My wife is pregnant and the baby came back positive for Down Syndrome on a recent Triple Screening test.?

Question

I am currently deployed to Iraq and I am worried sick. My wife and I are having our first child. She just turned 25, we have no history of DS in our families and we were just shocked that her triple screen test came back positive. She is scheduled for a level 2 ultrasound in 2 weeks. Being in Iraq,I havent been able to talk to the doctor, so I really dont know what is going on with this. The latest ultrasound showed that the baby was about 6 days older than previously thought.
Does anyone know if it is guaranteed that our daughter will have down syndrome.

Wife is 25 years old;
No previous history of Down syndrome on family
age of child at test may have been off by 6 days.
Doctor told her she was high risk due to Postive triple screening testt

Does anyone know what the percentage of false positives on the triple screening is? I have been told as high as 80% false pos and as low as 5% false Pos. The Doctor I work with keeps telling me not too worry, that even with a pos test it is still very unlikely with my wife.

Just to clarify,

We have only had the triple screening blood test done and it came back abnormal.
We havent gotten the level 2 ultrasound yet. Our appointment for the level 2 is in 10 days. As I said, My Doctor keeps telling me not to worry that she is very high risk but why would the blood test come back abnormal if there is nothing to worry about?

Answer 1

Casey.....the triple screen test isn't very accurate, it is just that a screening. you stated your wife is going in for a level 2 ultra-sound. during this ultra-sound they will measure the fungal fold on the back of the babies neck (ds kids have a thicker fungal fold) as well as measuring the long bones in her body. (ds kids have shorter arms and legs) they will also look for any congenital heart defects such as av-canal as well as intestinal defects. if they find anything in this ultra-sound they will ask if she wants an amnio done to be sure your daughter has DS.
I went through this 3 times with each of my pregnancies starting at age 25-39 my first 2 sons are just fine, my last son did indeed have DS and a heart defect that required him to have open heart surgery at 4 months old. please do not worry though! there are so many false positives given by this test, I personally feel it is a waste of time and all it does is scare people and make them worry. wait until your wife has the ultra-sound....more than likely everything wil be just fine! but if it so happens that your daughter has DS your life will be different to some degree, but I have to tell you it is not the end of the world....it is a begining.
I wouldn't change a thing about my son Nick, he is the light of my heart. It may take him longer than most to accomplish his goals but he does do it and I am very proud of him. he has taught me more about patience and compassion than I ever thought I would experience and he is the happiest child I know, and can make even the most cold-hearted person laugh at his antics (his latest is using his bike to climb on the counters and sit in the sink and then put the water on and squirt the dogs...lol)
I know you will love your daughter no matter what happens every child is a gift....talk to your wife and reassure her that things will be fine, if she needs someone to talk to have her email me. I wish you both the best and take care to come home safely!

Answer 2

There are such things as false positives on the Triple screen test and as a matter of fact they are quite common, which is why my husband and I chose not to have it done, since we were not considering termination no matter what. I personally know of several women who had a positive but upon further testing their child did not have DS. They will be able to tell much more after the Ultrasound.

With no history in either family and with your wife's young age the chances of your baby having downs is small, so try not to worry too much. I know that it's easier said than done, but it is the best advice I can give.

Thank you for your service and stay safe!


This is from AmericanPregnancy.org:

What do the triple test results mean?

It is important to remember that the triple test is a screening test and not a diagnostic test. This test only notes that a mother is at a possible risk of carrying a baby with a genetic disorder. The triple screen test is known to have a high percentage of false positive results.

Abnormal test results warrant additional testing for making a diagnosis. A more conservative approach involves performing a second triple screen followed by a high definition ultrasound. If the testing still maintains abnormal results, a more invasive procedure like amniocentesis may be performed.

Also I would reccommend that you check ouy this web site:

http://www.wardelab.com/arc10.html

There was too much info to post here, but it addressed the issue of too many false positive on the triple screen and tells about a new quad screen which might take the triple test's place to help cut down on that. It also goes into detail about how the test is used, and factors that can lead to false positives.

