Anyone not doing amnio?

Noiyah

I am debating on whether or not to have the amnio...there isno history of birth defects in our family...my first daughter was fine...i was 31...i am strongly leaning towards not having one done. I am not worried about any abnormalities or such...i just figure i trust that God will not give us more than we can handle.

Make a pregnancy ticker

erosa

i didn't do it. 

sharrow

I didn't do it either- though my results after the initial NT scan were 1/350 for a problem, and so DH and I decided it wasn't worth the risk.  After further testing, our risk was ever lower, so for us, it was the right decision.

tlc7068

i didn't do one.  I had a 1/390 risk for downs after the NT scan and then had a cyst show up on the brain during the anatomy ultrasound.  But since my risk was 1/4000 for trisomy 18 and there were no other signs of it the high risk ob felt our risk was better not to have one than to have one.  i am totally comfortable with my decisions. 

ajk612

I didn't. We did reluctantly did the NT scan and our risk for downs was 1/1200. They can't test twins for trisonomy 18, and I forget what else the blood test for, is it spina bifida? Either way that was around 1/1000. However, even if reults had been different, I wasn't doing an amnio.

robynlesley

I'd suggest you ask your OB about having the NT Scan if you're worried about abnormalities but don't want invasive testing. If you're unfamiliar with the test, it gives a probability of having chromosomal abnormalities (ie. 1:1000) but doesn't definitively test for it.

I did not have an amnio based on my results. Average risk for a woman who will give birth at age 39 is 1:139 and my risk (after NT Scan) was 1:2141 (Trisomy was 1:3721).  And my AFP (alphafeta protein) test came back negative (also tests for DS markers and Spina Bifida).  Unless something shows up during my anatomy ultrasound on Friday, I'm not changing my mind and am leaving it up to a higher power. But I felt my odds were good and didn't have an amnio. 

edbetsy1

I didn't have it done.  My ob/gyn felt I didn't need it, but my perionatal doctor felt I needed it.  My risks for Down Syndrome was 1:3000 and the other number were low. 

Noiyah73

What is the NT scan?

edbetsy1

I looked this up for you hope it helps, and as RobynLesley stated earlier ask your doctor if you have any questions or concerns that's what they are there for.   

NT or nuchal fold scan can help your healthcare practitioner assess your baby's risk of having Down syndrome (DS) and some other chromosomal abnormalities as well as major congenital heart problems. The NT test uses ultrasound to measure the clear (translucent) space in the tissue at the back of your developing baby's neck. Babies with abnormalities tend to accumulate more fluid at the back of their neck during the first trimester, causing this clear space to be larger than average.

Noiyah73

Actually i just looked it up and now i know what it is...thank you for all your input!!

 

BrideBuddies

We are probably doing the NT, since my ultrasound tech is one of the few people in our city who is certified to do it, and I've come to trust her.   She's very careful and thorough and supportive, so she's put at ease all of the other times I've had to have an U/S (fibroids, previous miscarriage, etc).

As for the amnio, not sure about that.  Sure it will give us more information, but at 41, I don't want to risk m/c.  And even if our child has disabilities, he/she will be our child.  I certainly would not end the pregancy over something like that, so really, does knowing early make much of a difference?

kiki4

After getting the results back from my NT scan (1:5000) I've decided it wasn't worth the risk.  If it had come back less than 1:200, we would have done the amnio.

maschmidt16

We're having our NT Scan and seeing what the results are from that. If it puts us in higher risk, we'll go forward and do the amnio. Otherwise, we want to avoid doing any more invasive testing than necessary.

robynlesley

BrideBuddies:

As for the amnio, not sure about that.  Sure it will give us more information, but at 41, I don't want to risk m/c.  And even if our child has disabilities, he/she will be our child.  I certainly would not end the pregancy over something like that, so really, does knowing early make much of a difference?

Of course that is a personal choice, but I think knowing early DOES make a difference?even if you would not terminate.

A baby with Trisomy 13 or 18 generally does not survive the pregnancy?or if he does, doesn't survive its first year. So that's something to prepare yourself for.

As for Down's Syndrome, a lot of those babies have other health issues (besides diminished mental capacity), including heart problems. And there are support groups that help parents with children with DS, as they may have some different needs. So knowing early can help you prepare for that.

