Pregnant after 35

Genetic Testing Poll

Ok, so all of us here know that after 35 yrs old, genetic risk factors increase with our babies.  Who here is planning on getting tests done?  If not, why did you choose to forgo the tests? If so which tests are you planning on getting done?

I'm on the fence about deciding whether or not to get them dome b/c I've heard that there are so many false positives with these tests.

Re: Genetic Testing Poll

  • I had the cf test done.  And the nt scan for Downs and trisomy.  And last week I had the spina bifida test.  But I did NOT have the quad screen done that comes with so many false positives.
  • I haven't made it to testing points yet, but I have been wondering about this, so thanks for posting the question!

    DD1 is 3, DD2 is 1.
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  • I had cf testing with DD (I'm not a carrier so that's done).  I will do the first tri screen again and if positive, will likely elect the amnio.  I'm just a gal who needs to know.  Do I know what I would do yet if something came back good or bad?  No, I honestly can't say what I would do, especially after being so adamant about not terminating and then seeing a good friend elect to do so when her 17wk old fetus was found to only have half a brain in place (literally) plus a horde of other issues.  But I sure as heck would want to know sooner than later so I can prepare myself either for dealing with a special needs child or deciding to terminate the pg.


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    DD -- 5YO
    DS -- 3YO

  • We did the blood tests - CF and Spina Bifida and the first tri screening.  If the NT came back elevated or high risk we might have moved forward but since it was low risk and lowered by blood work and then again at our 18 week level II, we stopped.  I was offered the Jewish screening for the 12 things we could carry as a Jewish couple, but decided not to since there is no way I would even consider termination.  We did the others mostly in case we needed to educate ourselves.
    My suggestion is to start slow and make decisions as you go.  There is no sense in deciding about an amnio if you don;t need one (like I didn't).
    Good luck!

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    And with the delivery trifecra of one twin vaginal, one c-section with general anesthesia for twin B, Spencer and Sidney joined us at 35 weeks exactly on June 18.

  • I'll have the NTS at 12-13w, like I did with my DS - if for no other reason than to get to see the baby on an US again.

    We have pretty much decided we will not do any other testing- no matter what the results- b/c we don't think we'd terminate ever - unless there were health complications for me to go to term.   But I can't say for certain unless we were in that situation... though, I don't fault anyone for wanting to do more tests.  For us we just don't think the risk is worth it.

  • I did amnio with both of my pregnancies and I would never urge anyone not to do it.  The rates for miscarriage are MUCH lower than first estimated, and even if you're not terminating the pregnancy, I just think it's the more responsible thing to do -- to know what you might be facing instead of going into the future with blinders on. 

    That being said, I respect everyone's choices to do what they need or want to do as far as their family is concerned.  It's just such a personal decision -- whether to do the test and continue with a pregnancy regardless, or to terminate based on the outcome of the tests. 

    We had CF testing done prior to becoming pregnant, had the NT, had the 20 week anatomical scan ... Everything is fine. 

  • ditto in a city so nice.

    I had an amnio and I agree, it's not for everyone. 

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  • I had an Ultrascreen (combination ultrasound and blood tests) in first trimester to test for downs syndrome and trisomy.  The tests came back as "no elevated risk" so I didn't go any further with amnio or other tests.  If there had been an elevated risk, I'm not sure what I would have done.  I probably would have done an amnio just to know where I stood so we could prepare.
  • We did a non-sequential screen (1st tri NT scan/blood test & another blood test in 2nd tri).  We didn't really feel the need to know for sure but thought it might be helpful to know the odds - plus it would give us an extra ultrasound. :)  Ours came back 1:450 for Downs, which was negative (and negative for others as well).  However, at our 20-week u/s they found an isolated marker for Down Syndrome (echogenic focus in heart), which sent us into a spin and raised our odds to 1:200.  They offered an amnio but we declined.  Fortunately, there have been no other markers seen since, and everything looks good.  This marker is actually quite common and many babies who are perfectly healthy are born with it, so we are banking on that.
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  • I lost my first pregnancy with an infection from a CVS test so this time around we decided to not do anything invasive unless tests came back with high risk. We did the NT scan and bloodwork at 12 weeks followed by the next blood draw at 16 weeks. Good Luck!
  • We did not have MSS or any other tests when I was pg with Jakob, and I doubt we'd do those again. I knew I couldn't carry through with an amnio, so the MSS would be unhelpful. If the NT is available to us, then maybe.
  • I had the CVS testing done at 10.5 weeks.  Since I had a m/c in May and got pregnant with Emerson only a couple of months later (July) I was on pens and needles.  I needed to know everything was okay.  The procedure was a breeze (I can say that after the fact) and at 11.5 weeks pregnant I knew, without a doubt, that I was having a healthy baby girl.  I was able to relax and enjoy my pregnancy.
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  • My Dr. didn't even offer the first tri screen.  I didn't know enough about it at the time to notice.  When we started talking about amnio, i asked about the first tri screening and he said that he doesn't offer it to his patients that are over 35 because of the false positives (they seem to increase for those of us over 35).  We  discussed pros, cons, what the test would tell us, and options when it came to the amnio.  DH and I decided to skip it.
  • I had amnios for both pregnancies.  I was dead set against it with my first, but I did some research and had a great doctor with an extremely low complication rate.  It was an easy decision to have it again with my second.

    All of my friends started having babies after 35 and they all had amnios or CVS, so their positive experiences gave me more confidence. 

  • We were sent to a MFS for NT scan and amnio.

     

    I was also sent to MFS for level II u/s... they required two more to follow up from first one.

     

    Part of me wishes I'd never had any of them...  all were stressful in their own way and amnio landed my three weeks of moderated bed rest.

    + of u/s... got to see the baby

     

    We also know now, that everything looks fine.
     

  • I had an Amnio done....no false positives..it is very accurate and tiny risk!
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