# To amnio or not to amnio??



## fluttery

I am thinking about getting an amniocentesis for personal reasons. 
I talked to a consultant today and she tried to stir me away from it. The risks are 1 in 400.. I have to make a decision in the next 2 days? 
Has anyone had one? 
What is your opinion?


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## Maybump2

Why do you feel it would be important to have one done?

x


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## Andypanda6570

At a risk of 1 in 400 no I would not do the amnio/ but everyone is different. I wish you the best on whatever choice you make. :hugs:


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## mafiamom

unless you have a real reason to fear chromosomal abnormalities, i wouldnt risk it.

i had one, but i was told due to blood work that i my baby had a 1:3 chance of trisomy 18.


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## Styling

I had the ammo test done due to being told Kayla may have T-18. Its not that bad, bt i agree with everyone else, if there is no health reasons to have one, I would not do it..Good luck to you


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## nullaby

1 in 400 are pretty good odds. If you feel you need to have amnio to make a "decision" then thats your personal preference, otherwise I wouldnt do it.


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## leeni

it is completely a personal decision, as ultimately it is your pregnancy and you live with whatever decision you make.

i chose to have an amnio due to being high risk- i was 1 in 100. which with hindsight wasn't really that high.. but personally for me, in my own personal circumstances at this time, i wanted to be able to prepare myself.

having complications now- that is, being high risk for miscarriage due to leaking fluid (more than likely due to having the amnio) is something i have to live with, having made the decision i made. 

if you read my thread about my amnio, you will see it wasnt easy for me to reach the decision, and now i am going through an enormous amount of worry- despite being given the all clear for my little boys health.

it is an awful decision to have to make, but the only advice i can give you is, to really think hard about your own personal situation, how it impacts your life. doctors can advise, but it is your decision to make. noone gets to judge you on a wrong or right decision, it is the decision for you.

thinking of you. i'm here, if you have any questions, im happy to do my best to answer. xx


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## Maybump2

I thought the risk was more like 1:250 as well for mc... that's why in the UK they won't do an amnio unless your risk of chromosomal problems is worse..


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## littlenic

I've had one today and I will definitely not be in a rush to repeat it. I'm now lying in bed, trying to move as i'm completley paranoid that i'm going to rupture my membranes or introduce infection somehow. This paranoia is going to stay with me for weeks as i've been told by the mw that i'm at risk of miscarriage for 6 weeks afterwards.

I really wouldn't recommend doing it unless you have good reason to believe your baby could have a chromosonal disorder xx


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## rainbow29

I had one when my risk was 1 in 180, spent 48 hrs terrified to move afterwards and took it easy for a couple of days after that. All fine now at 32 weeks though. Don't think I would've had it for 1 in 400 though, am sure I was lower than that with my daughter and was told it was unnecessary. It's a very personal decision and one that only you can make. Good luck with your pregnancy whatever you decide xx


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## laurenkes

Leeni, I like you just had an amnio this past Tuesday, the 12th and have been leaking amniotic fluid since then. As a result, I am on bed rest until things resolve. My risk was 1 in 85 and based upon my age, it was explained that this risk was significant enough to warrant the amnio. I researched it and spoke with several physicians in my group and my husband and I decided to go ahead and get the amnio due to the high risk for downs and the low risks associated with the amnio. For the past twenty four hours, I have not had any major bursts of fluid but I still don't know if the hole has healed and if the fluid has increased. It is really scary that this can happen and if I had to do it all over again, I do not think that I would have done the amnio. I will keep you in my prayers and thoughts and please do the same for my family. This is really the hardest thing to ever go through and I am sorry that we both have to go through this. Sending good healthy vibes....


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## Lottie86

Personally there's no way I'd have one done with odds as low as 1 in 400 as that means there is a 399 out of 400 chance that your baby is perfectly healthy!

When the odds of miscarriage are 1 in 100 for an amnio I don't really understand why anyone would have one done unless the odds of a chromosome problem were an awful lot higher than the risk of miscarriage (in my case I had a 1 in 2 risk of this baby having the same very rare chromosome abnormality my son has and very sadly the results showed she does have it :cry:). 
I had major cramping, pain and leaked fluid and spotted for 48hrs after my amnio which only stopped due to total bedrest. 