There's a lot to research and think about. Hope you decide on something that works for you.

ml0904

We are not. DH was adament at our appointment that there was no sense in it since we would not abort anyway so there was no reason to take the risk. Our High Risk OB agreed especially after the NT scan, our numbers were that of a 25 year old so he said he wouldn't do it either.

 

BrideBuddies

Good points, Robyn. This is all just sinking in to me.  Heck, we just learned about the NT scan yesterday!

McCutie

I didn't have one.

JOEBunny

robynlesley:

BrideBuddies:

As for the amnio, not sure about that.  Sure it will give us more information, but at 41, I don't want to risk m/c.  And even if our child has disabilities, he/she will be our child.  I certainly would not end the pregancy over something like that, so really, does knowing early make much of a difference?

Of course that is a personal choice, but I think knowing early DOES make a difference?even if you would not terminate.

A baby with Trisomy 13 or 18 generally does not survive the pregnancy?or if he does, doesn't survive its first year. So that's something to prepare yourself for.

As for Down's Syndrome, a lot of those babies have other health issues (besides diminished mental capacity), including heart problems. And there are support groups that help parents with children with DS, as they may have some different needs. So knowing early can help you prepare for that.

There's a lot to research and think about. Hope you decide on something that works for you.

This is very true.  It is much better to know.  I get seriously irritated with people who think ignorance is bliss.   There are loads of reasons to know, you cannot possibly think of all the possible problems that a baby can have and it is far easier to deal with logistics like finding specialized daycare, the right doctors, the right work situation, child care for other kids, sometimes even moving to another city to get the care your child needs before that child is born than waiting until you have an ill infant to find out.  You may find out at the 20 week ultrasound about some things, but the 20 week does not particularly look for the same defects.  Having a child who needs special care is hard enough, having a suprise child who needs special care is just careless IMO. 

doris03

I'm not doing one.

wilberta2006

I'm 36 and DH is 37.  We decided not to do any tests beyond the blood work.  Our ratios were very small, so it we didn't want to risk complications that can arise with the full amnio.

mominatrix

JOEBunny:

robynlesley:

BrideBuddies:

As for the amnio, not sure about that.  Sure it will give us more information, but at 41, I don't want to risk m/c.  And even if our child has disabilities, he/she will be our child.  I certainly would not end the pregancy over something like that, so really, does knowing early make much of a difference?

Of course that is a personal choice, but I think knowing early DOES make a difference?even if you would not terminate.

A baby with Trisomy 13 or 18 generally does not survive the pregnancy?or if he does, doesn't survive its first year. So that's something to prepare yourself for.

As for Down's Syndrome, a lot of those babies have other health issues (besides diminished mental capacity), including heart problems. And there are support groups that help parents with children with DS, as they may have some different needs. So knowing early can help you prepare for that.

There's a lot to research and think about. Hope you decide on something that works for you.

This is very true.  It is much better to know.  I get seriously irritated with people who think ignorance is bliss.   There are loads of reasons to know, you cannot possibly think of all the possible problems that a baby can have and it is far easier to deal with logistics like finding specialized daycare, the right doctors, the right work situation, child care for other kids, sometimes even moving to another city to get the care your child needs before that child is born than waiting until you have an ill infant to find out.  You may find out at the 20 week ultrasound about some things, but the 20 week does not particularly look for the same defects.  Having a child who needs special care is hard enough, having a suprise child who needs special care is just careless IMO. 

THIS.

goldenprincess

I am 39 having my 2nd babyand we chose not to do one.  Like you we just decided that we would take a chance with what God gives us.  Our DS is healthy and we have no birth deects on either sides of our family either.  My DR said that she agreed with our decision and that a lot of things can be caught on U/S 's as well.

ElopeToHawaii

I truly believe it's a personal decision and don't agree with people who think it's "careless" not to find out.  I was 35 and we didn't have any testing done - no blood tests, no NT scan, no amnio.  That was a decision my DH and I felt comfortable with.  My DD is perfect.  Would I regret not having testing done if she wasn't?  I don't know.  But we made the best decision we could with the information we had at the time.  That's really all you can do.

Best of luck with your decision!