Just like it says, did you get genetic testing done? I'm contemplating getting the blood test done, but I'm not sure. This is my fourth pregnancy and we've never gotten it done before. My OB/GYN said I'm not in any risk categories, but it is up to me. I have to decide by my next appointment.
So, did you get genetic testing done? Why?
122 votes
hostess / wonderful watermelon / 39513 posts
Yes, a non invasive prenatal screening was an option for me for pregnanxy 3 since I was over 35.
I had the NT scan and bloodwork done for my first 2 pregnancies.
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts
As in something like the panorama or materniT test? No- I won't turn 35 until after this baby is born so I don't qualify for it, per my midwife. (And no other known risk factors). I did get tested to see if I was carrier for cystic fibrosis with my first pregnancy, which I am not.
I just have the standard blood work and NT scan done.
pomegranate / 3275 posts
@Foodnerd81: Can you tell me about the NT scan. It is just an ultrasound to see if the baby ::might:: have Downs? Is that right? I feel so silly for asking these questions with my fourth, but we haven't ever contemplated these tests before let alone paid attention to what they are.
GOLD / watermelon / 14076 posts
The blood test wasn't an option for me when I was pregnant but now I think it's standard at my OB's office and covered by insurance so I would definitely do it. I did the NT scan and blood work that went along with it (I think it's called the quad screen?) and that gave us our odds for chromosomal abnormalities. But I think the panorama/maternit21/etc are much more accurate.
grapefruit / 4681 posts
I hadn't until this pregnancy (my 3rd) and I only got testing for CF done. My midwife and I decided to do it this pregnancy because our 2nd recently had a sweat test done and while the test is not invasive it is traumatic for a LO. My midwife thought that while we have no known family history of CF it was in my best interest to see if I was a carrier so that we could avoid a sweat test in future LO's if they have the same issues as our 2nd. I just found out Friday that I am indeed a carrier and DH is going to be tested this week. I meet with my midwife tomorrow and we will go over things. I'm sure if he is a carrier we will want genetics done on all children.
ETA: I voted no on the poll because I had no risk factors and we had intended not to do anything this pregnancy as well.
pomegranate / 3565 posts
I didn't with either son - I was 33 with the 1st and 35 with the second. If there is a 3rd, I may if it's covered by insurance. But honestly, it would be more for curiosity to find out the sex.
wonderful grape / 20453 posts
I had a CVS and full panel with E due to recurrent loss and some red flags during prelim scans. I did not with T, but if insurance had covered it, I would have
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts
@MamaBehr: yeah it's an ultrasound and they check that everything is developing correctly, and in particular measure something in the folds of the neck. They combine those measurements with blood work results (the quad screen that @lawbee11: mentioned, though I think that may have changed slightly since I was pregnant with C), and give you a percentage risk for Down's syndrome and other chromosome abnormalities (like, 1 in 10,000 risk or whatever).
Honestly I mostly did it because I wanted to see the baby and they don't do dating ultrasounds or anything at my practice.
pomegranate / 3275 posts
@Mamasig: That's the only reason I would do the blood test, to find out the gender! hahaha
@lawbee11: My OB/GYN offered everything to me, and she said if the blood test isn't covered by insurance, the place they use offers a discount if you have to pay out of pocket. So, it would be $99.
@Foodnerd81: I'm thinking of doing the NT one for the ultra sound. I had an ultrasound done at 6 weeks 4 days, over the tummy, so the picture is terrible (it MAYBE looks like a dot).
@blackbird: Another dumb question, how did you know it wasn't covered my insurance? Did the OB/GYN tell you that?
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts
@MamaBehr: yeah it will look like a (very strange) baby by 12 weeks! At least you'll be able to make out the head.
