god i dont know wether to have it or not or just do what i did with the other 4 have the blood test and hope for the best im 42 soon so my risk is 1 in 67 which is high anyway i think im just scared to know if something was wrong maybe i just dont want to know bloody hell why cant it be simple with my daughter i had a 20 week scan and that was it but each pregnancy there seems more decisions to make

I think you should ask yourself this. Will it change your mind about having your baby? If not, then I say hope for the best and avoid all the stress. Plus I've heard that the scans aren't always the most acurate at diagnosing those types of probs. They can cause more stress than is really necessary.
Thats my two cents.
Good luck hun.
P

I've just made this decision today myself. I'm paying £210 to have the NT scan as my hospital only offers the blood test for free. My policy is, better safe than sorry.

I think you need to ask yourself, what would you do if the scan said you were very high risk? Would you go for the diagnostic test? What if that was positive?

I'm having it because I am 34 and had multiple losses in the past (which didn't seem to be related to chromosomal issues from at least one test done on one of the losses). I figured, it won't change my mind about the pregnancy, but if there is something there that I need to be concerned about, then I can PREPARE for it better. Good luck in your decision.

I decided to have it. If my baby had DS it wouldn't change anything anyway, but I also liked the opportunity to have one more chance to look at my baby and make sure all was well.
Also, this scan can detect more severe problems, and I decided I would want to know at this stage if my baby wasn't going to make it.

I am having it, but only because hubby and I want to see our beans in 3D, we didn't get to see this with our boys years ago.

I don't trust the results, they get 2 wrong out of 10 which to me is disgusting. With your age you will most likely be in the High Risk end even if scan and bloods came back ok.
The tests don't say your baby has DS, it can't, it just gives you a percentage rate of your RISK factor and at 42 and me at 36 I know my risk factor.
Look I would say get the scan cause you will love seeing bubs in 3D, it also gives them a chance to check spine and skull formation etc, don't take the results of Risk Factor to seriously, because at the end of the day all it is, is an educated guess on your RISK, it doesn't mean your baby has DS.

JMO

I am having it done.

I am pretty low risk since I'm 29, but I still want it done so I know one way or the other. For me, I would want to know so I can research how to take care of a special needs child and know what to expect once it's born.

I think this is a question that only you can answer. What would be the reasons why you would not to know. To prepare yourself so you are equipped at birth, to end the pregnancy? Would you worry and this might ease your mind? These are personal reasons and only you can make that decision.

I am 36 and will be having it done, though I doubt very much that I will have the amnio done even if the other tests show a high risk of Down Syndrome. I need to discuss it further with my partner but I think we more or less agree that we want our bubs no matter what, so the slight risk of miscarriage from the amnio is too high for us. However I would like to be prepared in advance to know if there's a higher chance of our kiddo having the syndrome (though I know the tests are really just an educated guess).

One of the things that has helped me a LOT with coming to terms with this risk and what I would want to do is reading up on Down Syndrome. It makes the whole idea a lot less scary and gives some insight into the challenges that individuals with Down Syndrome face, what their parents can expect, what their educational and employment prospects might be down the line.

I honestly suggest that you do the same, it will give you a better idea of how you really feel about it and what you might want to do if you DID find that there was a super-high risk of Down's. Knowledge is power!

We don't have the option of not getting the amnio done over here. There are 2 seperate tests they do through blood..one between 11-13 weeks and the other is between 18-22 weeks or something like that...if the tests come back positive the doctor told me I have to have the amnio regardless. The thought of it scares me, so I'm hoping the tests are negative.