Anyone have an amnio?

LMA06 · November 2011

So we had our NT scan last week and got the call on Monday that the blood test results showed ?Elevated Risk? for Down?s syndrome. We went to meet with my OB yesterday afternoon and he told us that there is a 1 in 90 chance that the baby has DS. At my age the risk should be more like 1 in 645.

Now we have to decide if we want to move forward with the Amnio or not. While the idea of knowing for sure makes me want to have it I fear possible complications and cannot seem to stop worrying.

Has anyone else had an amnio? What can you tell me about how you felt after? How did you decide whether or not to move forward?

I should add that no matter the results we plan to have the baby. At this point it will either be that we can stop worrying or we have the duration of the pregnancy to prepare for our life with a special needs child.

BritanyV · November 2011

I have not experienced this but I have a friend who is going through it right now. Her risk was slightly lower than yours but they still recommended an amnio. She is not doing it and her doctor decided to send her to an MFM for a level 2 ultrasound in a few weeks, I think she will be about 24 weeks at the time.

Although I know that many women have amnios with no complications, there are women that do have complications (i.e. loss) from having an amnio done. I know someone who lost a perferctly healthy baby because she did an amnio after getting the results of her NT scan. She got an infection from the needle and the infection killed her baby. The results from the amnio came back and there was nothing wrong with the baby at all. That is a big burden that she carries around.

There is definitely a lot to consider when making your decision. 1 in 90 is a 0.01 % chance. You and your husband need to weigh the risks vs the benefits. If you are willing to take the risk to find out one way or another, than that's what you do. If you aren't then you can ask for more monitoring in the pregnancy and be prepared for all outcomes.

I wish you the best of luck with whatever you decide.

kj07 · November 2011

My NT screen was not elevated for Downs syndrome, but I was referred to a specialist for a possible neck cyst on my baby. On the more involved u/s the specialist saw some markers for Downs syndrome and recommended an amnio. Like you, we planned to continue with the pregnancy either way - and after a lot of agonizing debate I chose to have the amnio.

Factors that influenced me were (1) that the stress of not knowing wasn't good for me or the baby, (2) that my specialist was highly regarded by my OB and several personal friends, and (3) that my specialist did tons of amnios and had an almost non-existent rate of serious complications.

Because I was worried about complications, I basically put myself on bedrest for 24-36 hours after the procedure. I took the day of and the day after the procedure off from work. I did freak out and think that I was leaking amniotic fluid after I got home so my specialist had me come back in to confirm that everything was okay.

I now have a happy healthy (except for some ear infections) 10-month-old.

You can ask for your the numbers of complications, mild and serious, for whomever would be performing your amnio, as well as how many overall they've done.

Good luck with your decision.

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