Nuchal Translucency Fold Scan, 11-13 Weeks

As a woman gets older the chance of having a baby with a Chromosomal disorder increases.  At the age of 20 there is about a 1 in 1300 chance of an abnormality but this increases to 1 in 80 chance by the time she is 40.

If you are 35 years of age and over you will probably be offered a scan and blood test which is known as First Trimester Combined Screening.  This scan is called a Nuchal Translucency Fold test and combined with a blood test can give you an idea of whether you are in a high risk or low risk category for disorders such as Downs Syndrome or Trisomy 21.

The optimal time for this scan to be done is between 11 and 13 weeks of pregnancy.  The scan is done by a highly trained Sonographer and is done by measuring the thickness of the skin at the back of the baby's neck.  For more information on this go here or here.  A long with a blood test it will give you an estimated risk percentage, usually you would have already done the blood test and the results will be given to you within an hour or two of having the scan.

Of course this is not 100% accurate but it can give you a fair idea of whether you fall into a high or low risk category for your age.  Depending on the results you can then decide whether or not to do some other tests, such as Amniocentesis or Chorionic Vilus Sampling (CVS).  These tests are much riskier in  terms of miscarriage and more invasive, while CVS is usually done in the early weeks of pregnancy and can be done as early as 9 weeks.

If you are already in a low risk category, like i was, a Nuchal Translucency Fold scan can give you the information you need as to whether to proceed with any more invasive tests or not.  A Genetic Counselor can also help with your decision and there should be one available at the Hospital for you to talk to.  It is a good idea to talk to one anyway so you can be well informed of the risks and options available should something be wrong and can so you can make an informed decision.

I have added some other links below that may give you some more information on these early weeks of pregnancy.