I hope this helps!

Answer 3

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Answer 4

Hi there,
I can understand your concern and worry. I personally have a 4 year old daughter name Zoey who has down syndrome. She has been the best thing in life that God has blessed me with.I was also 25 yrs old when I was pregnant and gave birth to her. More and more studies are showing that not just older woman are having babies with DS.Down Syndrome is a disorder that gives them 3 copies of the chromosome 21 while the rest of us only have 2 copies.This is a genetic disorder which means that it is not in your wife's or your genes. When I had that same test that your wife just had my test came back negative.So to your question if it is guaranteed that your daughter will have DS I don't think so.I had absolutely no idea that My baby had DS until the day she was born.Even though I had several ultrasounds thru out my pregnancy I still did not know but ultrasounds now are pretty good and show alot more then when I had my baby almost 5 years ago. I hope you and your wife will really see and understand the gift that you are about to receive. I would love to answer anymore questions and concerns that you or your wife have about DS. My e-mail address is [e-mail] feel free to e-mail me with any questions. Keep me posted on your baby! God Bless You. I hope you will soon be home with your wife and family.

Answer 5

A triple screening test does not have a positive or negative answer. It measures the likelyhood that an unborn child will be born with downs by checking for the presence of certain proteins. If you and your wife have no history of downs in either of your families, then you are probably ok.

Generally this test is useful in mothers who are having their first child after the age of 35 or for parents who have a history of downs in their families. Relax and tell your wife to relax. See a perinatologist and have an amnio performed if you wish. It is very accurate at detecting problems in the baby.

The doctor will also look at other things like sonogram pictures to determine if there are structural characteristics of downs present. Downs babies have very distinct features. The flat face, high brow and rounded jaw are just a few of the features. With the new 3D ultrasounds they will have a very accurate picture of your baby.

Even if you do have a child with downs, it is not the end of the world. They are such a blessing and no matter what, your child is nothing short of a miracle.

Answer 6

The tests are very often wrong. They have been proven to be 20% wrong or more.... much more is what I have seen. Some of our friends were told that their child had brain tumors and several other problems and probably wouldn't live through the birth. The tests were done over and over. Guess what? The baby girl was born perfect. We have known this to happen over and over to friends and acquaintances. Even if your child has Downs, you will still have a sweet child. I know several families with children with either handicaps, Downs or with learning problems and they are wonderful additions to their families. They will try to encourage you to abort but what if the child is fine? What if you will be a better person because you were blessed with a child with needs? Downs children are usually very sweet as long as the parents are not afraid to properly discipline and they treat them as you would other children. They have good schools for them and even job opportunities now. We have a local children's museum and they employ Downs and Challenged individuals and they happily serve customers and do their jobs well. They live full lives now. There are many different levels of Downs too. With some kids you can hardly tell that they have it and they are able to attend regular school. Don't be afraid of what might be the best thing that could have happened to the two of you. No child is truly perfect. Relax and enjoy your child. I will pray for you both.

Answer 7

The triple screen ultrasound looks at features that are common in DS. If they found those features there is a very good chance your child will have it. I am a special needs parent with a very severely disabled child. I have seen DS kids at parks and they are laughing and playing--not such a bad life! I wish my daughter had DS, she would have a much better life. There are many different levels of severity and they can have a very fulfilling life and can bring you so much joy! Its really not the end of the world! BTW, thanks for your service to the country! Best of luck!

Answer 8

Nothing is guaranteed.. wait it out and have more tests done. A baby is a gift from god. I don't mean to be religious but even if it is true, you will not be given anything that you cannot deal with. There are plenty of times when the diagnosis is wrong! Just wait it out a bit.
Good luck and God bless!

Answer 9

My doctor said that that test is just a screening and that it doesnt guarantee that the baby has DS but that the baby has a few of the "traits" of it

Answer 10

I had a friend who was told the same thing about her unborn child and the dr. recommended an abortion but she had the baby and her little girl is now 5 years old and completely normal.