctor all of your concerns and ask her about all options available in ur state. They vary everywhere. Good Luck and Don't be too scared. Many times a postive AFP turns up nothing. I have 2 friends in their late 30's that have had perfectly healthy babies after a pos AFP and Amnios!

Hi- I am 19 weeks pregnant and 32 years old. This is my fourth pregnancy. My AFP results were positive as well. I am also going for a level II Ultrasound next week. It helps to see I am not alone!!! Thanks!!!

I found great comfort and good info from this site as well. I received the call this past Thur at 8 in the morning that we were 1:20 for DS. I am 32. The clinic had said no news is good news so when more than 3 weeks had past since I had my blood drawn I a__sumed all was normal. At this point I was over 20 weeks pregnant. The doctor referred me to a Level lI U/S and amnio at a different doctor's office. I was stunned and cried all day and talked to my husband who was a great support. The referal office could not see me for more than one week. I called back to my Doctor with questions but did not know what to ask at that point. After endless hours on the internet that night, I called the next day more prepared with questions only to find out that my doctor was not in and no one would see me even for just 20 mins!! So my husband and I spent the three day weekend sleepless, praying, and still maintaining our joy for the movements and wonder inside of me. It was hard to think of anything but the test. After researching the fact that putting in the wrong gestational date effects the results so much, I marched into the clinic on Tues. I asked to see a doctor a widwife that day for just 20 minutes of discussion. No one would see me! I then managed to get a copy of the results. They had put in 18.9 weeks gestation when I was only 15.9 at the time. We went to my husband's doctor who saw us right away, called the lab, and had the results refigured on the spot. They are now 1/477. Who knows, there is always a possibilty something could still be wrong but now we feel so much better. I would only recommend this test if you can trust your doctor and the lab, and I would recommend you ask how long it takes to process and call even if they say "no news is good news." Thanks for the support of the board.

I chose not to take this blood test at first because of the false positives and i worry enough as it s. well at my 18 week ultrasound they saw and echogenic foci in the baby's heart which some doctors believe is a marker for downs. i freaked out and asked to be sent to maternal fetal medicine for a level II ultrasound. I went for the level II ultrasound at 19 weeks and the perinatologist said that everything looked fine and he didn't think that having just that spot increased my odds at all. He never seen a patient with just that spot have a downs baby. that made me feel better but i was still worried so he offered me the amnio or told me that i was not to late to take the quad screen. i went ahead and did that instead thinking that it would give me some rea__surance. well it came back great for downs with a negative ration of 1:21000 but the neural tube came back slightly increased positive with the ratio of 1:634. the doctor said that if my baby had spina bifida that we would have seen that on my two ultrasounds and that he was not worried. He said those are good odds anyway. What do yall think? do you think that if she had spina bifida that he would have seen it. Im not as worried as before but still worried. the doctor doesnt seem to worried since he didnt even order another ultrasound and said amnio wasn't necessary.

The specialist i went to said the level II u/s would either show spina bifida or rule it out completely.

I had a level two ultrasound last week at 20 weeks. I had 1/39 chance of a trisomy 18 baby. The Ultrasound revealed no soft tissue markers and the baby appears to be healthy. The doctor said my chances are no reduced to 1/390. I was offered an amnio or instead to go for a second level two Ultrasound in a month to monitor the baby's growth. It is a hard decision. If it was just me I would probably go for piece of mind and have the test (amnio). However in my case it would do no good for the baby to have the amnio. So I decided to repeat the level two ultrasound. Hope for the best like so many of the others have written and try to enjoy the precious present moment of my time with this baby (who is a boy by the way). Praying and hoping for the best.

Please keep in mind that your chances of having a "normal" baby are much better than your chances of having a baby with Down syndrome. I'm 32, 18 weeks pg and just got the same result (1/90 for Down syndrome) from my quad screen. This is after a positive result (1/200) from first-trimester screen. After worrying and worrying myself sick over whether to risk an amnio, my husband and I decided that we will love our child regardless. In the future, if I get pg again, I will not do this kind of testing. From what I hear it causes more worry than it's worth! Good luck.

hi, i am also one, who is kind of confused with result of these kind of test.we went for double test ,(blood test + ultrasound) ,overall test result is good result.risk is lower 1:689 , but depth is 2.8 mm which is causing conern to me & my husband.they say there might be some problem in heart ,bec of that thickness is more.,they will have 2 heart scan, first is 27.03.07 and next one is in 15thmay.as per my cycle my due date is 25thsept ,but ultrasound result say its 22nd sept.they have not offered us any further test ,but i am kind of confused now.

Thank you thank you thank you for this forum! My odds for DS were given to me at 1/170. I'm so glad to have been able to read everyone's stories on here. On the phone the ObGyn only offered amnio or nothing as the next option, but now I've read this, I'll go on Monday and get a referral for a level 2 U/S.

Just t let you all know, my partners brother is down syndrome and it doesn't make him any less of a person - it isn't a disease. How upsetting to hear you all so... what's the word... disappointed if you knew your baby had downs. Would it change your decision to have him / her? Would you love it any less? I sincerely hope not.

Good luck Cakegirl -- Let us know how the Level II goes.