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Pregnant. Had A Scan. Baby Has Nuchal Fold. Fear Down Syndrome?
My 21 week scan indicated my baby s nuchal fold measured at 6.1mm. My midwife has said I need to see a specialist - is 6.1mm far from normal? I am 25 and healthy and there is no genetic disorders in either my family or my husband s. Are my chances of a baby with down syndrome increased by a significant amount? The rest of my scan was completely normal.
Sat, 30 Mar 2013
Hi,
Thanks for writing in.
This is good to know that otherwise your scan was normal & you don,t have any positive family history. Your baby's nuchal fold thickness is slightly above normal & this is considered to be a marker for chromosomal abnormalities including Down Syndrome. How much is your chance to have a Down baby depends on many other factors like results of your first trimester screening & serum screening ( if you had any ) as well as on the expertise of the sonologist doing the scan.
This certainly does not mean that your baby has Down syndrome but you need further counseling & may be some invasive tests like amniocentesis to get full picture.
So, follow your midwife & see a specialist for full counseling & advise.
Best of luck.
Thanks for writing in.
This is good to know that otherwise your scan was normal & you don,t have any positive family history. Your baby's nuchal fold thickness is slightly above normal & this is considered to be a marker for chromosomal abnormalities including Down Syndrome. How much is your chance to have a Down baby depends on many other factors like results of your first trimester screening & serum screening ( if you had any ) as well as on the expertise of the sonologist doing the scan.
This certainly does not mean that your baby has Down syndrome but you need further counseling & may be some invasive tests like amniocentesis to get full picture.
So, follow your midwife & see a specialist for full counseling & advise.
Best of luck.
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