Generally the rule is that a baby with Down's syndrome will not have a nasal bone at all on the test. But, this is not always true. A lot of times chromosomally normal babies will not have one and some with Down's will have a nasal bone. This test, like all tests, is not 100% reliable - it just gives some ideas and lets you decide if you feel further testing is warranted. A lot of places only measure the nuchal fold and not the nasal bone. If your nuchal measurements were very good, that's reassuring. But, there have been babies born that had perfect measurements and they had Down's. And babies who had terrible measurements were born totally normal. So, once again, the test is not totally reliable. If you need further peace of mind, you can follow this test up with an amnio or the triple screen blood test that is done around the 16th week of pregnancy. The amnio is probably the most reliable of these tests but also carries the most risks. The triple screen will once again give you some odds.
When my daughter was born in 2002, the nuchal translucency test was not yet available. When my son came along in 2005, it was and it drove me crazy that there was another test and more decisions to make.
So, you will need to think about what will bring you the most peace of mind to enjoy the rest of your pregnancy. Good luck!
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