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Pregnant after 35
Amniocentis ... your thoughts
I am 38 and DH is 40, we had the preliminary test taken, had genetic counseling and the risks for Down's Syndrome and Tricosmy is much lower. I hear about the risks of Amnio. Are you doing it? Why?
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Re: Amniocentis ... your thoughts
Although I am no where near the time for this---still have a LONG way to go, I won't have one. I am 37, H is 44.
We wouldn't get one b/c the results would not change anything for us. Just my personal opinion and choice. I know the risks of anything happening to the baby during it are far lower than what they used to be. I can understand why women/families choose to have one. If something can be determined with the results, that would help during delivery or care afterwards, I think it can be a very good thing.
I had an amnio at age 36 and a CVS at age 40.
We had a surprise NT scan right before the CVS, and it was normal. For a moment, I second-guessed my decision to have the CVS. I could have accepted the normal NT result, had the triple screen a few weeks later, and had an amnio at 16 weeks if the triple screen showed anything alarming. But...we wanted a definitive answer. We wanted to be able to prepare for having a Downs child, or having a child who wouldn't survive past his/her first birthday.
At our 20 week ultrasound, they found an soft marker for a chromosomal abnormality - I forget if it's associated with DS or with tri-18. I would have been a wreck at that point if I'd found out that something was wrong. Instead, I had every assurance that the soft marker meant nothing for my child.
I am very pro-testing, I'll admit. I worked in an amnio lab when I was 21, so having an amnio has always seemed like a normal test to me, even with the risks involved. I don't think that any couple should take the test without giving careful consideration to what they would do with the results, how they would handle finding an abnormality later in the pregnancy, and how they would feel if they lost their pregnancy as a result of the test. Best of luck to you and DH in making your decision.
I was in the midst of an insurance change at the time I'd have gotten an NT scan, so I just did the 2nd tri quad screen. Unfortunately, my risk for Down was 1 in 30, so I decided that trumped the 1 in 100 or 1 in 200 risk of m/c for the amnio. Fortunately all came out fine.
While it wouldn't have made a difference if our LO had had Down in terms of choices we'd have made, I most certainly would have wanted to know if he'd had a chromosomal abnormality so I could already be familiar with what to expect, armed with information and also be mentally prepared to nurture and raise a special needs child.
ETA: I'm 39, was 38 at the time, and DH is 40, was 39 at the time.
I had two. I did not do it for termination if something went wrong, rather for information. If my baby had an abnormality I wanted to know and prepare for it. I did my research and the doctor who did the amnios had an extremely low complication rate. I was 36 with my first and 37 with my second.
I had the amnio for our first baby because the blood work came back as a 1 in 14 chance our baby would have Down's. It was a terrifying period of time and the actual procedure, for me, was extremely painful - almost barbaric in my mind. They couldn't get the needle in and each time it went through a layer of muscle or the uterus, I would jump. I suppose that didn't help either, however, in the end, it turned out that he was perfectly healthy.?
?This time around, we had really positive results from the NT and the blood work. I've had several ultrasounds that all show that she is developing well (ie no cleft lip or other physical abnormalities that may indicate a problem), so we opted NOT to have the amnio. Besides, I couldn't give the baby up, so even if we got bad news, it wouldn't make a difference. Good luck! It is definitely one of the harder decisions to make in pregnancy.??
same response...good luck w/ your decision~
I'm a "need to know" kind of a person, so I skipped right past the NT and all of the other testing that would just give statistical likelihoods. I had the amnio and the results showed no chromosomal abnormalities. Coincidentally, after I got my amnio results back, my OB called to tell me that the anatomy ultrasound showed DS had hydronephrosis, which is a soft marker for Downs. But because I'd already had the amnio, I knew DS didn't have Down's, so I could already skip the worst-case scenerio.
As far as the risks go, there is, in fact, a very small risk of miscarriage associated with amnio. But I look at it this way--there is a .5% chance of miscarriage. There's also a .01% chance of becoming paralyzed from an epidural. But I've never heard anyone say they wouldn't have an epidural because of the risk.
I had one with my first because we found out at the big u/s that he was going to be born with a birth defect, we wanted to find out if there were any other problems so we could prepare ourselves for his birth. I was not planning on having one, but at that point it was to learn & educate. Especially since they mentioned that he could have Trisomy 18 which was fatal. We would never terminate, and I was scared of having one.. my doctor told me her outstanding record of amnio's in the office & I felt secure with my decision. Plus getting the results back made it worth it.