At the end of the day it's your decision but do please be aware of the risks and the best of luck with whatever you decide to do.


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## fluttery

Thank you ladies very much. After reading all your responses and talking to a consultant, I decided not to have the amnio done..
Good luck to everyone..


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## laurenkes

Leeni,
Just wondering how long you were leaking for and whether the fluid replenished. If the fluid did replenish, how many days did it take to replenish?


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## leeni

hey laurenkes, 
no, im still leaky. was admitted to hospital yesterday for even more tests. i am being scanned every week, swabs taken and bloods. they are keeping close eye one me.
my fluid levels are still amazingly high for rupture of membranes to have happened. i have been leaking for near 3weeks now. 
still hoping the sac reseals.. but just taking it very easy and thinking positive thoughts and keeping everything crossed that my little fella sits tight. 
what about you? have they put you on antibiotics? ? did you get scanned? what are your fluid levels like?? 
take lots of care xxx


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## leeni

and fluttery, 
i feel sure everything will be okay. try and put it to the back of your mind and focus on the positives of your pregnancy. you have made the right decision for you xx
enjoy your pregnancy xxx


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## momtoone

I have decided go forward with an amnio next week, the Boston hospital where I am having it done said the odds of miscarriage are 1-500 now, a lot lower than people still believe, it's only back in the day where the odds use to be 1-200, my doctor has been doing them for over 20 years and has confidence everything will be fine, as with anything he said, there's always a risk that any type of medical practice or over the counter medication has to disclose, even though it's still a personal choice, and I too am still scared, but my chances of downs are 1-50 compared to miscarriage of 1-500, so I need to know to prepare. I totally understand what you are going through, this next week for me is going to be stressful thinking about it, but knowing my personality I can't go the next 6 months wondering constantly and not prepared. 

:hugs:


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## Emmea12uk

I think the risk is too high personally. I carry babies with spina bifida and the way I see it is - if I do the test and I find out my child is a spina bifida how will that knowledge empower me? It won't.

If you would consider terminating a baby then I guess that is different but you need to ask yourself what you will get from knowing in advance. I think it is better personally to arm yourself with experience of others in preparation for birthday than to put the child under any risk.


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## Emmea12uk

Edit - I knew my last child had sb and I think the torture of continuing with the fear of unknown was almost too much to bare. The second time around I very much feel that I would deal with it when it happened, if it did.

Any child can be born healthy or not and then get hit by a car, or develop a nasty disease or illness. What does knowing do if you would never abort? I don't understand why people need to see in the future at a risk to the unborn child. Life is like that isn't it.

Please don't read into that as me being against abortions - they make me sad buy I believe in choice.


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## goddess25

First time around my odds were 1:350 and here that is kind of border line for being referred. I decided against it and never had the amnio either and DS was totally fine. I did think about it the entire pregnancy though.

I think you have made the right choice. I wish you a H&H rest of your pregnancy.


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## momtoone

Ps- in reference to my post above, I am carrying twins both at high risk for downs, so for me I have to definitely be prepared. My first child had a risk at my 18 week ultrasound but I never had the amnio because I knew I would love him no matter what, but my life circumstances have changed now and to be told both babies are at high risk, much higher than my son, this time around I felt I needed to know. Trust me, I don't want to do this at all and I've been sick over this whole decision for over a week now. Two babies with downs is something I need to mentally be prepared for, as well as my entire family. This is the hardest decision I have ever had to make in my life so far. I respect anyones choice in this matter. I wish you all the best in your pregnancy.