I think the blood test you are talking about is the newer version, which is super accurate and can tell you the sex for sure (more accurate than an anatomy scan) at 12 weeks or something crazy. Mine didn't offer it since I'm only 34 but I have friends who heard the same as you- if insurance won't cover it they do it for a discounted rate like that.
blogger / apricot / 310 posts
Yep I did and have no risk factors! My midwifery office brought it up as an option, so I got the Harmony. I wasn't sure if our insurance would cover it as I have no risk factors but they did! I was incredibly happy and surprised. We were actually team green but I know the sex was accurate because the hospital had labeled bracelets for our baby (boy) from our chart before I actually delivered him 
ETA: I called our insurance to see and the woman actually had never heard of it but was incredibly upbeat about it. She said it was likely to be covered since it was, in theory, another way to accomplish a normal part of pregnancy medical items. She was thorough and checked some big book they have too and asked her supervisor as well- they both encouraged me to do it and seek a review if it ended up being denied. Never had to do that!
nectarine / 2148 posts
I got it done because I had recurring losses and wanted to be informed. My insurance didn't cover it and the out of pocket expense was only $100. I thought paying the $100 was well worth it, even though I had no risk factors.
cantaloupe / 6791 posts
I had MaterniT21 done with both LOs because my first pregnancy ended in miscarriage due to a chromosomal abnormality (Turner's Syndrome). It wasn't covered by insurance, but I only had to pay $200, so that was worth it to me for the reassurance.
cantaloupe / 6634 posts
Despite having two losses before, DH and I didn't have any risk factors...we just got really "unlucky" twice. Due to all the stress with the losses, we decided to forgo the NT scan and quad screening. I was happy enough with the ultrasounds (8w, 15w, 20w, 28w.)
eggplant / 11716 posts
I had it done this time. I will be 35 before this LO is born, but that was my only risk factor. We mainly wanted to find out the gender.
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21628 posts
I wanted to get the Maternit21 blood test, but it wasn't possible because of donor conception. I didn't see my OB for the first time until 12+6 so I wasn't able to schedule an NT scan. I was a little nervous when I went in for my anatomy scan because I hadn't had any screening.
squash / 13764 posts
Yes had NT scan and panorama test done. No risk factors but didn't see a reason NOT to do it. The more info the better.
pineapple / 12053 posts
I wasn't offered anything for this pregnancy and declined for DD1. It was two different offices.
honeydew / 7463 posts
I had Verifi (same cell-free DNA concept as MaterniT and Harmony). I have a balanced translocation between chromosomes 18 and 21. The chances of me having a child with Trisomy 18, for example, is extremely high (I had 2 previous losses attributed to it).
Once we had Verifi, NT Scan, blood work sequentials, etc all done and they all said the baby was "normal" chromosomally, we opted out of anything more invasive like CVS.
Oh, and we did PGD testing in our IVF cycle. So really that is like 99% accurate or something crazy so we probably didn't need any other tests, but because they were noninvasive and we were at high risk, the doc recommended them anyway.
pomegranate / 3192 posts
I didn't with my first.
I did with my second only because there was a study going on and I was offered the $795 test for free. It was the Harmony test.
grapefruit / 4321 posts
Yes, I did InformaSeq which is the same as Harmony. I'm only 30 but my OB offers it to everyone. We aren't sure if insurance will cover it but it's only $250 out of pocket if we have to pay.
I don't see any reason not to do testing that is readily available and literally no risk to the baby since it's just a blood draw for mom. The more information the better.
grapefruit / 4418 posts
Yes I had as much as was offered to me despite being low risk. I wanted to be fully informed so I could make the best, most educated decisions for our baby and family.
persimmon / 1367 posts
I had the Harmony test done. No risk factors, but I was over 35 so it was covered by my insurance and I wanted to know the gender.
pear / 1586 posts
I've only done the NT scan and bloodwork. I don't have risk factors and we are always TG so opted out of alternate early testing.
hostess / papaya / 10219 posts
We had the NT scan last time because the blood test wasn't available but this time we are doing the blood test in 2 weeks. No specific risk factors but I'm over 35.
coconut / 8472 posts
@Foodnerd81: FYI if you have Harvard Pilgrim, everyone qualifies for it. I asked during my pregnancy and I was 34 at the start of it, and then said it was totally covered.
hostess / wonderful apple seed / 16729 posts
Pre-baby, my RE made me take the consyl test. Everything came back with no risk factors.
After I got pregnant with IVF, I took the quad screen test.
Oh, since I'm pregnant with twins, the blood tests (materni21) to find out the sex was not accurate for me. They said that test would only tell me if there was one boy in there. So I skipped that test.
Oh, as for PGD prior to the IVF transfer, I skipped that. IVF was already expensive and decided to pass on the additional testing. If our first transfer didn't work, I might have considered having PGD done.
