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Pregnant after 35
crzygirl
member
CVS vs. Amnio
crzygirl
member
What are the pros and cons? Dose the CVS offer certainty or is the a measurement of error? Please educate me. I can't seem to find as much info on the w e about the CVS that but earlier seemed so much better.
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Re: CVS vs. Amnio
A CVS and an Amnio are basically the same thing. They give you the exact same information, which is a complete DNA profile.
The CVS is done earlier and can either go through your lady parts (feels like a pap smear) or through the belly with a long needle. They take a sample of the placenta, and get the DNA profile from that. It can be done earlier in your pregnancy ( between 10-13 weeks)
Amnio goes through the belly with a long needle, they take amniotic fluid and do the DNA profile from that. It is done around 16 weeks at the earliest.
Both have a small chance of miscarriage....I am sure there is more info that others could tell you about. I would talk to your OB to see which test would be best, if you decide to do one.
The CVS is just as comprehensive as an amnio, but it is done earlier (from 11-12 weeks). Unlike the amnio, the CVS does not test for neural tube defects. If you have a CVS, a blood test will be done later to check for neural tube issues. The risk of miscarriage is really no greater than an amnio if done at a reputable clinic.
I had a CVS done abdominally at 11 weeks. I did my homework and selected a highly regarded doctor and hospital. My doctor could do a CVS or an amnio with his eyes closed. We went for genetic counseling first, and were giving the m/c rate for both CVS and amnio at THAT clinic. Those are the numbers you want, not the national average. I felt VERY comfortable with my doctor's skills.
We wanted peace of mind early on and did not want to wait for an amnio. We were also lucky to participate in an additional chromosomal study (nothing extra done to me) which will help others down the road.
In terms of risk, if you go to an experienced doctor, there is not a difference between the CVS and Amnio. I had a CVS done last Thursday and was very comfortable with the level of experience that the doctor had as well as the risk ratios of that facility - as a previous person said - those are the stats that matte, not the national average.
I was 13 weeks exactly for the procedure and due to the placement of the placenta, I had to have it done transabdominally. I had heard that this was more painful of the options. I thought that the test was more uncomfortable with small pains here and there. I had small cramping for a few hours after the test but was fine by the evening. My doctor prescribed rest for a few hours that day and then dinner out that night.
The hardest part is the waiting. Because the CVS involves taking cells from the placenta, those cells have to be grown into more cells in a petri dish. The process averages 10-14 days. At this point in time, I am losing my mind waiting. On the other hand, I would not have been able to do the amnio yet so it's a wash on the waiting.
The only real difference witht he CVS is that it does not test for neural tube defects so that has to be done at a later date. My NT and blood work came back with a 1:16 chance of Trisomy 21 (Downs) so that was our immediate concern which the CVS will address.
The obvious huge advantage to the CVS is int he event that you would terminate the pregnancy due to medical issue. Typcially this can still be done through a D&C once the results come in whereas if you wait until the amnio, you will most likely have to be induced.
Good luck. If you have any questions about the CVS, let me know.
I believe CVS and Amnio have equal accuracy rates. Both give you a definitive answer for Down Syndrome, Trisomy 13 and 18 and the sex of the baby (if you want to know). Amno can also give a definitive answer on spina bifida.
Miscarriage rates differ by practice. Even in experienced practices, CVS tends to have a slightly higher miscarriage rate because it is done at an earlier time in the pregnancy and it can be difficult to tell whether the miscarriage is due to the CVS or would have happened naturally without the CVS. The rates are still really low.
If you would choose to abort if a defect is found, CVS is generally done within the first trimester when abortion is an option and less risky. It may be impossible or very risky to abort following an amnio, which is typically done around 15 to 20 weeks.
In reality, when it comes to testing for trisomies, the wait is no longer after the CVS than it is for an amnio. I'm sorry that your doctor did not offer to perform the FISH for you given your NT/bloodwork reuslts.
Although the full results were not back for over a week with our CVS, we requested the FISH which allowed them to give us the number of chromosomes and the sex. This ruled out the trisomies and told us we were going to have son 48 hours after the CVS was performed.
The wait must be really rough. My thoughts are with you.
CVS used to have a slightly higher miscarriage rate due to being a new procedure, but that is no longer true. They are basically the same except that a CVS (done at 10-12wks) cannot detect neural tube defects and an amnio (done at 16 wks) can. If you opt to do the CVS, you can do a blood test at 16 weeks to test for neural tube defects (alpha screen).
I opted for the CVS - it was done transabdominally. It was uncomfortable but only lasted a few minutes. I had preliminary results, including gender, in 2 days (which was nice) and full results in 10.
Not true. The miscarriage risk was associated with inexperience when the CVS was a new procedure, which is no longer the case. Also, more women would have gone on to have a miscarriage naturally (without having the procedure) at 10-12 weeks vs. women who were 16 weeks.