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Did I mention this...? At clinic, they gave an option for cystic fibrosis test if the insurance covers it. They have just asked to check if insurance would cover it or not and let the doctor know on Friday. Has anyone ever done it? What is the test like?
For me, this test was done as part of my early dating ultra sound (6-8 weeks one). They basically looked for cysts and fibroids.
Did I mention this...? At clinic, they gave an option for cystic fibrosis test if the insurance covers it. They have just asked to check if insurance would cover it or not and let the doctor know on Friday. Has anyone ever done it? What is the test like?
It's a blood test (or epithelial cell test, but most places do a blood draw). Usually, the mother is tested, and if she is a carrier, then the father will be tested as well, because CF is very rarely diagnosed without both parents being carriers. If the mother is not a carrier, odds are very low even if the father is.
My insurance did not cover it, but we had it done anyway, because we did not know if we were passive carriers. We each had no family history, but we also each have one parent who was raised by a stepparent versus biological parent, so there are gaping holes in our knowledge of family medical histories on both sides two generations back. Few children born into families with no history of CF have the disease, so if you have a complete medical history and no incidence of CF, it may be less something you deem necessary. In our case, we had incomplete histories.
About ten million people in the U.S. are carriers of the defective gene for CF, and do not have symptoms, so would not know without genetic testing.
Cystic fibrosis will only occur if a baby inherits the defective gene from both parents. If both parents are carriers of the CF gene, there is a 25 % chance that the child will have CF, a 50% chance that the child will not have CF but will carry the gene, and a 25% chance that the child will neither have CF, nor carry the gene.
The test is close to 100% in diagnostic effectiveness, although it won't tell severity of CF.
You can also do screening shortly after birth, and some states do this routinely.
It's a blood test (or epithelial cell test, but most places do a blood draw). Usually, the mother is tested, and if she is a carrier, then the father will be tested as well, because CF is very rarely diagnosed without both parents being carriers. If the mother is not a carrier, odds are very low even if the father is.
My insurance did not cover it, but we had it done anyway, because we did not know if we were passive carriers. We each had no family history, but we also each have one parent who was raised by a stepparent versus biological parent, so there are gaping holes in our knowledge of family medical histories on both sides two generations back. Few children born into families with no history of CF have the disease, so if you have a complete medical history and no incidence of CF, it may be less something you deem necessary. In our case, we had incomplete histories.
About ten million people in the U.S. are carriers of the defective gene for CF, and do not have symptoms, so would not know without genetic testing.
Cystic fibrosis will only occur if a baby inherits the defective gene from both parents. If both parents are carriers of the CF gene, there is a 25 % chance that the child will have CF, a 50% chance that the child will not have CF but will carry the gene, and a 25% chance that the child will neither have CF, nor carry the gene.
The test is close to 100% in diagnostic effectiveness, although it won't tell severity of CF.
You can also do screening shortly after birth, and some states do this routinely.
Thank you. That was good to know. Looks like we live in such a advanced world! Don't know what kind of tests would exist in future!
Really, your wife's OBGYN should be supplying her with access to all this prenatal health information, and communicating it to her. There are also lots and lots of good resources for all this information and more, in the pregnancy and parenting sections of pretty much any bookstore or library. Knowledge is power, and with all the uncertainties of a first-time pregnancy, it's good to have trustworthy resources and references.
There's a lot of stuff online, as well, but the sources are obviously not always trustworthy or verifiable, so it merits being careful of what you're reading and who's putting it out, and what their agenda is. There are sources online, for instance, that claim that there is no reason to do any of the genetic screening for chromosomal abnormalities if you know you aren't going to choose to abort no matter what. Their stance is that genetic testing is "only" for people who would consider aborting if their unborn child turns out to have a chromosomal defect. This is untrue. Many people choose to know if they are carrying a child with chromosomal abnormalities, and have every intention of continuing the pregnancy. Again, knowledge is power. If you know early on that there is a chromosomal issue likelihood, it can affect things you do in your pregnancy, preparations you make for different considerations that will come to light after the child is born, there are differences in how your pregnancy and labor and birthing practices may proceed depending on the child's condition, medical procedures that are better planned for than having to do on the fly once the child is born and is only then diagnosed with a chromosomal disorder, etc. However, if you go by some online sources, you might think, "Only people who are considering aborting would do genetic testing," when this is far from reality.
So while I highly advocate for educating yourself, always consider the source.
There's a lot of stuff online, as well, but the sources are obviously not always trustworthy or verifiable, so it merits being careful of what you're reading and who's putting it out, and what their agenda is. There are sources online, for instance, that claim that there is no reason to do any of the genetic screening for chromosomal abnormalities if you know you aren't going to choose to abort no matter what. Their stance is that genetic testing is "only" for people who would consider aborting if their unborn child turns out to have a chromosomal defect. This is untrue. Many people choose to know if they are carrying a child with chromosomal abnormalities, and have every intention of continuing the pregnancy. Again, knowledge is power. If you know early on that there is a chromosomal issue likelihood, it can affect things you do in your pregnancy, preparations you make for different considerations that will come to light after the child is born, there are differences in how your pregnancy and labor and birthing practices may proceed depending on the child's condition, medical procedures that are better planned for than having to do on the fly once the child is born and is only then diagnosed with a chromosomal disorder, etc. However, if you go by some online sources, you might think, "Only people who are considering aborting would do genetic testing," when this is far from reality.
So while I highly advocate for educating yourself, always consider the source.
This is so true about the genetic testing. I don't know what I would have done if we had gotten a positive test, but I know that I would be preparing now to deal with things, both in terms of physically preparing the house differently and probably seeing a counselor to prepare mentally. I think there are many good reasons to do some of the testing.
I personally need to do as much as I can to prepare. We've taken Bradley Method classes and I really liked them. I think it's important to know not just how labor works, but we've also learned about breastfeeding, baby wearing, cloth and disposable diapering, etc. We've practiced various techniques on dolls. I know it's not the same, but at least I feel a little more prepared. Plus, now my husband is prepared, too.
Can anyone of you list (if it's on top of your minds) the genetic screening and other tests (apart from the usual glucose tests) that are done during pregnancy?
So far, my wife has had the following tests:
1) Some blood work to look at a couple of things, not sure of the name of the test - Around 8 weeks
2) Cystic fibrosis screening - Around 8 weeks or so
2) NT scan + a blood work (not sure of the name of the test, but I guess it is double marker) - Around 12 weeks
3) Maternal serum test - Around 16 weeks or so
When is quad screening done? What are the other screenings left to be done? Just making sure that we don't miss any of the tests. It would be helpful to someone shares these info. Thanks!
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