Amniocentesis on pregnancy over 40

babymama72 · Mar 19th, 2012, 18:27 PM

Ok.. my dr brought up the issue of Chromosomal abnormalities in babies to women over 40.. She suggested doing an amniocentesis to test.. Anyone have any experience with this? Or know the exact percentage rate of down syndrome children to women over 40?

mtnprotracy · Mar 19th, 2012, 19:36 PM

First....congratulations on your pregnancy! I'm Tracy....41 and expecting our 4th son via planned c-section one month from today!!!!

Although the risks get higher the older you get, many, many women have very healthy babies at 40 and beyond. The decision to have an amnio is totally your decision. Some women chose to have one, others don't. You will be offered other scans/tests as your pregnancy progresses. We opted to do the nuchal translucency test (it only involves an ultrasound and blood work) between 11 and 13 weeks. Once the test was completed we were given odds for Downs and other chromosomal abnormalities. At that point, we opted for no more tests. Again, all testing is totally your decision.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy 9 months!!!

Nrs2772 · Mar 19th, 2012, 23:43 PM

My doctor did some blood work to check for DS etc, my blood work came back negative so she did not pursue the amnio. I did have an amnio @37 weeks to check lung maturity, but I am more than sure I would have refused one early on.

newaddition · Mar 20th, 2012, 17:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by babymama72

Ok.. my dr brought up the issue of Chromosomal abnormalities in babies to women over 40.. She suggested doing an amniocentesis to test.. Anyone have any experience with this? Or know the exact percentage rate of down syndrome children to women over 40?

I stressed myself over the Amnio decision, I had every other non invasive test available and in the end declined the Amnio based on those results. My issue was the risk of miscarrying. It has to be totally a personal choice, best of luck. I still worry but there are so many other things that can go wrong that Amnio won't tell you so I felt I had to leave our outcome to fate.

SabrinaKat · Mar 21st, 2012, 19:41 PM

Hi,

Like the ladies above, I am post-40 lady (43 when conceived/44 when LO arrived) and had always said I would have an amnio -- but after my 12wk bloods/Nuchal flood test, my risk at 44 (age at delivery) raised from 1/40 to 1/162 and we decided not to do an amnio as the rate of mc was/can be high -- after my 20wk scan, my risk went to 1/300 and Finn was born absolutely healthy (altho I had PE)....

I would say that I would keep an open mind -- do the bloods/nuchal fold test FIRST and then, decide, based on those results whether to do an amnio, e.g. if you get a 1/5 possibility, then do the amnio; it gets a bit harder when it's like ours was, e.g. 1/162 and the risk of mc from amnio can be 1/200. I did agonise in the last weeks of the pregnancy about whether I had done the right thing by not doing the amnio, but I had had NO indications that anything necessitated an amnio, e.g. blood work, a worry on a scan, and think it was just worry about everything pregnancy and baby related, if that makes sense.

hope that helps? best wishes!

happymama72 · Mar 23rd, 2012, 00:57 AM

Hello! I am going through some blood tests and I'm curious about what your Dr. said regarding Down syn. I know for a fact that there is no blood test that can tell you if you are pos or neg for Down. That can only be done via amnio. Did your blood results give you an extremely low probability? Is that why your Dr. advised against an amnio? I know you are due in a day or 2...best wishes!!!

lockzie · Mar 23rd, 2012, 11:57 AM

My NT scan + bloods gave me a 1:110 of the baby having DS.
I chose to have an amnio and within 4 hours my membranen ruptures. The outlook was very grim and doctors talked about how to end my pregnancy. My consultant, on the other hand, put me on anti-biotics and complete bedrest. I had scans 4 days after, showing I had lost all my fluid, but a scan 2 weeks later showed I had resealed and replenished the fluid around my baby.

I would think carefully about invasive testing, I wished I had looked at all other options. It is very much a personal choice

I was one of the lucky ones, at the time it didnt seem like it

Here is a very useful forum on amnio's: http://community.babycenter.com/grou...ormation_group

Hope this helps xx

Nrs2772 · Mar 23rd, 2012, 15:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by happymama72

Hello! I am going through some blood tests and I'm curious about what your Dr. said regarding Down syn. I know for a fact that there is no blood test that can tell you if you are pos or neg for Down. That can only be done via amnio. Did your blood results give you an extremely low probability? Is that why your Dr. advised against an amnio? I know you are due in a day or 2...best wishes!!!

All the doctor told me was that it was negative, a chance of like 1/3000 after my blood work. There was no talk after that for Amnio until my 37 week appointment to check lung maturity. The only reason I did it then was because if there was an issue with the amnio they can take the baby right then and she would more than likely survive. Having one early on has a greater risk of miscarriage. I was induced two weeks ago and had a 7 pound 15 ounce healthy baby girl

Havmercy · Mar 24th, 2012, 00:35 AM

I was told women in my age group, I'm 38, have a 1:120 chance of downs. After that dreadful nuchal with bloods test, I dropped to 1:16. We had the amnio and the results were normal. I had no complications from the amnio at all. It was painless and quick. If we decide to have another baby, i will skip the bloods test and go straight to the amnio. The nuchal with bloods test has a very high rate of false positive.

madmae · Mar 24th, 2012, 07:59 AM

I am 38 and after my NT scan and bloods we were told our chances of DS were 1:5. We opted for the amnio rather than CVS. I ended up having 2 as the lab buggered up the first test. On the 2nd one they decided to take 2 samples and from one of the stick sites I got an infection which was horrendously painful.....but a week later we got told our little man was fine. It can and does sometimes have complications but if I were in the same situation again I would still have it done as I couldn't have gone 20+ weeks worrying. We wouldn't have aborted but the weeks between getting the NT and blood results and having the amnios were hell....I couldn't have gone the rest of the pregnancy not knowing.

