Test for down syndrome?

Question

Hi there at how many weeks can you take the test for down syndrome, and how do they do it, is this where they pierce a hole through the belly button and inject amniotic fluid out? Is there another way? Are there risks to the baby or mum doing this? Does it hurt alot? Once you do it hwo long does it normally take to get the results back

Answer 1

Now they do a tri screen or a quad screen on you around 26-28 weeks . They started doing this when the found out that an amniocentisis is not completely safe. It can cause you to leak fluid prematurely. In these tests they check for everything. Just ask your doctor about it im sure he/she could tell you more.

Answer 2

a triple screen blood test is a screening that will give you your risks of having a child with DS as well as spina bifida as well as other problems they measure the protien level in your blood that is given off by the fetus' liver. however, it is not very accurate. 80% of the time it will give false positives (done at 12-16 weeks). a level 2 ultra-sound is a high intensity ultra-sound that looks for DS markers such as thicker fungal fold, shorter arms and legs, congenital heart defects as well as intestinal defects (done from 16 weeks until term). an amnio (needle inserted into the uterus) is the only sure way of knowing you child would have down syndrome, the risk in this procedure is 1% of spontaneous miscarriage. (done around 20 weeks, sometimes later).
when I had my amnio done it took 3 days until the doctor called with the results, and it doesn't really hurt. the use a topical cream to numb the area and insert the needle while doing a ultra-sound. when the needle goes through the uterus you feel a mild cramp and they take the fluid and draw out the needle, again a mild cramp. then you are told to rest fora day or two. hope this helps!!

Answer 3

The actual blood test is between 15 and 20 weeks. That is not the amniocentisis where they take the amniotic fluid (which is optional). They are 2 completely separate tests. They would only want to do the amnio if you fall in the risk group off of the first test

Answer 4

I'm not sure when this test is actually done. But I do know it is a blood test like the other ladies said. I just want to warn you though. My sis in law had a baby at 20. You may know that the risk for Downs goes up with age. So at 20 there is a realitively low risk. Anyways, she had the test, and it came back with a false result of the baby having downs. This was obviously devestating to her. So she was on a rollercoaster of emotions that few weeks, before she found out for sure with further testing. We found out from several reliable sources that this test isn't very accurate. So just beware.

Answer 5

i will be 12 weeks along on thursday and i am having a test done called nuchal translucency screening that day. this test is recommended between 11 and 14 weeks. during this test the ultrasound technician takes a 3d vaginal ultrasound and measures a sack of fluid on the babies neck. while this test is not conclusive, there is a strong correlation between the size of the sack of fluid and down syndrome. my doctor just told me today that this is a newer test and one of the most advanced. if it were to come back abnormal, at that point we can decide to do more invasive testing. hope this helps!! good luck to you and your baby.