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Q&A: Second trimester tests?

What prenatal tests will I have in the upcoming months?

Re: What prenatal tests will I have in the upcoming months?

The Bump Expert

Here's what you can expect in your second trimester. For more info on these procedures, check out our prenatal tests Q&A.

[  ] Phase two ultrasound

[  ] Amniocentesis

[  ] Triple/quad screen

[  ] Glucose tolerance test

[  ] Urine screening for glucose and protein

The Bump Editors | May 06 , 2009 4:40 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

You will have to have the Rhogam shot as well if you have a negative blood type around the 28th week. Anf the Glucose test. I think you would only need an amnio if you have a high risk pregnancy or if there is something wrong.

Dawn.Goode | July 17 , 2009 2:09 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

Apparently if you live in California, they also now require an amnio.

alecto819 | July 29 , 2009 5:48 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

glucose tolerance test

a6cabral | August 04 , 2009 4:30 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

alecto819, you have to be kidding...there's no way they can require you to do a test that has a slight chance of making you miscarry.

babydragonsister | August 05 , 2009 5:44 AM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

nobody can require you to have an amnio...it is an elective procedure. I am not sure what that comment was in reference to? possibly a reccomendation for an amnio if you have a high risk pregnancy?

kerry2005 | August 08 , 2009 1:55 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

I live in Cali and I've never heard that an Amnio is required- that's actually quite absurd! Are most of you doing the triple/quad screen?

Megan Elizabeth | August 10 , 2009 2:55 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

They definitely do not require an Amnio in California (I live there too) However CA does cover the cost of all triple test screening which I think is fantastic. I have my second bloodwork/Ultrasound tomorrow. On the first round of tests, we had a super low chance of down syndrome (1 in 34,000) and trisomy ( 1 in 94,000) which was great peace of mind .

WithoutMelissa | August 13 , 2009 10:42 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

IV HAD ALL OF THEM

ashleyfrew | August 16 , 2009 9:36 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

My husband is totally against genetic testing. Says we wouldn't do anything different anyway, so why worry? I don't totally agree because I would like to have a "heads up" or to just be reassured. Anyone else have this experience?

luckygirl17 | September 03 , 2009 3:58 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

Also from CA--I can see why somebody would feel like all the genetic tests are required. The pamplets the doctors hand you talk about California State Law and seem official. The law is that the testing should be offered and provided to everyone who wants it. Fortunately, the testing isn't required. However, I do believe that if you choose not to be tested, that you have to sign something that says you turned down testing. I'm 8w6d, and skipping the testing because in my own experience (which I know is statistically very small), I've known of two people with false positives and no people who actually had the baby diagnosed with a genetic disorder. What is worse is that the false-positives were not able to confirm with amnio b/c they didn't have enough fluid. Seems like at this point I have enough to worry about. Maybe later in the pregnancy I'll decide to do some testing.

DreaMe23 | September 09 , 2009 2:05 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

Luckygirl17, we wouldn't do anything differently either, if the baby was down's, but I agree with you and we did have the testing, just so we could be prepared and everything turned out great with our NT scan! Woo Hoo - we still have the AFP (or whatever they call it these days) later this month - I'm sure everything will be fine with or without testing, but I just feel better knowing in advance. .

BrandyL2 | September 12 , 2009 9:46 AM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

My husband and I agree we wouldn't do anything differently but I agree the testing is a good idea just so you do have a heads up just incase there is something or just to give you peace of mind that your baby is healthy.

LDeckers | September 15 , 2009 5:49 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

I have just recently had the amnio done and waiting for the results is agonizing. I had a 1 in 43 chance that my baby will have Down Syndrome based on the screening test so we decided to get the amnio. At this point, I'm almost wishing that we never had the screening tests done at all. I don't know if we would do anything different depending on the results. Its a lot to think/worry about. As this is my first pregnancy, I'm also wondering if having such a high risk at this point will make future pregnancies a higher risk.

