Week 13 - First Trimester Scan for Down Syndrome

According to the information leaflets given by Dr KT Tan, Down Syndrome is the most common cause of learning difficulties in newborn babies. It occurs in 1 out of 700 babies. Anyone can have a baby with Down Syndrome, regardless of age, family history or ethnic background. However, a woman's risk of having a baby with Down Syndrome increases with age. At my age, the probablility of getting a baby with Down Syndrome is 1:300.

Down Syndrome is caused by having an extra copy of a particular chromosome (the part of cells that contain genetic material from our parents).

Besides having some degress of learning difficulty, individuals with Down Syndrome are also at a greater rish of having medical problems, including heart defects, abnormalities of the digestive system, hearing and eyesight problems, seizures, thyroid problem and childhood leukaemia.

Gosh, reading all these information saddens me and I wonder why anyone has to go through such a process in their life.

At the scan, the length of the fetus would be measured. It must measure between 45 to 84 mm for any risk estimation to be valid. Less than 45mm, a repeat scan will be scheduled. More than 84 mm, one will have to discuss on an alternative method of screening for Down Syndrome. My baby measures 66.1 mm.

The back of the baby's neck is also measured for its nuchal transluceny. If the measurement taken is larger than expected, this means that there is an increased risk.

The presence of nasal bone is also another tell tale sign of down syndrome. If the nasal bone is absent, a re-scan has to be scheduled at 16 weeks. Again, it is a relief to find out that the presence of nasal bone of my baby.

Somehow, I feel paranoid yet thankful for such advancement in technology which allows couples to get mentally prepared. My heart goes to all parents who need to make a decision after the scan to accept the risk of delivering a handicapped child.