Mar 19th, 2012, 18:27 PM	#1
babymama72 Pregnant (Expecting) Active BnB Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 14	Amniocentesis on pregnancy over 40 Ok.. my dr brought up the issue of Chromosomal abnormalities in babies to women over 40.. She suggested doing an amniocentesis to test.. Anyone have any experience with this? Or know the exact percentage rate of down syndrome children to women over 40?

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Mar 19th, 2012, 19:36 PM	#2
mtnprotracy Pregnant (Expecting) Active BnB Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: North Carolina Posts: 377	First....congratulations on your pregnancy! I'm Tracy....41 and expecting our 4th son via planned c-section one month from today!!!! Although the risks get higher the older you get, many, many women have very healthy babies at 40 and beyond. The decision to have an amnio is totally your decision. Some women chose to have one, others don't. You will be offered other scans/tests as your pregnancy progresses. We opted to do the nuchal translucency test (it only involves an ultrasound and blood work) between 11 and 13 weeks. Once the test was completed we were given odds for Downs and other chromosomal abnormalities. At that point, we opted for no more tests. Again, all testing is totally your decision. Best wishes for a happy and healthy 9 months!!!

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Mar 19th, 2012, 23:43 PM	#3
Nrs2772 Mum (Mom) Active BnB Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Missouri Posts: 203	My doctor did some blood work to check for DS etc, my blood work came back negative so she did not pursue the amnio. I did have an amnio @37 weeks to check lung maturity, but I am more than sure I would have refused one early on.

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Mar 21st, 2012, 19:41 PM	#5
SabrinaKat Mum (Mom) BnB Addict Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Transplanted American living in Ireland Posts: 4,669	Hi, Like the ladies above, I am post-40 lady (43 when conceived/44 when LO arrived) and had always said I would have an amnio -- but after my 12wk bloods/Nuchal flood test, my risk at 44 (age at delivery) raised from 1/40 to 1/162 and we decided not to do an amnio as the rate of mc was/can be high -- after my 20wk scan, my risk went to 1/300 and Finn was born absolutely healthy (altho I had PE).... I would say that I would keep an open mind -- do the bloods/nuchal fold test FIRST and then, decide, based on those results whether to do an amnio, e.g. if you get a 1/5 possibility, then do the amnio; it gets a bit harder when it's like ours was, e.g. 1/162 and the risk of mc from amnio can be 1/200. I did agonise in the last weeks of the pregnancy about whether I had done the right thing by not doing the amnio, but I had had NO indications that anything necessitated an amnio, e.g. blood work, a worry on a scan, and think it was just worry about everything pregnancy and baby related, if that makes sense. hope that helps? best wishes!

Status: Offline

Mar 23rd, 2012, 00:57 AM	#6
happymama72 Pregnant (Expecting) New BnB Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 6	Hello! I am going through some blood tests and I'm curious about what your Dr. said regarding Down syn. I know for a fact that there is no blood test that can tell you if you are pos or neg for Down. That can only be done via amnio. Did your blood results give you an extremely low probability? Is that why your Dr. advised against an amnio? I know you are due in a day or 2...best wishes!!!

Status: Offline

Mar 23rd, 2012, 11:57 AM	#7
lockzie Mum (Mom) Active BnB Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Cheshire UK Posts: 298	My NT scan + bloods gave me a 1:110 of the baby having DS. I chose to have an amnio and within 4 hours my membranen ruptures. The outlook was very grim and doctors talked about how to end my pregnancy. My consultant, on the other hand, put me on anti-biotics and complete bedrest. I had scans 4 days after, showing I had lost all my fluid, but a scan 2 weeks later showed I had resealed and replenished the fluid around my baby. I would think carefully about invasive testing, I wished I had looked at all other options. It is very much a personal choice I was one of the lucky ones, at the time it didnt seem like it Here is a very useful forum on amnio's: http://community.babycenter.com/grou...ormation_group Hope this helps xx

Status: Offline

Mar 24th, 2012, 00:35 AM	#9
Havmercy Mum (Mom) Active BnB Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: South Carolina Posts: 110	I was told women in my age group, I'm 38, have a 1:120 chance of downs. After that dreadful nuchal with bloods test, I dropped to 1:16. We had the amnio and the results were normal. I had no complications from the amnio at all. It was painless and quick. If we decide to have another baby, i will skip the bloods test and go straight to the amnio. The nuchal with bloods test has a very high rate of false positive.

Status: Offline

Mar 24th, 2012, 07:59 AM	#10
madmae Mum (Mom) Active BnB Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Essex Posts: 890	I am 38 and after my NT scan and bloods we were told our chances of DS were 1:5. We opted for the amnio rather than CVS. I ended up having 2 as the lab buggered up the first test. On the 2nd one they decided to take 2 samples and from one of the stick sites I got an infection which was horrendously painful.....but a week later we got told our little man was fine. It can and does sometimes have complications but if I were in the same situation again I would still have it done as I couldn't have gone 20+ weeks worrying. We wouldn't have aborted but the weeks between getting the NT and blood results and having the amnios were hell....I couldn't have gone the rest of the pregnancy not knowing.

Status: Offline

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