Oh, so sorry for this. My DH had cancer several years ago and on his first follow-up testing the biopsy sample was too small and it had to be redone. Of course, this was over the 4th of July holidays which meant more waiting. Ugh!

Back to you, can your OB just not do an ultrasound to check for fetal well-being? I believe it is normally called the anatomy scan? How many weeks are you now? 16 weeks? It may be a little early, but it would provide a level of reassurance.

Sending good vibes your way.

Waiting is so very hard, and I am sorry you are going through this. Sending up prayers and positive energy!

Praying that the second test comes back with good news. So you know the gender?

I have a friend who is pregnant with her 5th (yes, I know.. some women are very fertile) and they have chosen NOT to find out the gender of this baby but they did for the previous 4. They have 2 boys who are the oldest and then 2 girls. I guess they figure it doesn't really matter for this one but I would still want to know.

Dd is due Dec 8th. She decided against this test due to the rate of false positives. A friend of hers from college was having her 3rd (a pediatrician no less) and didn't want to have this and her dh talked her into it. She had a false positive. Chose not to have amnio. Baby was fine.

Pray for peace and rest. Don't put too much stock into this test. Try to enjoy your pregnancy.

Thinking of you. I agree with the poster above that mentioned the US. Just for your peace of mind.

I wish we could all send you away either to a tropical beach for some relaxing R&R or to some foreign capital with enough sight-seeing to take your mind off things. Big hugs...hang in there!

So sorry you are going through all this.

Remember that thoughts are just thoughts, not reality. It's just noise in your head, so pay it no mind. It's like a friend who isn't being particularly helpful...so let her go on her neurotic way and find the peace and calm within, knowing that you are on the right path. Being whole with yourself and your little one is the best for both of you. Breathe and it will help the time pass.

Stay strong!

Annie is so right about thoughts just being thoughts. They mean nothing!

I have 5 children and did not get prenatal testing (other than the 20 wk ultrasound) for any of them due to the stress of false positives and waiting. I could not handle that kind of worry myself! My sister had iffy info on her ultrasounds for 2 of children (she has 7 total) and they have no health issues.

Do whatever you need to do to cut down on stress, inc. continuing to post here!

Thank you everyone. I always feel better after talking to all of you. :) I knew this testing would be stressful for someone like me but I couldn't pass it up. It would be more stressful for me to skip it than deal with the delays and inconclusive results (if that's even possible to believe!).

I don't know the gender yet but I will with the results (God willing!). Apparently they couldn't determine anything with the first sample, it was all rejected. I did have the NT ultrasound and the baby's neck was perfectly in range at 1.8 in the fold. Anything over 3 would be a concern to look at again from what I understand. This Panorama test is to find abnormal chromosomes in the bloodwork.

Does anyone else feel like 9 months is way tooooooo long to be pregnant??!! It's been the longest 3+ months of my life and I'm only a 3rd of the way through!

I had my last ultrasound when I got the pic above, my next one isn't until the end of next month. I did get some peace of mind listening to the heartbeat on the Doppler when I was there the other day to talk to my doctor. It registered at 155 beats per minute so he/she was perfect and it picked up immediately (my last time the doctor had to search for it as it was still quite early).

I was going to buy myself a Doppler for home use but I'm afraid I'd never put it down. And if the baby "hides" or turns a certain way, it's harder to find. I'd be a nervous wreck all of the time (worse than I am now!).

Thank you all for your kind words and reassuring messages. It's so much easier to share all of this with you all than with people in "real" life. My friends are supportive for the most part but none have gone through IVF, none are having babies at 39, and they aren't obsessed with my pregnancy like I am (imagine?! just kidding LOL).

I'm hoping once we get the gender results that I can put all my Pinterest ideas to work and DH will have his hands full more than he already does. I'll surely be posting on the other side here for all of your decorating expertise! I'm just so afraid of getting ahead of myself. I wish I could be a normal pregnant woman, whatever that is!

Long time lurker here...

I just wanted to add that I had the worst possible pregnancy. Everything and anything that could go wrong, did. I won't go into details-too many of them-but, the outcome was perfect. I had a beautiful, healthy daughter. She will be 30 this year and is the love of my life. Happy endings do happen!

Linda

(delete duplicate post from refreshing--pregnancy brain in full effect!)

This post was edited by emeraldisle624 on Fri, Jun 27, 14 at 13:06

So sorry for this added stress. I hope you soonn get confirmation of all of the other information you have that points to a wonderful outcome!

Deep breath Emerald!

You have a lot of good news to concentrate on: #1 ~ You're pregnant!!! #2 ~ You're THREE months pregnant!! #3 ~ Perfect neck size!! #4 ~ Perfect heart rate!! #5 ~ Baby bump that is getting hard to hide!:)

Please let us know the test results when you can but try not to dwell on the unknown in the meantime. (I know....easy for me to say:))

Thank you, funnygirl, for putting things in perspective for me. *hugs*

You are right. I know I have so much to be thankful for and to concentrate on. I'm just so afraid to have the carpet pulled out from under me (is that a good reference for a decorating forum?!).

