First OB appointment, nurse "your a high risk pregnancy"

Glow360 · March 2016

without seeing doctor, no ultra sound it was determined I'm a high risk pregnancy. Is that because I'm 35??? The nurse took my history down, nothing unusual. I'm so annoyed. at end of it she's like and your sure your pregnant? Lol I'm like well I'm in your office how about we find out. What the heck......no I'm sitting in your office pretending and me vomiting twice from morning sickness was all in act. Lol took test. Pos for pregnancy. And I'm high risk...lol I'm really lost. I see dr next week. Ultra sound scheduled.

BernieRae · March 2016

Yes, my understanding is that 35+ is automatically considered high risk. It just means doctors will be on a closer look out for things. I don't see that as a bad thing. Nothing we can do about our age! My first non RE appt was with the nurse practitioner and was just history, samples, bloodwork etc.

Jenniferk08 · March 2016

35+ means advance maternal age (AMA).
I'm AMA and obese, oh joy. Not much difference but they do have more testing to do.
I had genetic testing and an early glucose test.

Glow360 · March 2016

I guess I'm just old lol it was just a weird appointment

Sporty1216 · March 2016

It sounds like the nurse you met with doesn't have awesome bedside manners. My OB has never once used the terms AMA or high risk with me. She did say that, this time, since I am over 40, they will monitor the pregnancy more closely via ultrasound as we get closer to the due date, so she I obviously aware of my age and treating me appropriately, but she has the kindness to remember that I am human and not just an age. I hope your appointment with your OB is nicer.

emsmama15 · March 2016

That's so ridiculous! Way to make you feel worried right off the bat. Like @Sporty1216, my OB never used the terms high-risk OR AMA with me, nor was high risk ever in my chart and I had my daughter at 38. I was in my patient portal the other day and saw a new diagnosis of "supervision of high risk pregnancy" and it threw me off a bit until I thought about it - 41, pregnant with IVF twins - I guess that label might fit this time. But again, she didn't say it to ME! I hope your OB is kinder and more professional than the nurse. The good thing is that you most likely won't have to see that nurse again. My intake appt was with a "nurse educator" and I haven't seen her since.

EDIT: Oops, I was 38 when my daughter was born. HAHA!

Goldsgirl9 · March 2016

I'm AMA and overweight and never once has my OB, his nurses or the RE I saw made me feel like I was high risk, even after consecutive unexplained losses. They didn't test your urine or take any blood to confirm the pregnancy? Personally, I would look for a new OB. If that was my first appointment I would be out of there and hunting for right OB and staff.

carrieandr · March 2016

My dr mentioned that I was AMA/high risk, but downplayed it. (I already knew anyway, so no big deal.) And he said the upside to that is free genetic testing and finding out the sex early.

Also, when I called after my first BFP, they asked what kind of test I used and made sure I understood the results correctly. There must be a few women that don't read the directions and get excited when they see a pink line. I had tested before my missed period, so they told me to retest after AF was due and call back to make an appt.

redheadbride15 · March 2016

Ugh, what an annoying visit! I was told by my OB and the genetic counselor that because I'm 35+ technically the pregnancy was labelled "high risk" but that they actually don't consider me high risk at all. It's merely a diagnosis that they give in order to get better insurance coverage for things like genetic testing. They specifically told me not to be alarmed if I saw that in my records.

emgee27 · March 2016

Super annoying! As others have said, poor bedside manner but pretty standard verbage after 35.

When I first went in to see my midwives group, they handed me some paperwork and I saw my file said "Advanced Maternal Age" in caps across the top near my name. It really bothered me. The first thing my sweet midwife did when I walked into the check-up room was to hold up a file folder to her computer and block that same heading on her screen and said, "we're just gonna ignore this from now on, ok? It's silly." It's never been mentioned again except for the normal things they look out for after 35 as just-in-case options.You're fine.

carrieandr · March 2016

I made the mistake of reading paperwork after my missed miscarriage. There are two different things that they call it and neither are pleasant. The medical field needs to give some more thought to their terms.

BernieRae · March 2016

My form said ELDERLY primigravida. My mom is in her late 60's I don't even consider her elderly!

Sporty1216 · March 2016

I think it would be safe to say that most of these terms were NOT "invented" by women. Ugh. It is definitely time to revisit and reinvent!

Infantino22 · March 2016

Totally agree that your practice needs to get with the program and be more gentle about this stuff... But the good news, in my opinion, is that being labeled high risk solely because of age is actually a hidden benefit. (Not a benefit if you're high risk because of some other factor - don't get me wrong.) Statistically speaking, the medical community chose a cutoff point at 35. Your body doesn't know that -- so you're not at much more risk than you would have been at 34, or 33. It's somewhat arbitrary, I think.

