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Pregnant after 35
NT scan, then amnio??
Well, we received our NT scan/blood test results and they came back great! 1/3000 was what the genetic counselor said. She said now the risks of an amnio are higher than the risk of having a "surprise" at the birth. Due to my age (36) and the fact that we are over planners and like to be as prepared as possible we are considering getting an amnio. WWYD? Is the risk worth being prepared and knowing for sure? Are the risks really that high? TIA!
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Re: NT scan, then amnio??
I got the amnio, but my results weren't as awesome as yours.
The risks depend on the doctor doing the procedure, mostly. If your doctor has a lot of experience, the risk is really low.
It's really up to you and what feels comfortable to you. Those results are excellent, so if that feels like enough then I wouldn't.
After much debate, we have decided not to get the NT scan, so my personal experience won't be much help here. : )
Good luck with whatever you decide.
My NT results were close to yours and we are not doing the amnio. I am 39. I don't see any reason to risk mc with such good results.. I was told that they recommend amnio to everyone over 35 but most people decide to do it or not based on what that NT results are.
There is another screening where they check for chromosone problems in week 15-18. I think we will go for that test instead of the amnio because it is not invasive. Can't remember what the name of the test is right now.
My results weren't QUITE as good as yours, but nearly (1:2600ish), and I opted not to do any further testing. I personally think those odds are so slim that like the GC said, the risks way outweigh the likelihood of finding out something you don't already have the tools to expect.
Congrats on the great numbers.
Now here's where I differ from a lot of people on this board so flame me if you want.
But ask yourself this: What additional reassurance do you really need? Nothing in this world is absolutely 100%, especially when it comes to babies. There are no iron clad guarantees. You are 1/3000. That's a minisule risk for problems. And the risk for problems with an amnio is higher than that. Logic tells me it's not worth it.
And for disclosure, my Downs risk was 1:5 and we still didn't do the amnio. In the end, if we have a kid with DS or we don't, it's still our kid and we'd never dream of terminating or anything. Until he/she is born, there's not much we can do about anything (unless there were heart issues, etc) So far, there's no indication of any problems, so we're optimistic that we're in the 80% that everything's okay. But it's also okay if we do have a DS child.
Sometimes it's okay to just have a little faith, ya know.
And I'll add... since I'm on my soapbox, apparently....
I just don't buy the whole "We're planners so we have to know" argument.
Everybody is a planner when it comes to any baby. What additional plans would you have to make if you knew you were having a Downs child?
Honestly, there isn't really any huge differences unless there are some immediate physical and medical issues, of course. But you're probably not going to know that for sure until the kid arrives. You still buy the same diapers. There are no special cribs or strollers. They wear the same clothes. What really do you need to plan???
--Find a support group--okay... that's easy enough to do.
--Make sure your pediatrician knows it's a possibility... well, you need to find a pediatrician with any kid, so what's different about that other than asking a few additional questions.
--Read up on the subject... Okay..but that doesn't take months of research.
End of rant.... thank you very much!
Bridebuddies, one thing it's important to plan for is the hospital. Not every one has an advanced NICU. Also, if the staff knows ahead of time that there are possible complications beyond what is normally expected, they can have specialists on hand at the birth.
Beyond that, say you were hoping for a home birth, or even a birthing center birth with a midwife. You might want to rethink that if you know you have a child coming with chromosomal abnormalities.
For me, that was what "need to know" meant.
My husband and I wanted to know definitively so we did the amnio. We didn't do the NT at all because we knew we would do an amnio. It's a personal decision, and I don't need to make an argument for or to justify my choice--it was my choice. I don't think anyone should be condemned for what she decides on this--whether that's to stick with the NT, decline testing altogether, do the amnio, whatever.
And PS, congrats on the great numbers!
Edited to add: Just re-read this and it sounds snippy. Didn't mean it to--my point is just that whatever choice you make is okay because it's such a personal, individual decision.
As someone who knows first hand, I'd like to say that I can't imagine finding out that my child has Down syndrome on the day he is born. DH and I received his diagnosis with our amnio at 16 weeks, and we still are coming to terms with it. Abortion was never an option, and we don't love him any less but it is still a very traumatic thing to deal with. I spent a week on the couch, crying and mourning the loss of what I had thought this little person's life would be like. It takes time to get past that and is not something that I would want to deal with after my baby arrives and needs me to care for him.
That said, it is a personal decision, and I don't fault anyone for whatever decision they need to make based on their comfort level. I don't think there is anyone else on this board in my shoes, so I just wanted to put the opinion of someone who has been through it out there.
Indiana... you make a strong argument and I wish you guys all the luck possible in the world with your kiddo.
I do agree that the mental preparation is incredibly important, and I'll admit I'm not sure how I'll react when reality finally hits... DS or no DS. But just "knowing" there's a strong possibily of DS... I think I'm pretty braced for anything. A 1:5 risk is about as bad as I've heard anyone having, so we've kind of gone through the grieving process, the "what's next" process, etc.
If he/she is DS, we'll roll with it and it won't be a huge surprise. Will I cry? Sure. Will I still feel grief for the loss of a so-called perfect child? Probably. But If he/she isn't DS, that will be a happy surprise as well.
Pepper... you make good points as well. I always tend to forget about the home birth/doula/midwife options because that's just not something I'd consider in the first place.
Wow you took the words out of my mouth. We just got our NT scan results back and our risk (I am 36) is 1:3250. I am still having an amnio because my last pregnancy I had one and found out that although I did not have a DS child, I had another rare chromosomal abnormality that would have been a severe mental problem.
I really hate when people get on their "soapbox" and talk about reasons they would never have an amnio because they will just "deal" with the issues. Its not just about DS- there are other chromosomal problems that could arise and for some of us, we can not just "deal" with having a sick child who is constantly in the hospital.
There is another screening where they check for chromosone problems in week 15-18. I think we will go for that test instead of the amnio because it is not invasive. Can't remember what the name of the test is right now.
Are you talking about the CVS test? We had that done at 13 weeks when the NT ultrasound came back abnormal. It is done much like the Amnio, but much earlier. Our baby tested positive for Trismoy 13, a fatal chromosome disorder. I thought we were going to find out about DS and I could have been prepared for that. I was not prepared for what we found out.