should I be very concerned about down syndrome?

Question

My doctor told me today that blood test say that I have 1 in 160 that my baby could have down syndrome I am 31yrs old and I would love him regardless is it more of a chance that he would or wouldn't have it?

Answer 1

A "syndrome" is a medical condition that is categorized by a multitude of symptoms. Down syndrome, also called Trisomy 21 is the most common cause of mental retardation and malformation in a newborn. It occurs because of the presence of an extra 21st chromosome. Those born with Down syndrome may not experience all of the symptoms. Some common symptoms are decreased muscle tone at birth, asymmetrical or odd-shaped skull, round head with flat area at the posterior, small skull, slanting eyes, small mouth with protruding tongue, broad short hands, single crease on the palm, retarded growth and development, delayed mental and social skills. At one time these people were called Mongoloids.

There are many medical consequences related to DS. These include an inability to reach normal growth and development. Congenital defects in infants, early mortality; leukemia, and gastrointestinal abnormalities such as obstruction of the esophagus and obstruction of the duodenum are also problems. There is also a faster aging process and a tendency to develop aging diseases such as Alzheimer’s at a relatively early age.

Only 3 to 5% of Downs syndrome is inherited; the rest arise as an accident of chromosome arrangement during meiosis. They have now discovered that, contrary to previous belief, the syndrome occurs at conception, not during pregnancy. Research shows that drug or alcohol use prior to conception does not increase the risk of having a child with DS. They gave me the old saw of “tired eggs” to encourage me to seek testing.

Unfortunately, there is no specific treatment for Down syndrome. Treatment is available for the various health problems common to the condition. Special education and training is offered in most communities for such children. Of course such things are usually dependent upon social funding and levels vary from community to community.

I have known many Downs people and their families. The one thing DS children all have in common, besides the usual physical differences, is their simple utter happiness to be alive. This is truly a gift in this world we live in. Some are high level functioning, some are severely affected, but all brought great love into their families just by the very essence of their being. Besides dealing with human cruelty, the hardest thing for the parents to deal with was who will take care of our child when we are gone? Who will love and support them as we do? In our increasingly hard world that is a considerable concern.

Only you can answer your question. I had my second child in my late 30’s and refused all testing. My physician advised me to seriously consider abortion because of the odds. (1 in 150). I did not want to know anything and refused point blank. Inside I knew my baby was just fine, and she was! Apparently the normal stat is 1 in 750 American children born with Downs. Whatever your individual condition, it is not that far off the normal percentage. Was your doctor trying to give you something to worry about? Do you have some special condition? Downs is hardly ever hereditary!

Parenting a DS is extremely challenging but I have yet to meet a parent who regrets their decision to carry on and bear the child. Based on my personal experience, there is nothing to consider. Roll the dice and love the outcome!

Answer 2

When you are expecting, you never know for sure what can happen, even when you take all precautions.

Here are some facts from Wiki:

Incidence:
The incidence of Down syndrome is estimated at 1 per 800 to 1 per 1000 births.

Maternal age influences the risk of conceiving a baby with Down syndrome. At maternal age 20 to 24, the risk is 1/1490; at age 40 the risk is 1/60, and at age 49 the risk is 1/11.Although the risk increases with maternal age, 80% of children with Down syndrome are born to women under the age of 35,[15] reflecting the overall fertility of that age group. Other than maternal age, no other risk factors are known. There does not appear to be a paternal age effect.

Calm down, no matter what, you will love your child as much as any mother in the world loves her child. And she or he will love you the same. Isn't that what it really matters?

Answer 3

Testing for the bloodwork or quad screen is done 14-16 weeks. Most cases of down's syndrome are the result of a mutation and aren't genetically based. If you are a minority the false positive rate is higher. Age increases the risks. An amniocentesis confirms down's or not. It is done at 16-18 weeks. I have had this done twice. It has a risk of miscarriage of 1 in 16,000 so hardly a risk. They may quote you as 1 in 200 which are the old stats which is still half of 1 percent. I had soft markers for down's too on u/s. My decision was based upon how high the ratio was and on the soft markers.

Answer 4

Down's syndrome is not bad it just means that a child will have mental and devolement delays.It's mainly a 50% 50% chance of both.No hun no reason to be concerned having Dawn's doesn't make you different it's just the way the kids act.Hope your son will have the best of the chances(wont have Down's), Good Luck!Email me on how it goes, Congratilations on the baby!

Answer 5

Well if your doctor did the test, he should have explained to you whether 1 in 160 was a high percentage or not. I Do know that the older you are, the higher risk for situations with babies being born with circumstances like down syndrome and other disabilities so to speak. My brother was born with autism and my mom didn't even know it till he was over 3 years old. No one told her anything was wrong with him , everyone was clueless. (The doctor was an idiot, whom she eventually sued for other reasons worse , believe it or not, but of course didnt win b/c doctors "are allowed to make mistakes" apparently) I only wish that she took more precautiuons. Of course this situation doens't happen to everybody, and I dont want to scare u at all or anything like that, just be aware of everything that you and your doctor does to insure your baby's health. And its great that you would be willing to take care of your baby regardless of whether he has down syndrome or not. I sometimes think to myself b/c of how difficult it has been for my mom w/ my brother, that i physically and mentally couldn't care for someone with autism, however cruel that sounds. But I know that I am still young, and things could chance. And plus my mom and plenty of other women, like yourself are strong and have the willpower and the unconditional love to take care of your baby regadless of any circumstances, or whatever it may be. Sorry that I couldn't specifically answer your question, I just felt compelled to give you some info on my personal experience.

Answer 6

If you have a 1 and 160 chance then the chances are better he/she won't have it. The other 159 chances say there is no Down's. Are you thinking of an amnio? Talk to your doctor about the risks and rates for your age with and without an amnio.

Answer 7

you took the afp test...right? that test isn't very accurate. ya know something? I have met women as young as 19 yrs old and have a DS child and I have also met women as old as 45 and had a "normal" child....basically it is a role of the dice that we all go through if we want kids. it certainly isn't worth worrying about, because we love our kids no matter what. and believe me when I tell you having a DS child maybe a little harder in some ways, but it is all worth it....you get the most loving and sweet child that you love and admire for their courage at overcoming obstacles and their determination to meet their goals.
if you are really worried, ask for a level 2 ultra-sound where they measure the fungal fold on the neck and the long bones of the body...ds kids have shorter bones and a thicker neck.

Answer 8

IDK. But,when I had my level 2 u/s and I found ou the baby I was carrying had serious problems,I was PRAYING for Downs or something like it. Instead my son had Trisomy 13 and wouldnt even live,let alone be slow but very happy and content. I dont know the chances of Downs for your child but you can have an amnio dont to know for sure. Just remember,the baby is still your baby and when we get pregnant were not always going to get the baby we hoped for but you will love your baby the all the same. Why? because a mothers love is unconditional. My son didnt have eyes and STILL,when he was born something silly like body parts didnt matter a bit. I just wanted him to live. I was blessed to have met him,a real angel and youll be blessed however your baby is. However,times will be challenging. Best wishes.

Answer 9

My sister is mentally handicapped, and has been since birth. My mom was 20 when she had her. I got straight A's and graduated with honors. She was 31 when she had me. It's just the luck of the draw. If your concerned talk to your doc some more. They may be able to do an amniosentisis (sp? I know I butchered the spelling) which can test for that. Good luck!!

Answer 10

well if you have a 1 in 160 chance, then it's more likely he'll be Ok....if you really want to know, they can do genetic testing NOW, so you can be prepared. The older you are, the more chance you'll have a Downs baby.