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## Emmea12uk

I have my fingers crossed for you x


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## leeni

momtoone,
i completely understand. i am sorry that youre going through this anguish.
i hope all goes well for you xxxx


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## softy

Im curious are these risks based on blood tests alone, or blood tests combined with 12 weeks scan for the thickness at back of neck? I missed the cut off for the blood test in my last pregnancy, but when I saw my child on the ultrasound at 12 weeks I didnt need any blood results to tell me what I saw wasnt good news. My sonographer was very quiet and not saying anything. He left the room for a minute and I said to my husband Dear Lord did you see that? He thought i was nuts but I said no we have 3 children already and I know that isnt right. Soon as he came back in I asked him to be up front right now. He said it doesnt look good. An amnio confirmed Down Syndrome. I didnt leak at all from amnio, and I was told the risk is lessened greatly by the expertise of the person performing amnio. I wish you all the best of outcomes.


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## JJBump1

Wow - such experiences you all have had. Thank you for sharing. I have been told that we have a 1:95 chance of ds, based on blood work alone (NT was 1.2mm). We are meeting with the genetic counsellor on Monday and the dr. on Tuesday morning. I'm reading like mad about amnio and trying to get my questions together for the counsellor and doctor. I'm 41, this is my first pregnancy and have no other risk factors but my age. I'm struggling with my thoughts and welcome yours!


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## littlenic

Your nt measurement is great. Mine was 1.7 and my odds were 1:130 but as I'm 10 years younger than you I think overall, our blood results must have been pretty similar.
For me, after going through the amnio and all the associated worry, if I got a similar result next time, I definitely wouldnt have the procedure. Some women just don't have 'normal' blood results. 
If you have enough time and can afford to go private, have you thought about getting an ultrasound to look for soft markers? If I'm high risk again, this is what I'll do for peace of mind, rather than feeling pressured to have an amnio. 
Good luck, let us know how you get on.
(oh and btw, my results came back clear)


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## kosh

hi, i'm 40, this is my first too and i had a cvs 3 weeks ago. i'm probably the only one in this forum that decided to have it done even without the screening test. 
the way i see it is whether you_ need _to know for sure. 
i work in a similar field and did lots of research and came to the conclusion that, at my age, the results from the screening test would prob never be reassuring enough for me. but that is a very personal choice/decision. 
let me know if you if you have questions re. the precedure itself, or anything else. 
good luck :flower:


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## chat

I had an amnio as I was high risk for downs syndrome 1 in 75 chance. If I hadn't been high risk i wouldn't have even thought about it, in fact I'd never heard about it. The procedure is not as bad as you think but it's still not pleasant. My results were all good but i still spend the next 20 weeks worrying. I guess you need to weigh up whether the amnio results will satisfy your worries. Personally if it hasn't been recommended by a doctor I wouldn't do it but it is ultimately your decision. Goodluck:flower:


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## JJBump1

Thank you all for sharing your stories. We had our genetic counseling yesterday and finally made up our minds to do the amnio this morning. At our age, we feel we need to know definitively since the pre-screening came back a bit high for Downs. It was quick and seemed to go well - I'm taking a few days off to relax.


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## Family09

Hello Ladies, with my last pregnancy I was told I had a 1:192 chance of downs. The Level II ultrasounds looked good but the Dr. said the scans can miss markers. We decided not to have the amnio and I was worried the entire pregnancy, we were blessed as my son was born perfectly healthy! I am now preggars with #2, only 5 weeks 3 days and concerned about the same thing happening with this baby and hoping for the same outcome, so here I am for support and hope I can help someone else with their decisions! H&H 9 months to everyone!


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## JJBump1

littlenic said:


> Your nt measurement is great. Mine was 1.7 and my odds were 1:130 but as I'm 10 years younger than you I think overall, our blood results must have been pretty similar.
> For me, after going through the amnio and all the associated worry, if I got a similar result next time, I definitely wouldnt have the procedure. Some women just don't have 'normal' blood results.
> If you have enough time and can afford to go private, have you thought about getting an ultrasound to look for soft markers? If I'm high risk again, this is what I'll do for peace of mind, rather than feeling pressured to have an amnio.
> Good luck, let us know how you get on.
> (oh and btw, my results came back clear)

Got the call today - everything came back normal and we can breathe again!:thumbup:


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## Lottie86

Glad to hear your results came back fine


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## kosh

:thumbup:


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## littlenic

Excellent news...and now you can get back to enjoying your pregnancy! :thumbup:


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