My whole life for the past 2 years is all about defying odds and beating what the studies and science says is impossible with my cancer, fertility issues, and everything else thrown in the mix. My doctors never thought this could happen but entertained me just the same. I keep thinking it's all just a dream, it's surely too good to be true. :)

(And please know, I use "entertained" in the most considerate way. They kept my health and safety as their first priority at all times, even when I told them I was ok with a little more risk than their average patient. They wouldn't allow my passion and need to be a mother to influence their choices for my care, it wasn't a priority for them if I wasn't going to live. Appointment after appointment, negative pregnancy test one after another, all confirmed this was never going to happen...until my final try as I couldn't handle it anymore mentally or physically. And now we begin these chapters and I couldn't be more thankful. I can't wait to read how the medical books portray my story even if it's all in a clinical way. )

Thanks for keeping us updated. My gut feeling is that since you have been through so much with your cancer, your blood is out of whack.
It seems there is so much testing now a days. And, it's adding to your stress level.
I know when I am stressed, I just want to talk and analyze all the angles. So, this is a good place for you to vent, talk, feel frustrated etc. remember, we are here 24/7.

So sorry you're having to deal with so much, but remember, you're carrying a precious baby inside you and that's the most important thing right now.

See attached, should reassure you.

Report Indicates: “Low fetal fraction”: Panorama works by looking at fetal DNA that is found in the pregnant mother’s blood. On average, 10% of the DNA in the mother’s blood is from the fetus (i.e. 10% fetal fraction) and 90% is from mother. However, the percentage of DNA that is from the fetus can range from 1% to 30% and can be different from day to day even in the same pregnancy. The higher the percentage of fetal DNA, the easier it is to get results, and when it is lower it can be more difficult. When you are told there is a low fetal fraction, it does NOT mean we found a problem with the baby; it just means that the amount of fetal DNA in that sample is too low for the test to get accurate results. No NIPT test is accurate below 3.5%. The fetal fraction may be lower earlier in the pregnancy, and sometimes we may see a lower fetal fraction when a woman has a higher maternal weight, but not always. Another blood draw at a later week of pregnancy may have more fetal DNA so that we can get a high quality result. There are rare cases when the fetal fraction will stay low, even with a second blood draw. We do not always understand the reason for this, and a woman may want to discuss alternative forms of screening or testing with her doctor.

Here is a link that might be useful: panorama test results

I'm so sorry for your frustrations! I stumbled upon this post while searching for "low fetal fraction" online. I too have received a "no fetal fraction" on my first Panorama test drawn at 13 weeks, 1 day and a "low fetal fraction" 2.2% and therefore no results on my second Panorama test drawn at 16 weeks, 1 day. I received those results at 17+2 and had a 3rd Panorma drawn this week at the coaxing of the nurse (although I've lost hope that there will ever be enough fetal DNA in my blood to be able to make a call. I don't know your situation but saw previous cancer mentioned and wondered if you had ever taken the injectable Neupogen (or Neulasta)? I have a chronic blood disorder associated with my white blood cells and take Neupogen on a regular basis and wondered if that might effect results or perhaps just the blood disorder itself although my doctors haven't offered much info on that topic. I haven't gotten to speak with my Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist yet but my general OB has now gotten concerned with the repeated low measures and suggested an amniocentesis. My husband and I really don't want to proceed to this without more data so I insisted on the old Quad Screen testing just to have more data. My NT numbers were also similar to your 1.7/1.8/1.9 and my AFP numbers were normal. I'm terribly anxious and having to wait over the July 4th holiday is tearing me up (we have our growth scan this upoming week late in the week). Would love to follow your situation and hope that all turns out well for you! Sending good energy.

I'm so sorry you're going through this. I don't know why your RE didn't suggest PGD since you were doing IVF. But concentrate on all the *normal* things, as others have posted, this new test isn't 100% and the fact that they couldn't get enough fetal cells means nothing - just sorry for the worry and the expense.

But you're 2/3rds of the way there! The next 6 months will fly by - better start working on that nursery (and post pix)!

Hi I was curious what was the final outcome of your pregnancy? I'm in the exact same situation as you were. 16 weeks pregnant inconclusive Panorama test results, being encouraged to do an amnio. I'm so confused I would appreciate some feedback?

Erika, the outcome was not successful. Emerald no longer posts here.

I was notified of new comments by email.

If you google my username, you'll find everything I had to say on the subject.

I'm still heartbroken 2 years later and really can't rehash all of this. Even seeing the email notify made my heart sink.

Wishing you the best of luck.

And thank you again to all of you wonderful ladies who helped me along the way. I'll never forget your kindness.

((((((Emerald))))))

My heart breaks for you, it's so hard.

I'm so sorry for your loss. Just try to stay healthy.

wishing you renewed strength, you've been through so much, thanks for chiming in !

Although I have been on the forums for years, I guess this all went on when I must have been taking a break. I am so sorry for your loss Emerald and so sorry to read this. i too wish you strength and tons of support.

Oh no! I have been through this very thing. I am so immensely sorry. Much love and healing. Hugs!