KristyS17 | September 16 , 2009 1:23 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

Also in CA. We are not going to do any of the optional tests, including the amnio. We have also decided against the flu and H1N1 vaccine. The doctor just doesn't know this yet, and I am hoping we won't be met with disapproval or argument considering he told me at the last appointment that I'd be getting the vaccines at the next visit (if H1N1 is available yet). I would rather not take any risks with any extra needles and foreign substances.

greggandlinds | September 29 , 2009 12:17 AM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

My husband and I disagree genetic testing...both of are thought is if it happens then I'm sure I will be worrying about them for the rest of my life....so why add 7 or 6 months to stress me out....and I've had a friend who said there child as a disorder and when the baby was born she came out perfect....so its a choice they will have to make

denalynne2003 | October 01 , 2009 10:48 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

Glucose tolerance test

mariarx@mac.com | October 05 , 2009 8:54 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

California does not require any genetic testing. I am 15 1/2 weeks and have turned down the testing due to the fact that I do not want a false postive to make me anxious. In addition, I did not have to sign anything documenting that I turned it down.

Luv2dnce81 | October 14 , 2009 10:24 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

My husband originally did not like the idea of genetic testing. He felt that the result would not change our minds about our baby. Although I agree, my sister was born with spina bifida and back there was no screening and both my mom and doctor were unprepared when she was born. She is a twin and when she was born my mom barely had time to kiss her and then they had to send her by helicoptor to a hospital better equipped to treat her. My father went along with her. So one baby was with mom and one baby was with dad. The twins were not reunited until several weeks later. Although knowing that my mom was carrying a baby with spina bifida would not change their minds about whether or not to have her, my mom wishes now that she knew so that she could have delivered at the hospital my sister ended up at. Everyone could have stayed together and my mom wouldn't have been seperated from her baby. For this reason I went ahead with the genetic screening and the baby is so far healthy and does not have spina bifida. I think mom, dad, and baby benifit from knowing ahead of time. Just to be prepared and give baby the best chance to overcome obstacles he/she may have. Update on my baby sis: She is 17 and graduating HS this year. Aside from so nerve loss in her feet and a slight walking limp she is perfect :)

Kristi0404 | October 29 , 2009 8:12 AM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

I am getting a test done for Spinal Ambifida (sp?) and something else. During my 1st trimester I had an ERA done as well.

LLShrestha | October 29 , 2009 9:22 AM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

I am getting the screening test done at my next visit. I think I would also like to know ahead if Ihave anything to worry about then I have the glucose test at the next visit. I cant wait until my next visit because I am having the ultrasound. This is my first child so I am so excited and also I was told I couldn't have kids so its great.

bryson111288 | October 30 , 2009 7:14 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

glucose

shepherd1 | November 13 , 2009 10:54 AM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

Ultra Screening for Down's Syndrome

rczerw | November 16 , 2009 11:37 AM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

Luckygirl17- My doctor told me that theres a higher chance of a false positive result for those tests than an accurate positive. And She told me theres no reason to get the test and worry about it if its a false positive cuz it causes un-needed stress. I skipped the test and I feel 100% confident in that decision.

JordanMarie71489 | November 16 , 2009 2:28 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

Quad Screen.

catherinehday | November 16 , 2009 8:08 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

I don't understand the "we wouldn't do anything differently'" comments. If you have a baby with Downs or some other genetic disorder you would have to do some things differently. That baby is going to require a lot more care than other babies. I think it would be great to have a heads up on what you are going to be dealing with. However with the risk of miscarriage that amnio brings I would prefer to avoid it. The other tests seem pretty safe though.

britanie | November 17 , 2009 2:53 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

When asked if we are doing any of these screenings, my husband and I say we aren't because "we wouldn't do anything differently." We simply mean that we wouldn't abort our baby if it looked as though things weren't "normal." That we wouldn't do anything differently as far as the pregnancy is concerned. Even with the thought of having a "heads-up" if there was some kind of issue, we wanted to enjoy my being pregnant and not stress over something that is more likely to be incorrect than actually preparing us for anything. I'm not sure if that is what the other ladies mean, but that's what I mean when I have said that. :)

luvmysgt | November 22 , 2009 9:42 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

If you do the actual genetic testing (CVS) there is no such thing as a "false positive". Many of the tests leading up to that can rule things out. For example if the ultrasound does not show any issues then you may personally decide not to proceed with any further tests since the chances of anything being wrong are much lower. But if you do the actual CVS it will tell you one way or another and DNA does not lie.