Oh, I think I did do the NT scan, too.
pomelo / 5607 posts
I said yes with risk factors, but that's not technically true, so I might should have said no risk factors. R's issues were not genetic, so there was no way to be sure it wouldn't happen again just by doing a screening. But after two m/c's (unknown reasons) and a late loss (severe hydrocephalus for unknown reasons) we needed all the reassurance we could get that this one is healthy. Also, having lost a girl, I needed to know the sex as possible because I knew I'd struggle with it if this one was a boy.
pomegranate / 3643 posts
No. With my first, we did not have a lot money while I was pregnant (just graduated grad school and our jobs didn't start for a few more months) and we just couldn't afford it.
With #2, I just didn't do it.
pear / 1657 posts
I had genetic testing done before DS was conceived. I'm Jewish and there is a program through the Center for Jewish Genetics that offers testing for less than $100.
clementine / 903 posts
I had panorama. No risk factors. I don't think it was that expensive out of pocket. I just wanted reassurance. Just like others have said, saw no downsides really. And these tests test for a lot of things, so wanted to have all info as early as possible so I would be empowered to make right decisions for me and my family (if ever needed). I don't regret doing the testing, as it has made me more relaxed throughout this pregnancy than I otherwise would have been. I'll definitely do it in future pregnancies.
grapefruit / 4355 posts
Yes - I had the Panorama screen done (had no risk factors). IMO - knowledge is power. The tests are very accurate and I wanted to be able to have the most info on my LO that I could so I could be fully informed when potentially making future decisions.
pomelo / 5326 posts
Yes we did the IPS which was the NT scan and bloodwork. After that came back with an increased risk of T18, we did the Panorama. After that came back positive for Turners we did an Amnio which confirmed. We had no risk factors but Turners isn't attribute to any risk factors. Next pregnancy we will go straight to the Panorama and get results at 11 weeks. We didn't get our full results last time until after 20w which caused a Lot of heartache.
wonderful grape / 20453 posts
@MamaBehr: yes! She told me that they had all been rejected lately and patients were paying $900. I never followed up on it, just shrugged it off once our NT scan came back super low risk. I didn't really want to mess with insurance if they rejected it.
pomegranate / 3105 posts
We did standard IPS testing for Down's and a few other things. I also got tested for tay sach's and thalassemias (I think?). All of it was covered for our health care system. If I was 35+ I would get extra testing that does cost.
GOLD / wonderful pea / 17697 posts
I got the NT scan and quad screen with E, and have one scheduled for this one in a few weeks. We're low risk, but if there's potentially a problem* we want to know as soon as possible. Low risk does not equal no risk.
Plus we wanted a chance to see the bambino again.
*Caveat: I have been warned that there is not a small chance of a false positive for things like DS (the nurse at my intake appt said they had one couple that was told they had an 80% chance of DS, but baby came out perfectly fine!), however if we do come back with a higher risk number or something concerning on the scan we can pursue more accurate testing.
coconut / 8854 posts
Nope, we decided against it. We decided that we didn't have any risk factors, and if there was anything wrong we would be able to find out at the 20 week anatomy scan, and then we could prepare ourselves then
cherry / 137 posts
I had the CVS. I had it done with my first pregnancy and wasn't sure about getting the cell free DNA test or CVS for my 2nd pregnancy but a thread about it swayed me (thank you @Ms.Badger, @torchwood, @raintreebee, @blackbird!). Insurance didn't cover microarray part but I'm glad we did it anyways.
| Today | Monthly Record | |
|---|---|---|
| Topics | 0 | 1 |
| Posts | 1 | 3 |
Ask for Help
Make a Suggestion
Frequently Asked Questions
Bee Levels
Acronyms
Most Viewed Posts
Hellobee Gold
Hellobee Recipes
Hellobee Features
Hellobee Contests
Baby-led Weaning
Bento Boxes
Breastfeeding
Newborn Essentials
Parties
Postpartum Care Essentials
Sensory Play Activities
Sleep Training
Starting Solids Gear
Transitioning to Toddler Bed
All Series
Who We Are
About the Bloggers
About the Hostesses
Contributing Bloggers
Apply to Blog
Apply to Hostess
Submit a Guest Blog
Hellobee Buttons
How We Make Money
Community Policies
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite0
46 comments