Nuchal Translucency Test

On Monday Ron and I will be going to have an genetic screen ultrasound called the Nuchal Translucency or NT ultrasound.

Since this is actually a newer test, new as in they didn't do it when my mom was pregnant with my baby brother fourteen years ago.

So I decided to do some research on it and share it with you all on this blog!

*The Nuchal Translucency test can help your practitioner assess your baby's risk of having Down syndrome as well as some other chromosomal abnormalities such as major congenital heart problems.

*The test is not invasive and uses ultrasound to measure the clear (translucent) space in the tissue at the back the developing baby's neck.

 *It has been found that babies with abnormalities tend to accumulate more fluid at the back of their neck during the first trimester, causing this clear this space of fluid to be larger than average.

*The ultrasound must be done when the mother is between 11 and 14 weeks pregnant, because this is when the base of the baby's neck is still transparent. 

 *The test is usually offered with an evaluation for the presence or absence of nasal bone, as well as a blood test.

*Like other screening tests, this scan won't give you a diagnosis. But it's more to assess the baby's risk for certain problems. If levels or risks are high then your practitioner may recommend a chorionic villus sampling (CVS) or amniocentesis to find out whether the baby is actually affected.

Ron and I will go and have the ultrasound done on Monday and then have a follow up with my OB on Wednesday to go over the results from the ultrasound. 

Either way we will love this baby but it's still nice to have done and get another sneak peek at the baby!