I had to run in to the lab today to get some blood drawn. We decided in order to be as prepared for this baby as possible, we'd have the Maternal Serum Triple Screen (triple test, for short) done, along with the test for Cystic Fybrosis.
The triple test gives percentages of likeliness that the baby will have a neural tube defect or trisomy problem (ex. Down's Syndrome). The test was initially set up and is required for high-risk patients (moms over 35, dads over 42, family history), but is offered to all patients. There's no doubt in our minds that we would never terminate the pregnancy based on results, and for many couples, that knowledge is enough for them not to get the test. We decided though, in an effort to be prepared, that we'd rather know, so we can read up, find support groups, decide if it makes a difference in my career choices between now and then. We also know because we're not high risk, there's a good chance that the test could come back with a false positive result, in which case, we'd be sent for more testing (non-invasive).
The CF test right now just needs to be done on me, since I'm already giving blood, they may as well take a little more for that. In order for the baby to have problems with CF, both Rod and I would have to be carriers. So we'll test me first - if mine comes back negative, then there's no reason to test Rod.
Now the wait begins... Dr. Jones said it could take up to 6 weeks to get results.
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