What are the chances of having a baby with down syndrome and does the doctor find out and tell you during your pregnancy and how early in the pregnancy?
*4 months pregnant.
2007-03-14 02:03:40 · 8 answers · asked by curious789 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Pregnancy
the chances of having a child with down syndrome can happen at any age, it is a roll of the dice. studies have shown that your chances increase with age, but I have met so many young mothers, some the age of 20 and under, that are having a child with down syndrome...so it is anybodies guess.
and yes the doctor can find out while you are pregnant. you can find out your risks with a triple screen blood test, but you have to remember this is only a screening and it isn't very accurate. but if you show a higher risk you will then be asked to take a level 2 ultra-sound where they will measure the fungal fold of the babies neck and also measure the long bones in the baby and look for congenital heart defects and intestinal defects which are common in children with DS. if they find any of these markers they will then ask if you would like an amnio done. An amnio is the ONLY way to make sure you child would have DS. I had all of this done with all three of my boys, my 3rd son showed the markers for DS, so I opted for an amnio to be sure, (this all happened when I was 4-5 months along in the pregnancy). my son did indeed have down syndrome. he is the light of my life and I wouldn't change anything about him! Good luck on your pregnancy and congratulations!
2007-03-15 02:51:35 · answer #1 · answered by julie's_GSD_kirby 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
For every 1,000 babies born, one will have Down’s syndrome.
About 600 babies with Down’s syndrome are born in the UK each year.
Down’s syndrome affects people of all ages, races, religious and economic situations.
It is estimated that there are around 60,000 people with Down’s syndrome living in the UK.
In most antenatal clinics, women are routinely offered a blood screening test (the triple test) from 14 weeks of pregnancy, which measures the level of specific substances in the blood. The results are combined with a woman's age at her expected date of delivery to give an estimated level of risk of Down's syndrome.
Screening tests are available that can help parents assess the risk of their unborn child having Down's syndrome. They are carried out after consultation with a doctor. The results of these tests do not give a definite "yes" or "no" answer. They are used to calculate the chance of the baby having the condition. The age of the mother is used with blood tests and scan results to calculate the risk specific to that woman.
A screening test is usually done for mothers who are at increased risk of having a baby with Down's syndrome (usually older women). This is usually done at 15-22 weeks of pregnancy. The amounts of various substances in the mother's blood are measured. There are four substances that can be measured and so the tests are known as the "double", "triple" and "quadruple" tests, depending on how many of these substances are tested for.
Yes, you will be told whether the test is positive or not.
2007-03-14 09:35:33 · answer #2 · answered by Mushin 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your odds increase with your age. The link below shows you the some of the odds by age.
Your doctor will offer you a simple blood test that will check for higher risk of Down syndrome as well as several other problems. If the blood test shows you have a higher risk than normal for your age, or you're already older than most moms, he/she might ask you to take an amniocentesis or other test to confirm it. Ultrasound can also detect "markers" that may indicated Down syndrome, but that isn't 100% accurate.
P.S. The reason more young mothers have kids with Down syndrome than older ones is that they have more kids overall.
2007-03-14 23:56:20 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Having a trisomy 21 baby (mongoloid...et cetera) is basically a toss up. However, one thing that is known for sure is that the older the woman is when she conceives increases the chances of having a downs baby.
during your pregnancy, the doctor will do an ultrasoundand some blood work if he/shesuspects that you may have a down baby.
please read the link for more 411
good luck
2007-03-14 09:16:00 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
after 30 years ld the doctor will screen your baby for this and other conditions. ummmm if under 30 ask your doctor and they can tell you. i think the ratio (i work with children with autism and down syndrome) is lik 1 in 50!
2007-03-14 09:13:24 · answer #5 · answered by jennie_12546 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
There are no "odds" really. My cousin went in for bloodwork at 6 weeks and they suspected that her baby may have DS. There no history of that in her family so.... who knows. She's going to have to go back for an amnio so they can find out if their suspicions are true or not.
2007-03-14 09:24:19 · answer #6 · answered by ms.pontes 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is very rare say 1 in 1400.
Anytime b/w 16-20weeks ur doc. will advice fr TRIPLE MARKER TEST' by which u will come 2 know if baby is having any sort of problem(very rare provided if thr is any family history) & thn ur doc. will treat u accordingy.......
DON'T WORRY...........Take care.
2007-03-14 09:27:25 · answer #7 · answered by stars 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down_syndrome#Incidence
2007-03-14 09:10:56 · answer #8 · answered by Xiomy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