im 35 and they want me to take CVS test

firstimebeingamommy · May 2015

I'm 35 years old and Very healthy .this will be my first .7 weeks today.drs mentioned about genetic testing/ CVS testing for down syndrome.sounds frightening. Should I consider taking it .how many moms 35 and up who are considering taking test

fragglemom · May 2015

I'm 38 and I'm not doing it this time. I did it with my first pregnancy ( which ended in MC) and my insurance didn't cover it. I'm still paying the $1000 bill off. My dr didn't even strongly recommend it which made me feel more foolish in the aftermath. So I guess my suggestion is that if you want to do it check with your insurance to see if they cover it.

fashiongirlsteph · May 2015

@firsttimebeingamommy

We had our CVS test done last week.

My blood work is not viable (for first or second tri screening) because of a vanishing twin at 8w. The twin which is still being absorbed by my body compromises results. I am AMA and CVS or amnio was our only option in terms of getting a clear answer on some genetic details.
Doc went through the abdomen. They recommended taking the day off of work which I did. I had some mild cramping off and on (not bad) for the next few days but went back to work the next day and was feeling pretty good. It was a very difficult decision for us, but we felt the risk was greater than the stress of not having any substantial info about our LO. We will have the results next week.

If you do have the test please find out if your doc/hospital has a good track record. We had ours at UCSF which has a mc rate of 1 in 350 for both CVS and amnio which from what I was told is one of the best in the country.

Hope this helps!

SparklesC · May 2015

Im 32 and they gave me information on it, but I don't plan on doing it. I asked aside from terminating the pregnancy, can anything be done after knowing the results if they showed something wrong. They said not really, aside from preparation for you and the doctors. I will not terminate my pregnancy no matter what so I don't think I want it done.

christinamlazaro · May 2015

I'm 24 and my Dr. recommends it as well. In my information pamphlet they recommend it for any age. It's not invasive, AND you can find out the sex!!

claireloSC · May 2015

Check out Emily Oster's Expecting Better book. I don't agree with all of her advice but she has some great stats in there about testing and your risk at every age. I have the book and can try to take a picture of the relevant charts if I remember when I get home. Finances aside, this is a fairly low-risk test. I think it depends on what you would do if you knew your baby had down syndrome. If you would continue the pregnancy no matter what, the test probably won't change anything so isn't needed.

firstimebeingamommy · May 2015

What great advice .so glad I joined this forum.

KLP1982 · May 2015

I'm 31 and did it with my first and will definitely be doing it again.

laschub · May 2015

I'm 34 and I'll probably do the test as well

BethP321 · May 2015

They used to only recommend the test for women 35 and older, but now they are recommending it for all pregnant women, regardless of their age. The younger you are the less chance you are to have a baby with down syndrome, etc. (At least that's what my OB told me). Also if there is no history of it in your families (both mommy and daddy) then your chances are even slimmer. I would have thought about doing the test, but insurance doesn't cover it and I already know it in my heart that I will love my baby regardless.

DjinnaG · May 2015

I'm planning on only doing it if there's a problem with the Harmony/whatever blood test, but I might be convinced otherwise when I have my genetics appt. We want to find out as early as possible if there's likely to be a problem.

Buehler99 · May 2015

I'm 37 and am contemplating this test too. We're going to love this child, even if she is born with DS, polydactyly, or three eyes. The test result won't change our pregnancy, except make us more informed on how to raise a child with special circumstances. But with any newborn, especially as a FTM, we'll learn as we go. If it's not covered by insurance, and costs $1000, I'm not sure it's worth it.

Mommyduclos · May 2015

I've seen lots of posts on these early genetic tests in all my pregnancies. I'm not sure if this is the one but I remember a lot of people getting test results that it's not like: your kid HAS downs but rather your kid has an increased risk of having downs- the result was still just a statistic. Like I said I'm not 100% sure this was the same test as what was referred to in these scenarios but I can't imagine risking miscarriage or terminating a pregnancy over a non definitive answer. So if you are considering doing this test you might want to ask how definitive the results actually are- they might just stress you out for no reason otherwise.

Mrs.Aaron · May 2015

I'm 29 and won't be, didn't with my first two either.

PrimRoseMama · May 2015

firstimebeingamommy said:
I'm 35 years old and Very healthy .this will be my first .7 weeks today.drs mentioned about genetic testing/ CVS testing for down syndrome.sounds frightening. Should I consider taking it .how many moms 35 and up who are considering taking test

#lurker: it's a very personal choice. If I were 35 & up on the next pregnancy I would get the screens.

My reasons being preparedness. I would want the ability to find & consult any medical specialist just in case.

claireloSC · June 2015

Here is your risk of Down Syndrome by Age:

Here is how often you can dectect DS with non-invasive first trimester screening.

CVS testing and amnio have about the same risk of miscarriage, but CVS can be done earlier. This is typically not paid for by insurance if you are under 35. However this test will catch more things than the non-invasive tests.

Personally I'm leaning towards not given this data, but I'm only 30.

@firsttimebeingamommy

js2552 · June 2015

Is the cvs test the same as the harmony? I'm confused? I just had blood drawn on Thursday for this. I'm 36 and would like to know my chances for ds.

claireloSC · June 2015

js2552 No. Harmony is fetal DNA test. No risk of miscarriage with Harmony but it's less accurate. It's really best if your insurance covers it. More info here: https://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2013/09/19/no-more-needles-in-the-stomach-new-non-invasive-prenatal-test-is-introduced/ Edited to correct a factual error

Heron422 · June 2015

When my mom was pregnant with me (35), I tested "positive" for downs but when they did the US I was fine. That was also in the 80s so I'm sure technology is different now. We opted out of doing the testing because in no circumstance would we terminate.

TacoSarah · June 2015

I'm 36, I had an NT scan at 13 weeks to check for trisomy. The CVS test should be the last resort after NT scan, then Harmony test.

dc072175 · June 2015

@TacoSarah - that's the exact same thing my doctor told me.

bananers · June 2015

We didn't do any testing last time and won't this time. I'll be just 2 months short of AMA, so I know my chances are higher, but they're still pretty low statistically speaking. I would just rather go through the pregnancy assuming everything is fine, and if something is wrong, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. The test is only 89-90% accurate and there's a 7-9% chance of false positive, so that wouldn't really give me much reassurance anyway.

That said, I do believe this is a very personal decision - I'm just sharing my reasoning since I feel like I'm in the minority with declining the testing.

lyannast · June 2015

There is a risk of miscarriage with invasive testing so I'd suggest not. Also, I'm a bit biased because I have a beautiful little brother with Down Syndrome (see profile pic) and I don't see the point of testing anyway because it wouldn't change my decision at all!

laschub · June 2015

@claireloSC Thanks for posting that data. Looking at the chances of having a child with DS seems scary, but having that other data below (i.e. chances of a car accident) helps out things into perspective. I posted earlier that I would be doing the previous screening test (bloodwork and ultrasound). As far as I know, this is covered by OHIP in Ontario. I am really not sure what I will do of it comes back "positive." I'm going to wait until the test comes back before making that decision. No sense in stressing about it now...

SummerOH · June 2015

I'll be 33 and will not be having it done. It doesn't change the outcome because we wouldn't abort. And, like a PP said, it doesn't mean your baby will have it, just that the odds are higher. I have three, yes three, co-workers who had a positive on those tests and worried the rest of their pregnancies, geared their families up for what to expect, and basically were just emotional wrecks. And guess what? Their kids are perfectly fine. I think there's a lot of fear-mongering in the American OB care system that is based on convention and not actual statistics and research.

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