christyatlbride | November 23 , 2009 11:55 AM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

My husband and I thought the triple screen was a "cut and dry" answer to whether or not our baby would have Down's or anything else. I'm wishing now someone would have told me about all the false-positives and I hadn't done the stupid test. I agree with others, that it will be beneficial to have heads up to "prepare," but now I'm sitting anxiously waiting for my ultrasound Dec. 2nd to find out more info. The cut off at my doctor's office is 1/270, I'm sitting at 1/239. She told me that I have LESS than 1% chance that my baby has Down's, but it's still not very comforting. I've done nothing but PRAY since I found out. I hope everything is ok.

iup9802 | November 23 , 2009 9:08 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

For those of you like me, who didn't get the genetic screening tests, they can tell most of the abnormalities via ultrasound. The only reason they do the tests early is so you can terminate the pregnancy if you don't want a child with abnormalities.

bhardy15 | November 29 , 2009 9:41 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

So I had a test done and baby has a 1 in 13000 chance of being born with down syndrome. Then every appointment I have a pee test. Are they testing my pee for protein/glucose? I need to ask my OB how long my baby was so I htink I'll ask what they test my pee for also. I think I want to be tested for gestational diabetes. I asked my ultrasound tech if baby lhad any abnormalities and she said no and the baby was the right size and my OB wasnt concerned so i think im having a normal pregnancy which is a huge relief because i can handle the stress of everything else but anything going wrong with baby.

Dannyswifey10 | December 05 , 2009 1:10 AM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

I am not getting any extra testing done. Being 28, I don't think it is necessary, however, I was concerned about the H1N1. I had the flu at 6 weeks, and was on Tamaflu. So far everything has progressed on schedule, and I was even given the flu shots at my 9th week ultrasound. I am a teacher and at high-risk with children that have been infected throughout the year. Originally, when I found out I had the Swine, a student in my class who I had sent home sick just 2 days prior, ended up in the hospital with Swine. Supposedly, I could have been on the Tamaflu prevention at that point instead of getting sick and having to do the treatment. I think parents should be required to notify the school that the student had H1N1 and teachers should be told for our protection. If a kid gets lice, we are told about it and a letter is sent home informing the parents, but they can't do that with the SWINE!

TeachVicky | December 05 , 2009 4:04 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

With my first son I was 20 and had the quad screen done. There was a chance of him having Downs Syndrome. We had the amniocentesis done, and he was fine. The quad screen is not a cut and dry answer, it shows the chances of an abnormality. He's 100%fine, it was just precautionary. I had the test done with my second son, and now my third. I take it as a precautionary step. If there were to be something wrong, then we're able to prepare as much as we could.

Karol_K | December 14 , 2009 4:12 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

I am 21 and having my first baby and the doctor told me with how young me and my husband are there was almost no chance of the baby having any defects. Now that I am almost 23 weeks I am wishing I would have gotten the testing just for reassurance. I feel like I have to worry the next 17 weeks if the baby will have something wrong with her. Are there any early signs to be able to tell?

Lizzy8852 | December 23 , 2009 5:57 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

I did the NT ultrasound and blood work and the blood work showed my risk of Trisomy 13 or 18 to be 1 in 84. I had a follow up ultrasound which is showing some of the signs (which I am told are also found in "normal" babies) and we are a wreck. I am undecided on the amnio as the risk of miscarriage is more than a risk I want to take. I don't know whether it's better to go about the pregnancy blissfully unaware or know something might be wrong and worry every single minute.

tinamarie2181@verizon.net | December 28 , 2009 11:10 AM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

I had the glucose test done the other day, and my baby was kicking and bouncing for the rest of the day. Is that normal for baby to be more active when theres a sugar overload?

abaslittlegirl@yahoo.com | December 31 , 2009 2:49 AM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

the sequential screening

Jaclyn1989 | January 05 , 2010 4:47 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

Most Dr's do not offer an amniocentesis to every patient, they usually only offer it to the patients who have their pentice screening (which is blood work) done at 12weeks and it comes back abnormal. The reason is because amnio does carry a risk and that's why they don't offer it to all patietns. Basically it's a test to see whether or not your baby will have Down's or not.

