I'm 32 yrs. old, 16 wks. pregnant & had a bloodtest done to check for down syndrome.?

Question

I also had an ultrasound done . My dr. performs them the first half of all his patients pregnancies. I know they can't tell me through these if my baby is okay. My question is what is the probability that my baby will have ds because of my age? I am healthy in every other way. My ultrasound showed that everything was great right now.

Answer 1

My mom was 30 when she had my sister, Holly, and Holly has Down Syndrome. She's ten years old and she rocks, dude. I'm sure your baby will be fine, but if you do give birth to a child with downs, don't fret. They are amazing kids. Really. It's like.... Idk. I would never trade Holly for anything and she's just like a normal kid. Don't worry. The Down Syndrome birth rate is 1 in 733. I'm sure everything will be fine, but if you have any questions, e-mail me. Good luck, and congrats on your pregnancy:)

Answer 2

The risk of Down syndrome increases steadily with age. However, it doesn't get really high until age 40 (not 35). You are at higher risk than when you were 22, but not a whole lot higher. It's something like 1 in 680 at age 32.

By the way, the only reason the age 35 is used as a cutoff is because at that age, the risk of Down syndrome is higher than the risk of miscarriage by amniocentesis. In other words, the doctors assume that you would be more willing to cause a miscarriage of a healthy baby than dare to have one with Down syndrome, because if the amnio is positive you can abort it. And they don't even ask you, they just assume it.

Answer 3

I believe age 35 is the "imaginary line" they draw at risk factor for Down Syndrome. But don't dwell on it. The truth is, more and more women are starting to have their first baby well into their thirties, and they are having more and more perfectly healthy babies, so ultimately we are changing the old statistics every day. The blood test you are talking about is only to determine risk for DS. A "positive" result does not mean anything, other than to consider a definitive test. It used to be the definitive test was an amniocentesis. Check out "Nuchal Translucency Screening". It's non-invasive (ultrasound) and can be done without all of the worry of risk to the pregnancy, not to mention discomfort. Just try to take good care of yourself and try not to worry. Good luck.

Answer 4

At your age, you have about a 1/200 chance, where as a woman at the age of 24 has a 1/1490. Being healthy now isn't what effects a women having a baby with down syndrome. The damage is done during meiosis of the egg or even the sperm (usually the egg though). If you really want to know and be sure, you should get an amnio done. If it won't matter to you either way, then forget about it.

Answer 5

Generally you should only be concerned if you are over the age of 35 yrs old, or there is history in your family that would indicate that could be a problem. If none of these situations apply to you, you should not worry too much. You are a healthy age to have a child...dont worry!! If a doctor suggests an amniocentesis, then you should be more concerned. But that is generally the only way to determine if there is a problem like that. The other tests are only like 55% (I am assuming you had the AFP Test), however the amniocentesis is 99% accurate in determining DS &/or mental retardation.

By the way: CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Answer 6

Trust the doctors if they say your baby is healthy. The odds of having a baby with down syndrome do go up with age. 1/950 at 30 to 1/350 at 35. These stats are approximate, but very close.

Answer 7

the older you get the more chance you have of having a child with down syndrome

RELATIONSHIP OF DOWN SYNDROME INCIDENCE TO MOTHERS' AGE

Mothers Age
Incidence of Down Syndrome

Under 30 Less than 1 in 1,000
30 1 in 900
35 1 in 400
36 1 in 300
37 1 in 230
38 1 in 180
39 1 in 135
40 1 in 105
42 1 in 60
44 1 in 35
46 1 in 20
48 1 in 16
49 1 in 12

Answer 8

Sounds like everything is fine. That was a routine screening. If your doctor had any concerns he would have told you. You are not at the age where down syndrome becomes a concern. I think that is over 35. Good luck with your pregnancy and try to relax!

Answer 9

I don't think 32 is in the danger range. heck, people these days are having kid at 40 and 50.
I had the same experience has Z_girl. My bloodtest came back and said my daughter had a high chance of having down's. I was so nervous since there are a few downs children in our family. Not only did my daughter not have downs, but she has an IQ in the genius range!

Answer 10

At 32, your risk isn't that bad. It doesn't significantly go up until you will be 35 at the time of delivery. The odds are still in favor of a healthy baby, even though even young "healthy" women can have a baby with downs.