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Pregnant after 35
Julia-Henry
member
questions re amnio..
Julia-Henry
member
Hi Ladies,
I have many questions. I've decided I want/need the amnio. I didn't get it the first time, but 1) I'm almost 40 now, and 2) if something were to be wrong with baby, it would affect ds #1 for the rest of his life too. I feel like I need to know.
So, I'll mention it at my next OB appointment. But I'm wondering: WHen do they usually do the amnio? I've read that they can do them from 12 weeks on, but it seems like 15 or 16 is safer.
If you knew in advance that you wanted one, when did you have it? and how much notice do you usually get? do most places do them on Fridays (so you can rest), or will it be any day of the week?
Oh, and how long did it take for you to get results? do they automatically tell you boy or girl, or do you have to ask for the sex?
FInally, and pre-amnio tips for someone who hates needles? I gather the glass of wine they sometimes recommend is for after, not before? 
2012 Races:
Mar 24: Great Human Race 5K. April 28: 5K for Fitness
This discussion has been closed.
Re: questions re amnio..
Well, I didn't have an amnio or a CVS, so I'm no help there...
But, I will raise my standard questions to you for consideration:
If the results are negative or not what you want them to be, what would you do with this information?
If you are one of the rare people who miscarries after amnio, can you live with the fact that you made that decision?
Oh, I have a few ideas about what I would do with the information. And yes, I'm a grown-up. I can live with the consequences of my actions, even if it is not what I hope for.
For all those who feel that that you wouldn't want to know in case the answer is not what you hope, you do know that knowing in advance results in 1) better prenatal care, 2) better adjusted parents, and 3) different (and potentially life-saving) birth arrangements for mom and baby, right?
I had mine this morning. I am not going to lie: it was incredibly painful! My doctor recommended doing it at 15 weeks after my NT scan at 12 weeks. I pushed it to 16 weeks because of my job. I am guessing that most places will do them any day of the week as if you have the kind of job that I do, weekends are not relevant. You will probably be told to take the next day off as a precautionary measure. I have felt fine all day, and the doctor felt that it went really well. We checked baby's heartbeat on our doppler when we got home, and he was doing great!
We will get our FISH results in 48-72 hours and the remaining results in 10 days. The way they explained it to me was that if the FISH results were clear, then there really isn't much left to worry about. They usually will ask you if you want to know the sex of the baby. I know my doc is very sensitive to couples who don't want to know.
As far as tips, I really don't know. I never looked at the needle, and I have to say that the insertion of the needle is not the bad part at all. The cramping caused by drawing out the fluid was quite painful for me; however, it is over in about a minute. I squeezed DH's hand the whole time, and he said the nails starting digging in toward the end. I definitely think a glass or two of wine prior would have been optimal, but I am not recommending! : )
Good luck to you!
Thank you so much for the info. I know it won't make a difference to the procedure itself, but I always feel so much better if I know how things might go in advance.
Indy, I'm glad you survived the procedure! I hope your FISH results come in fast and perfect!
I understand wanting to know--that's why we skipped the earlier NT scan and just went with the amnio. I had mine at 16 weeks. I think they can do the CVS earlier, but I was told 16 for the amnio.
We scheduled ours about a month in advance, just so we could get a date/time that was convenient. The doctor I saw does them only on Fridays, and I was on modified bedrest for the weekend. Went back to work on Monday.
It took us 10 days to get our results, and the nurse who called asked if we wanted to know the sex.
As far as tips, I'd say try not to stress (easier said than done). Mine was literally done in a minute, and I kept my eyes closed so I honestly never even saw the needle. And I definitely enjoyed my glass of wine that night!
?
Um, Julia... simmer down there. No need for the hostility just because I posed a few questions to consider that you apparently didn't like.
I had my own reasons for not doing the testing.. just like you have reason for wanting it.
I got mine and I was glad. I wanted the CVS but was not a good candidate for it so I got the amnio a few weeks later. I was at about 15 weeks.
I was told I could have a light bfast and I did. I was glad because it kept my morning sickness under control.
You can choose to know the sex of the baby, they asked me when they called to give me the results. They have the info in front of them, they do not have to test for it specifically - its part of the genetic profile.
GET THE FSH! Waiting was the worst. We got them and I was SOOOO happy about that.
DONT LOOK AT THE INSTRUMENTS...
I didn't look at the needle, I asked for a towel to cover my eyes. I didn't listen to what the Dr was saying as they did the test. My DH talked into my ear the whole time. I also focused on breathing and imagined/visualized that I was disconnected from my body at the bottom of my ribs down - something we do in swim practice when we use only our upper body - like when working on our butterfly stroke of something -so it was somewhat natural for me. This helped me to relax which is important because when you tense you cause yourself more discomfort/pain. If you have something like that in your experience - from yoga or some other sport/activity, it is very helpful.
I didn't find the experience to be that bad. This is what it felt like (skip this if you don't want to know): First there was a tiny sting... The needle is soooo slender I almost didn't feel it. The sting was more from that Iodine they smeared all over me stinging where the needle entered than from the needle itself. They didn't give me a local since they can't numb the uterus anyway, but I am jumping ahead. Then I felt the needle go into my stomach muscles. I felt it, but it didn't hurt. I just focused on relaxing and listened to my DH talking in my ear - I think it wouldn't have hurt even without this distraction since it was so small. Then I felt it go into my uterine wall. It still didn't hurt. Kind of a twinge and a mild cramp, but not a painful cramp, I was just aware of it - this is when I really focused on relaxing because I knew that it would cause contrax just by being there and I didn't want to make it any worse. The longer the needle stayed in my uterus, the more it stung - no one warned me about this and I dont' know if it is "normal". It became very, very intense by the end and it was the worst part (except the anticipating and waiting afterwards). Mine took longer than normal because they had to keep adjusting the angle of the needle to get more fluid. I thought that sounded like it was going to hurt, but it didn't. I wouldn't have known it was even happening if the Dr would have kept their d*mn mouths shut. Honestly, the sting was the worst sensation and by then it was almost over. Removing the needle was quick and painless. Mine took about 3 minutes - NOT the 60 - 90 they promised me
(.