For my 2nd child we did all the first trimester screenings & a level II u/s & we were very happy with our decision. We did have a scare after he was born, that an amnio could have helped. But we had no way of knowing until after he was born.
So with this pregnancy we had first tri screening, the AFP test (due to our 2nds complication post birth), the big u/s, & the specialist told me I was now considered low risk. So we did not go any further.
We had one because we are old. Heeeheee... I had just turned 39 when I delivered and DH is 41. I have 2 older teens that are fine but he has no kids and has some genetic clotting disorders. They weren't anything that they check on with the amnio, but we (mostly he) was worried about what else might be a muck in his junk.
We by passed the screening tests because we knew we needed to KNOW. I am a planner and a worrier. It was such a comfort throughout the pregnancy and helped me not to panic at every little thing. Well, I panicked, but I knew that the baby was basically healthy and genetically fine, so it was just run of the mill panick.
I did worry a tiny bit about m/c, but I know the odds are low and I took it easy for the next few days. I am soooo glad I did it (and got the early FISH results - less freaking out time) and if we have another one - which I so want to have another one in about 18 months, I will definately do it again. However, I am hoping they will have the maternal blood test out by then.
GL with whatever you decide. If you scroll back there are several threads about what to expect and you can always post any questions you have. It sounds MUCH worse than it is. The anticipation was the worst part - and the waiting for the results!!!
I have one scheduled with my 20w U/S in a few weeks. Probably won't do the amnio, tho.
My NT scan results were all great, but the bloodwork indicated 1:5 for Downs and 1:54 for Tri-18. Despite the crappy numbers, we certainly won't do anything different with the pregnancy and termination is not an option.
As for the argument that "you can prepare yourself." Well, with numbers like that, I AM already prepared for the worst but still hoping for the best.
Just knowing there's a big chance.. I've come to terms with the fact that there may be issues. I've done lots of my own research on Downs and Tri-18 (which, by the way, even our genetics specialist says is pretty unlikely for us.)
But at this point, it's a sit and wait kind of thing. Knowing for sure or not knowing for sure... it really doesn't change anything for me.
This is my plan too. I will be 35 in November (due in January) and DH just turned 32 on Friday.
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I will be 40 when I deliver. My husband will be 36.
We chose to have a CVS. Prior to conception, I learned that this was a very important thing for my husband. And I chose to honor that.
One thing to be prepared for about chromosomal diagnostic testing...The reason we wanted to do it was to "know for sure"--like everyone else. However, these tests don't just diagnose the three common trisomies (13, 18, 21 (down)). They also let you know if you have any other anomalies--anything out of the ordinary with the chromosomes.
We found out that our baby has an anomaly on one of the chromosomes. After further testing, we learned that he has inherited it from one of us (and since we are fine, chances are he is fine as well), but there are no 100% guarantees). It is unknown what what, if anything, it could cause. So, we are a little in the dark. Not something we expected after the test.
I'm 36, DH is 38, and we opted not to do any testing at all - no NT, no MSS, no CVS, no amnio. We were presented with all the options and talked about it, and the research I had done, extensively, and we were both in agreement.
Termination was never an option for us, and we're both confident that we'll be able to handle whatever comes our way when our son is born. My reasons for not having the tests were because I didn't see a need for further testing that would not impact the course of my pregnancy (to terminate or not to terminate). I had concerns about false positives and false negatives, and didn't want to worry unnecessarily. I also felt that amnio was too invasive of a procedure for me and I didn't want to risk a miscarriage, no matter how small the chance. These are just my reasons and opinions.
Talking to people both for and against testing can be helpful, but keep in mind it is ultimately a decision that you and your husband have to make together. And nobody shoulde make you feel bad or guilty about whatever decision you come to.
I also agree with the poster that before you make any decision, know what you will do with the information that comes back.
If my NT Scan results had been different, I would have had an amnio. But I had the full genetic panel run early in my pregnancy and I'm not a carrier for any diseases?I'm Jewish so I wanted to check for Taysachs. That gave me some comfort.
Then I was given a 1:2141 for DS and a 1:3721 for the Trisomys after the NT and the perinatologist didn't recommend an amnio (even though my OB practice automatically offers to those over 35) so I didn't have one. I was 38 at that point in my pregnancy (39 now) and I'm pretty comfortable in my decision. Though I do worry a bit that I'll be that ONE person but it doesn't keep me up at night and I'm OK with my choice.
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