Has anyone decided against the amnio??

Archililly

I just got my odds for Down's syndrome and they were 1 in 318.  Not the number I was hoping to get....but the ultrasound looked excellent -- no markers for Down's.  The genetic counselor said that my odds were considered in the normal range, not high.

My husband who is a doctor feels that since 1 in 318 is less than a 1% chance of the baby having the syndrome, it is not worth the amnio especially since the baby looks great otherwise.  Less than 1% is pretty slim....

I am wondering if anyone else got numbers like this and decided not to bother with amnio.  I am not overly freaked about the the number, but a teeny bit....my BFF keeps pressuring me to get the amnio for peace of mind, since she did it with her 2nd child and had similar odds.  So, I feel caught between the 2 opinions.

maryenap

My situation was the same (# and no visual markers); and we opted not to do the amnio.  We decided against it for a number of reasons, and haven't regretted it since.  

Really reflect on what you want and how you feel and go with it.   

Tlucey

My numbers came back normal at 1 in 390, even though this was also less than 1%, I really needed to do what made me comfortable. I had one week before the anatomy scan, and decided to do the amino. Of course I had those who said don't do it because of the risks and for the fact I had normal numbers...then those who said do it. I know I would stress out the rest of my pregnancy, the doc who did the anatomy scan made me comfortable and has done who knows how many aminos so that was also reassuring! It was painless and after resting the whole day I was fine.

You have to do what is best as everyone will tell you. As far as the risks...it all depends on the doc who is doing it. I have to say when I got the call this week with the results..I was at ease. It wasn't about the numbers either, it was to be reassured and the amino did that for me. 

 

dad2be

Luckily my wifes came back at 1/3900 which isn't too bad for at 46 years of age!!  The only way I could get her to do the screening in the first place was to tell her that we would be getting a sonogram out of it, then she agreed.  We both said that we were not going to terminate if it came back bad, so why do the amnio (for us that is.)

LizzyB11

DH and I just decided to do the Sequential Screen (includes the NT scan) to see what the odds are. We'll do both parts of it in 1st and 2nd tri. If the results lean towards a chromosomal defect or Down's, then we'll do the amnio.

christina39

maryenap:

My situation was the same (# and no visual markers); and we opted not to do the amnio.  We decided against it for a number of reasons, and haven't regretted it since.  

Really reflect on what you want and how you feel and go with it.   

This - do what is right for you.. 

 

TupeloChick

I guess the question to ask yourself is, are you keeping this child regardless of whether he/she is born with Down's? If the answer is yes and you are worried about the risks of the amnio the, I see no reason to have it done. If you would consider terminating the pregnancy if the child is born with Down's then I would suggest you do it so.

Honestly, the chances of a miscarriage from an amnio is also less than 1% so in that sense it's a wash. 

I opted for the test because, while I was keeping my child regardless, I wanted to be able to prepare for a special needs child before he was born.

Danio427

Im not having one

Danio427

im not

jzc0106

dd was born with ichthyosis, a genetic skin disease.  we have a 1 in 4 chance of it occurring with each pg.  we opted not to have an amnio to test for ichthyosis b/c it wouldn't change our minds about continuing the pg.  but, like pp said, you have to really do what's best for you.

Whirlgirl01

The best advice is really what others have been saying, to do what's best for you.  I had really good numbers for being 38 years old and even the genetic councelor was a little surprised that I still opted for the amnio.  But for me/us, we needed it for peace of mind.  Even though I was totally freaked out by the entire process (all for no reason, it wasn't bad at all), I opted to do it.  And in the end, it was the best decision ever.  After we got the results, it was like a huge weight was lifted off of me. From that point on, I literally worried about nothing.  Even when my water broke 6 weeks early, I was still very calm and didn't worry about anything. 

mom2anangel

I was completely against it when I first became pg...at the 20 week ultrasound with our son (the NT scan was not available at that time) 2 birth defects were discovered - a heart defect and an abdominal wall defect, they suggested a chromosome issue so we had the amnio done that day, it was a pretty painless procedure.  Sadly, our son was stillborn about 10 days later (nothing to do with the amnio procedure).  He did not have a chromosome issue and since he passed away I am glad we have those results.  With my DD I had the NT scan but opted out of the amnio - I can't remember the numbers but the condition our son had was 1 in 10,000 so there really wasn't a number that I would feel good with regarding our DD.  With this pregnancy they now offer the sequential screening as part of the NT scan which I wanted to opt out of by DH wanted to have.  I explained to DH and our doctor that I wouldn't want the amnio anyway but they talked me into the NT scan (since it's non invasive and an extra scan of the baby) I did it.  I have my follow up appt tomorrow and did my second round of blood tests on Thursday.  I pray that I am not faced with the decision of having an amnio, although I say now that I would never have one - you just really never know what you would do unless you are faced with the actual decision.  It's a personal choice between you and your H - your BFF should stay out of it, IMO.  Do what is right for YOU!

engd4evr

I was dead set against having an amnio and opted for the sequential screen.  The bloodwork and #s looked great but there were some cysts on the baby's neck that were concerning.  I went ahead with the amnio for peace of mind, I couldn't stand not knowing if something were wrong.   I doubt it would have made any difference in how we managed the pregnancy but it reduced our stress levels just to know.  Everything turned out fine.  The amnio was not a big deal at all and baby looked great.  You have to do what makes you and DH comfortable in your individual situation, no one else can really decide for you...  Good luck!

seahorse mama

Didn't do any of those tests and everything looks fine.

Archililly

I have decided to have the amnio.  Whether it changes the outcome of the pregnancy or not, it's important for me to know since I am not sure how I would really feel if I had a surprise in the delivery room.  My OB felt that if I had the slightest concern about the outcome, I should find out.  So, thanks everyone for your advice.  I feel better about knowing 100%.

Temp174496125006552

TupeloChick:

I guess the question to ask yourself is, are you keeping this child regardless of whether he/she is born with Down's? If the answer is yes and you are worried about the risks of the amnio the, I see no reason to have it done. If you would consider terminating the pregnancy if the child is born with Down's then I would suggest you do it so.

I agree with this. 

FWIW, I opted not to have one with Ben.  The risk of miscarriage, no matter how small, was enough for me to not want to chance it. 

azbliss

Our chances for T21 came back 1/47.  To be honest, I was very gung ho about getting the amnio done until we went into the detailed ultrasound and I saw the baby's beautiful little alien looking face sucking on his thumb.  I decided nothing was worth the risk even though I know the risk of complications are super slim.  We both fell head over heels in love with the bean regardless of his chromosome count.  No soft markers for T21 were found which lowered our risk somewhat.  We've decided to wait it out, hope for the best and prepare for the what ifs.  

I am sure you will make the best decision for you!  Good luck to you and wishes for a healthy happy preganancy. 

rynmass@aol.com

I am not far enough but we won't have it.  I'll do the advanced U/S at 16 weeks but not the amnio.  I won't terminate so don't want to risk anything.

arpetree1

I have a 1:38 chance for having a baby with Down Syndrome. I refused the amnio. The results wont change our plans to have this baby.

MT-Head

I knew I could mentally, physically and emotionally recover from a miscarriage but would not have it in me to raise a child with Down's (and would terminate), so we opted for the amnio.  No regrets at all!