This is the way I looked at it... First off, anticipation is usually much worse than the actual - was 110 % true in this case. Second, if they expect pregnant women to lay there and behave while they stick an inredibly sharp object near your baby - it can't be THAT bad for the majority of the people. I wont argue that some people's experience was really painful, because I have heard a few women say that and who knows why theirs was worse, but overall, it must be tolerable to the majority of the women - or they would knock us out for the procedure or consider it unsafe for baby....
I was tired that day and the next, so I took it really easy - even though they said it wouldn't make any difference. Oh, and I was OH SO THIRSTY - no one said anything about that part! I dont know if that was all in my head or if it was a matter of replacing the fluid. But I was tired and thirsty so I rested and drank water. Listen to your body. Do schedule on Friday if you can.
Best of luck and let us know how it goes.
I had an amnio done with my 1st & honestly it was not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. It was pretty quick & pain free - like a pinch. I was put on bed rest for 24 hours after.. but I worked from home so it was not that bad. I have no regrets over my decision. But my doctor did tell me the % of miscarriages her office had at the time (which were none) from doing the procedure. That gave me a little bit more confidence.. I was scared because we already knew something was wrong.. but wanted to find out what else we had to prepare for.
I did not know I was going to have one done until after my big u/s... so for us it was a big shock! While I did not have one done with my 2nd child or my current pregnancy, I would have if something showed up on the level II u/s or AFP blood work (or any of the other non-invasive tests) & I would never terminate.
I totally agree on being prepared for your child's birth.. you can really never start to early ; ) I learned this with my 1st! We had a scare after my 2nd was born too.. ugh, which is why I had the AFP blood work done this time around, since some spinal tube defects cannot be caught on the u/s - but the amnio will cover that too.
Good luck!
Um, BrideBuddies, you posted something that was in no way an answer to my questions and was on a different topic entirely. To me, that seems like you're pushing an agenda, and I think that's poor form. If you want to comment on whether or not people should have testing, then start your own post - please don't hijack mine!
Thanks for the helpful posts, ladies! I'm ever so slightly less worried about the needle after hearing that you all survived it
I'll let you know when and how it goes. Somehow the whole procedure/preparation/apprehension seems a lot more manageable now that I know a bit about the whole process.
I had mine at 16 weeks. I am so glad we opted for it. It's helped me relax considerably! As long as you are going to an experienced doc, I think you'll be fine. Mine does them all the time so his miscarriage rate is VERY low (if any). Honestly, it was just a quick prick of the needle. I also opted for the FISH results. They should come in within 2-3 days but I had a holiday and a weekend thrown in so I had to wait about 5. I think results typically take 2 weeks unless you get the FISH test (which my insurance covered).
Good luck! I am sure you'll make the right decision
Julia... I have no agenda whatsoever. We did consider doing the tests, so I'm certainly not against them.
I've just been on this board long enough to see that this question about amnio gets asked pretty much once a week. If you scroll down, you'll see all sorts of discussions about them. Sometimes the discussion is not so much about the medical aspects of it (like you asked about). But there are also emotional issues to consider. In no way should you discount that. That's why I raised those questions.
It does seem that some women come on here after being told by their doctors that an amnio or CVS is a "must-do" and as you know, that's not always the case. Even if I had the tests, I'd still ask those questions of myself and pose it to others.
I will beg to disagree with your statement that not having Amnio somehow means that your prenatal care is lacking or that the parents are not as "balanced" as others and that they are not as prepared for problems at birth. I think that's a huge stretch to say that. In fact, I would say the exact opposite is true... that there is extra monitoring and extra testing if the parents know there is a potential problem on the horizon.
I had mine done at 15w, 3d.
I had 6 weeks notice because I skipped all the screenings and just had the amnio. I decided last minute with my first pregnancy, so I called the perinatologist that morning and was in that afternoon having the procedure.
My peri's office does them every day of the week. I took the rest of the day off, but was back at my desk job the following day.
I asked for the FISH results which tells you the results of chromosomes 18, 12, 13 and the gender pair. Those results took 24 hours. The rest of the results take 8-10 days. If you don't see the gender on the u/s you can get it with the FISH results the next day.
I hate needles too. This one was WAY easier than a blood draw. The apprehension is much worse than the needle and I do not feel this way about a blood draw. I did not find it painful at all, more like a pinch (I did not have any cramping). I watched the needle and the fluid draw - for some reason it's not the same (or as bad) as a blood draw, but I am a major wimp when it comes to a needle in my vein.
GL!
I know you're *trying* to be helpful so please take this as a friendly question. Do you need to post this each time someone asks about an amnio or CVS? You may not be aware, but it comes across as very condescending. And not overly helpful, considering that you have nothing to offer by way of experience.
It's nobody's business but yours why you want to know or what you would do in either outcome. Geez.
I had mine at 16 weeks. I'm sure you can request the day of week you want to do it, but I was told to only rest that night and go about my regular business the next day so it made no difference what day. It took about three business days to get the results and they told me the sex because I asked. If you don't want to know, you should say so so someone doesn't blurt it out.
I have to say it was a very unpleasant experience, but it realy wasn't the needle. I'm a needle hater too, but I couldn't feel the actual needle going in. I had a very startling and painful sensation when they were drawing the fluid up. Seriously though, it was 30 seconds, so not that big a deal. GL!
Thanks, Flowerchild! My thoughts exactly..