2nd Trimester Testing

JeeGooDowster

Has anyone elected to do the Cell Free DNA blood testing instead of Amnio?  I'm going on 16 weeks and wanted to know any insight on it.

PrimRoseMama

mrsdowster said:

Has anyone elected to do the Cell Free DNA blood testing instead of Amnio?  I'm going on 16 weeks and wanted to know any insight on it.

Did your doctor give you a pamphlet? Sometimes the paperwork has a help line or customer service number. I'd see & contact the provider if you have specific questions.

I have no personal experience, but I did find these links that might be of interest to you:

https://m.acog.org/Resources-And-Publications/Committee-Opinions/Committee-on-Genetics/Noninvasive-Prenatal-Testing-for-Fetal-Aneuploidy?IsMobileSet=true

https://www.ucsfhealth.org/education/cell-free_fetal_dna_testing/

blush64

An amnio is diagnostic and those are still screening tests. (although really accurate) An amnio is usually done when other screenings have showed an issue. I have not heard of someone just opting for one. It would be screening first and depending on the results possibly an amnio. 

In my next pregnancy I will do the non-invasive screenings but if an issue shows I would almost certainly do the amnio. I would want to be as prepared as I could. (ex. I would have to give birth at a different hospital) 

JeeGooDowster

I did the NT screening at 11.5 weeks and results came back low risk. My best friend (who is a doctor and her husband is a doctor) did amnio just solely based on the fact that results are more accurate (her NT scan came back low risk). When I spoke to my OB about it, he said no way that I should do amnio (but would support my decision if i went with it) but if i wanted further testing I could do cell free DNA for peace of mind.

I would like to do further testing for some peace of mind, i guess i am still on the fence and wanted to see if anyone was out there that has experience or is going through the same thing as me.

Btw, my best friend and I are 33.

pixieprincss

We had an elevated risk of an NTD or T18 with my oldest. We declined an amnio because of the miscarriage risk. We waited for the 20-week anatomy scan which reduced that risk factor to a negligible amount.  After all was said and done, DS1 probably did indeed have a small NTD--he has a tiny extra dimple on his lower back, perhaps an opening that closed up early with no issues. This was not even visible until about age 2.  My experience was so negative and unhelpful that we declined screenings in the other two pregnancies. Why? Because for us, even a "positive" discovered after his birth didn't change anything--he's just fine. Had we distinctly known of this issue in utero, it would've been even more stressful than those weeks where we lived with the elevated risk results all for something that couldn't be comprehended until early childhood.Personally, anything invasive in the name of a "maybe" is too risky for me, but even tests that show definitive things can be unhelpful in some circumstances.  I guess the questions are, is the risk of amnio worth the benefit that you perceive? Are the results of the DNA test helpful or limiting? For us, not having a label on our child from birth has been helpful, since this "issue" has been no big deal. I am close to a child with a chromosomal issue diagnosed after birth and I think the same is true for her. While finding a label, an issue, has meant some answers, the adults in her life also have to be cautious not to allow her to be limited, as many identifiable issues still happen along a spectrum. Sometimes a label can be limiting, so to put one on a unborn baby isn't going to be helpful to all families. Only you and your DH know where that helpfulness line is for you with the specific things that this test looks at.