Home » Pick Your Crowd » Moms of Special Needs Children » Positive AFP and Soft Marker (EIF) - anyone else?

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Name: Jenia

[ Original Post ]

Hello everyone, I am on this board looking for encouragement and/or positive-outcome stories.

I am 18 weeks pregnant and just got results that my AFP was 1:119. A complete shock. I am 33 and this more than doubles my risk for a Down Syndrome baby. We didn't do the first trimester screen.

After a day of tears and discussion with my husband and doctor, we opted for an ultrasound first. The ultrasound showed a prominent echogenic foci on the heart. Otherwise, everything else looked fine. The sonographer said that the baby's nuchal fold measured normal, femur and humerus(?) bones were normal length, no cysts on the brain, feet and hands were normal and opening and closing (no club feet, sandal feet or clenched fists), bowel looked fine, nasal bone was apparent, baby was also opening and closing its mouth (which sonographer said was a good sign), and forehead was not protruding, which is typical of a Downs baby. I want to be positive, but I don't know whether to feel encouraged or not, and am even more confused.

The doctor is really pushing for me to do an amnio (even said they could to it "right here and now!"), but I am not convinced. I had some spotting and cramping in the first trimester, and don't want to risk any harm (ANY!) to my baby girl (we found out yesterday that it's a little girl).

So...has anyone had a postivie AFP and single soft marker and ended up with a healthy baby? Is it typical for more than one soft marker to show up in a Downs baby? Also, is there any truth to the stories that girls have a higher rate of false positives?

Just seeking the experience from others who may have more knowledge of this. Thank you in advance. We are keeping our baby girl regardless, but I am trying to learn everything i can. ↓

Name: Naddy | Date: Jul 19th, 2008 7:18 PM

I have a friend who was 37 at the time of delivery, who had the EIF issue. She decided against the AFP blood screens because at her age, it would probably come back with less than desirable resuts anyway. The EIF cleared up before birth and her girl was born healthy & normal.
I also decided against blood work, had a level 2 US which revealed a soft maker (dilated renal pelvis). My odds were calculated based on age and the kidney issue to be 1 in 249. She also was born healthy and normal!!
Those blood tests are notroious for false positives, and a single soft marker for DS gets us all worked up for nothing. I'm sure your baby will be fine. Amnio, of course, the only definitive way to know, I hear the procedure is not as horrifying as it sounds. I might opt for amnio next time around, where I'll probably be over 35, and if I have any markers for DS. I worried obsessively once they told me the soft marker increased my risk and it basically ruined my pregnancy experience......I also wouldn't terminate, just use the amnio to mentally prepare myself in case my baby had DS. ↑