I am 26 years old and pregnant, should I worry about Down Syndrome?

Question

I am 26 years old and pregnant, should I worry about Down Syndrome?

Answer 1

No, you really have no need to worry since it's very rare.  Later on, you will have sort of a pre-screening test for it, just to see if the possibility is there.  Then if you were high-risk for it, they would do an amniocentisis.  At age 26, you only have about a 1 in 1,300 chance of having a downs baby, so you really should just try not to think about it, and enjoy your pregnancy!!  Good luck!

Answer 2

unless you have a history in your family you should be fine ... your doctor will take a test and tell you around the 28th week .. this test isnt 100% so if you get a positive it may be wrong ...

My coworker got a positive for DS and was asked if they wanted to have an abortion ... they said no and to their surprise their daughter was 100% fine!

If they had agreed on an abortion for DS they would have lost their "normal" daughter ...

try not to think about it too much ... every new mom wants healthy children but even if you have a DS child doesnt mean you wont love him/her as much ... there are worse things in life ...

Enjoy your pregnancy and you will see things will all work out :)

Congratulations!

Answer 3

No.

Generally, the older the parent is the more likely the child is going to have down syndrome so you don't need to worry.

Answer 4

You can, but there isn't much of a point to worrying about it.  There is a higher risk if you are 35 or older.

Answer 5

every pregnancy has a chance of something or another that's why children are such miracles but your chances are unlikely because of your age my sis just had a baby and she is 25 he came out just fine.

Answer 6

No  

Answer 7

If you have any worries about that talk with your doctor but as a mother who had her first child when i was 26.. i had all of those same feelings but if it does,'t run through your family then there should be nothing to worry about...

Answer 8

Any woman, any age can have a Down Syndrome baby.  However the risk goes up the older you get.  Personally I would not worry about Down Syndrome at all as I don't think it would be the end of the world to have a baby with Down Syndrome.

You are not at any elevated risk for Down Syndrome based on your age, however every pregnancy carries a risk - so if you are consumed with fear over it speak to your doctor who may offer screening, etc..  for you.

Answer 9

is it in the family? if not you really should not be worried. good luck!

Answer 10

you should b far from worried, thats a perfect age to have a baby, just relax and b happy you will have a healthy baby soon!! Congrats! And good luck!

Answer 11

your still very young, there about 800 children a year born with DS. The risk of having a child with down syndrome at your age is approximately 1 in 2500, if you were over the age of 35 the risk would be approximately 1 in 350, and if you were over 45 the risk would be 1 in 25. Of course if anyone in your family or partners family has DS your risk would be much higher, of course about 80% of babies born with down syndrome are to mothers under 35 and that is b/c more women have children under the age of 35. If your wondering due to testing, I wouldnt bother getting that crappy test, there is a 50/50 chance you will receive a positive/negative result and it is not accurate. I opted not to have the test, b/c I will love my child no matter what and I didnt want to deal with the stress( and I am 25). good luck to you

Answer 12

nah. if you're refering to the fact  that it is more common in older ladies, love you're 26, that is not old at all. i think you will have a healthy baby. 26 is a good age to become a mommy.

Answer 13

i DONT THINK SO.

Answer 14

At 26 years, I'm sure someone would have told you by now if you are a little "special."  But if you're in doubt, here are some signs:

Do you like cake?

Do you have to wear a helmet when you go outside?

Are you easily fascinated by balls and shiny objects?

If you answered yes to any of the above, you may be retarded.  Only a doctor can comfirm it.

P.S.  Good luck with the baby!

Answer 15

no more then being struck by lightning