Back to the good news -- I am a person who likes to have a lot of information, so the extra tests have actually been really good for me and helped me to feel calmer about the entire process.

Good luck -- and remember, there are TONS of perfectly healthy pregnancies after 35, and even after 40+... No need to worry!!

mthoomom · March 2016

My doctor was positively unimpressed with my age (38) when I had my first prenatal appointment. The only thing that she recommended I do differently was to have the test for gestational diabetes (I didn't do it my second pregnancy). I think different doctors like to be more proactive, and others take more of a wait and see approach to things. There are also a lot of women in my area who have their first baby in their forties, so I guess someone who is still in their thirties just isn't that big of a deal.

redheadbride15 · March 2016

A nurse at my OB practice said that approximately half of their patients are over 35, with a sizeable percentage over 40. Given that it's a tertiary care hospital in a major metropolitan area this doesn't surprise me at all. They also do a lot of complex high-risk pregnancy management (referrals) and are associated with a big IVF center too. I'm 38 but have no health concerns so I was told that they consider me "low risk" even though my chart says "high risk". I'm pretty much their run-of-the-mill boring patient. Fine by me!

ShanRum3 · March 2016

My OB and nurses have never mentioned "high risk" or AMA, but they do routinely send patients 35 and older to the Perinatologist down the street for extra monitoring. ie Ultrasounds, Extra testing, as needed. I had my dating scan at the OB's office, and then a few weeks later, had an early anatomy scan at the Perinatologist's office. That was the first time I was told I am Advanced Maternal Age. I was also told that being that I am only 35, and healthy, and baby looked great, I'm really not at much more risk than someone under 35. My only downfall is having had Gestational Diabetes with my last pregnancy, I am at slightly higher risk this time partly because of having it before, and partly because I'm 35. She said that I would have the regular Anatomy scan at 20 weeks, and another Ultrasound at 32 weeks just to check on things. and depending on how things are going, possible Ultrasounds every 2 weeks till the end. Only perk of being AMA.. I get to see my baby more!

lillebowski23 · March 2016

The print out of my medical file says "high-risk" but both the OB and midwife said it's only because you are 35. They both agree that it is rather hyperbolic to say high risk when there are so many healthy pregnancies in the 35+ crowd. I am reaping the insurance benefits of being AMA: most testing and imaging is covered!

Texafornian · March 2016

Pretty crappy bedside manner lady! I'm 42 and had my first at 41 and I don't think it ever said AMA or High Risk on my charts...I just knew I was due to age. Like others have said, I looked it as a benefit...early genetic testing, early sex determination, more ultrasounds = more views of the peanut...all in all, you're monitored more which is AWESOME.

von1976 · March 2016

I'll be 40 when baby is born. This is our first, so I haven't been through this before. I was aware I was AMA, but only because I'm a nursing student. It has never been mentioned to me by anyone at my OB's practice other than when I was referred for genetic counseling, which I expected for chromosomal testing. Seems like some staff make it out to be way more than it is. At least they're not calling it "Geriatric Maternal Age" anymore!

rspalding001 · March 2016

@von1976 OMG did they really call it that at one time? BAhahahahaha! Thats awesome and terrible at the same time. Well think of it this way, people used to die a lot younger back in the day, so our extended longevity has changed things up a bit. There was a time where 30 really was middle aged. Im glad things are different now :-)

SuperFudge00 · March 2016

35 and that makes me high risk. My genetic counseling session was so anticlimactic, nothing to talk about except for age. At least he said DH was old for baby making, too. My history was so benign he suggested against NIPT, but I want to know what we're having

micmash · March 2016

I had my first baby when I was 36 and was never told I was high risk. I chose to do genetic testing. Everything else was run of the mill on the same schedule as other pregnancies. No early testing etc. I had an uneventful pregnancy aside from a brief issue with blood oressure. My daughter was born a healthy 7 pounds 7 ounces at 38 weeks. My second daughter us due in 4 weeks and I'm currently 38. Again I code to do genetic testing but aside from that a normal pregnancy and all the normal tests at the same time as everyone else.

Yes being "older" can put us at risks for certain risks. Same with being overweight. But guess what, there are 25 year Olds in great shape who have complicated pregnancies. To label you high risk right off the bat is absurd to me and would create unecassary worry during an already anxious time.

TheRealHeatherG · April 2016

My practice doesn't consider you high-risk just for being AMA. You do get more 3rd trimester ultrasounds, but that's it. In fact, I asked if I was considered high-risk and they said no.

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