Coopersmom09 | January 21 , 2010 5:44 AM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

I live in Cali and I just refused to do an amnio and any screening for disorders with my baby. You can do that -- they just highly suggest doing the testing. BUT YOU CAN REFUSE. You just have to sign your life away on forms. Haha

Liz.Haugen | January 23 , 2010 9:13 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

I refused to have the quad screening done because of the percentage of false positives. It said it was only 20 % accurate in women under 35 for diagnosing Down Syndrome, and even though it might be 80% accurate in diagnosing Spina Bifida, I was reassured that would be able to be seen via ultrasound. They also have several ways of diagnosing Down Syndrome via ultrasound as well, various markers and measurements. I also refused having the Cystic Fibrosis test done as my husband and I have no family history of it. I also don't want to find out the sex of the baby, but he is very insistent on that. :)

amt2002 | January 25 , 2010 6:58 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

I had the nuchal translucency test done only in order to prepare for a child with a disability if this was to be the case. Let me tell you - all I can say is think long and hard before you have it done. If your plan is definitely to abort a child with an issue, than have it. If you are like my husband and I and were going to have the baby no matter what and just wanted to prepare, than I do not recommend having the test done. My test produced positive results with an off-the-chart reading of the fold of the baby's neck. All the doctors and specialists were all saying that they never see that high and all went into alarm mode. They told me that I had a 1/2 chance of having a baby with downs or trisomy 18. I ended up opting for CVS, just for clarification and more accuracy rates, a few days later. The long, agonizing wait for the results (9 days) was unbearable. I put my body through stress and lost considerable amounts of weight. I ended up in the hospital because I began bleeding (but was concerning despite the fact that I had been bleeding reguarly throughout the entire pregnancy) and this could have been a sign of miscarriage. It was just simply agonizing. Turns out - NO CHROMOSOMAL ABNORMALIITIES! It was a miracle and I count every blessing. Even the doctor's appeared shocked. We are not out of the woods yet, as the folds can also indicate heart defects, as well as other issues, and have more tests to do, but a huge weight has been lifted for sure. It was the most stressful experience of our lives to date and I think they should have a test that yields more accurate results that is as less invasive as the NT test.

scaredmom2be | January 26 , 2010 8:17 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

What is the triple/quad screening?

tjordan8402 | January 27 , 2010 12:30 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

I recommend the genetic testing. I just went through it and it was a roller coaster of emotions. It still is. Those of you who are blessed enough to have your results turn out positively I am so happy for you. I am not one of the lucky ones. I am 20 weeks pregnant, my baby has Trisomy 18 and we are devastated. But knowing gives me the opportunity to research and be prepared and make our birthing plans. I could write for pages and pages about how how devastating this is and how hard waiting for results. Knowing breaks my heart, but now that I do know I can prepare my children and my family and myself for the devastating loss that is to come. Ignorance is bliss sometimes, but not in the case of Trisomy 18.

tml1122 | February 01 , 2010 8:31 AM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

The only screening I am having is the blood test for down's and ultra sounds of course, I'm 15 weeks and have had three miscarriges prior to this. This is as far as I've ever come in pregnancy and I just don't want to take the risk...

agourlay10389 | February 02 , 2010 2:13 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

I am 11 weeks and I will be having my NT on the 11th of Feb. I also have had the blood tests. I elected to have to them due to the suggestion of the OB however I am not concerned, God's got it under control! My little man will be perfect!

juicycute909 | February 02 , 2010 6:53 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

I decided against all screenings even though my partner was for them. I'm not the type of person to abort a child, so it doesn't make a difference to me. I will prepare for the 20wk ultrasound (which can detect most abnormalities anyway) and will go from there.

cheerkri | February 05 , 2010 3:36 PM

Q&A: Second trimester tests?

I am 37 and have the blood work at 12 weeks and came back 1/170 for Down's Syndrome and 1/3,500 for Tri 18. I was devastated. But my NT was perfectly normal. I had to put in perspective, that it meant, my baby has a 99.5% chance of being healthy. My hubby and I decide it doesn't matter anyway. So we are passing on the next blood test between 15-20 weeks. I can't drive myself crazy for the next 6 months.

Mommy2Cammy | Yesterday 6:13 PM

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