Pregnant friend - She tested positive on triple screening

natjasem wrote: My friend has tested positive to the triple screen marker test that show that there possibly could be something wrong with her baby like Down's or Spina Bifida.
I've read that there's a huge rate of false-positive tests and that it doesn't mean that her baby for sure has Down's. Does anyone know much about this? She's so distraught.

amynicole21 replied: I have at least 2 friends that I can think of off the top of my head that had high test results. Both of their babies are perfectly healthy and thriving toddlers now. It is very scary indeed, but there are tons of false positives... actually, there is no such thing as a positive, just a higher probibility that something may be wrong. Tell your friend to hang in there, and we'll be keeping her in our thoughts!

Kirstenmumof3 replied: I've never heard of this, although I'm sure I've had the test done when I was pregnant. But wanted to offer my support!

coasterqueen replied: for your friend. I agree with Amy though. I remember my doc telling me when I was pg with Kylie how many false-positives there are. I still did the test and figured if it came out positive we'd go for a level 2 u/s or something like that to see if they could figure anything out.

MommyToAshley replied: I agree, tell your friend not to worry. They will most likely suggest additional testing like a level 2 U/S. There are a lot of things that can affect the test, especially if her dates are off a bit. That is the biggest cause for the test to come back with a higher chance of down syndrom or tricime.

MomofJandB replied: My triple check for my DD came back with a high risk for down syndrome. She is perfectly fine. She actually is very bright. The test put me at the age of a 36 year old having a baby. I was 29. It put me at a 1 in 200 chance of having a Down Syndrome child which is .5% chance. putting the results into perspective really helped me get through thenext 5 months. Tell your friend to hang in there and we'll be sending good thoughts her way!

DansMom replied: Yes, lots of false positives, and sometimes it means there are twins in there It's just a test to rule out, but it doesn't rule in. A negative means you can stop looking, a positive means to look more closely.

My2Beauties replied: I had pretty much the same thing happen to me. Hanna had choroid plexus cysts (Sp?), two of them on her head at around 18 weeks, they monitored me throughout my entire pregnancy because babies with those types of cysts are known to have defects such as Down's syndrome and Spina Bifida, I had to do an AFP test which did end up coming back negative but I was still monitored to make the sure the cysts went away. They said it is fairly common for perfectly normal healthy babies to get these cysts but there is still that risk I know everything the doctor tells you is scary!

I remember in my 10th week my doctor telling me I had placenta previa, so I get online to reserach it and absolutely freak out because she never told me it was normal to have in the first trimester and it usually goes away, I'm reading all these horrible things about bleeding to death and premature labor and OMG, it freaked me out I had to call my doctor ASAP and she advised me that it was normal in the first trimester, they would do another u/s in 8 wks and more than likely it will be gone...and it was

It's easy to get worked up but I'd tell your friend to be strong and not to worry so much that can cause her baby stress....there are a lot of false positives in pg!

mummy2girls replied: i know its hard not too worry but i personally have gone through that 2 times. With jordan i tested pos for the spina bifada. I went for a level 2 u/s and it came back as he was perfectly normal...then with jenna i again tested pos for the spina bifada but this time this pregnancy was in the higher risk group ...so i went for a u/s and amnio. i had the amnio because on the u/s jenna was moving so much they couldnt get a good look. she just did not want to cooperate. and i waited 3 weeks and it came back as jenna being normal. So it is a very high false positives with this test... Tell her try not to worry, i know its hard but im sure everything will be ok...Ill be praying for her!

Josie83 replied: I don't really have anything new to add, except that your friend is in my thoughts and prayers . . . xx

natjasem replied: Thanks for all those replies- I will show all of them to her!

paradisemommy replied: i had a false positive on mine too for spina bifida and have a perfectly healthy 2 year old!!! it's nerve racking but try to tell her to relax..