Amnio - Help! ughhhhhh

[DawnMN26]

Hello
I just went to my first gyno appt. yesterday. I am still in my first trimester, but decided to go for amnio at 16 weeks.

He asked if i would like to get an amnio & of course i said yes.
I need to know that my twins are ok & no downs.

OK , just the thought of it makes me want to puke!! I feel like i'm going to have an anxiety attack just thinking about it.

So just wondering if any of you had an amnio done & if so, how bad did it hurt? Is the needle really long??

HELP!! I scared!! I'm petrified of needles & not only do i have to get this done once, but twice!!! OMG!!!

 

[LoolaBear]

hun did you consider having the nuchal translucancy scan first?
i had this done with my twins. i thought it was less invasive and if the results came back from that as high risk i wouldnt bother going ahead with the amnio as for me it was a case if they have downs then it was meant to be.
but for you if it comes back at high risk then go for the amnio.
luckily i was low risk to begin with. but it is an option to go the less invasive route first as from others i have heard an amnio can be quite uncomfortable and you have to stay very very still. also theres the risk of miscarriage that it holds as well.
its an idea and you can still get quite a clear picture of risk factor with having just the nuchal scan done. xx

 

[LadyBelle]

I agree with LoolaBear on having the scan first. However if you decide to have the amnio anyway, I have heard it is not near as bad as what you hear. I myself have not had one, but I was with my SIL when she had hers and she said it was not bad at all. Good luck!

 

[m22b]

I'm new to the forum but jumping right in.

I had an amnio for this pregnancy. We tried the CVS but it just wouldn't work. Evidently I now have a very crooked cervix. Anyway, it isn't that bad.

The needle is not very long. I felt a pinch as the needle was inserted and I cramped up. I also felt a burning sensation as the fluid was extracted. It is over and done with so quickly. You may or may not cramp afterwards. I returned to work after my amnio and cramped for about an hour. Some doctors will tell you to rest in bed for the rest of the day. Mine did not.

I do agree with Loolabear that I would probably opt for the nuchal trans ultrasound first prior to the amnio. However, know that the nuchal is a screening test only and will not give you definitive yes or no answers only percentage of risk based on the findings of the ultrasound and the results of the bloodwork that accompanies the test. This test upsets and scares a lot of women so just know going in a high risk percentage does not necessarily mean bad news. I had a 1:18 chance of Down Syndrome for this pregnancy based on the nuchal trans and our baby has the correct number of chromosomes to rule out Trisomy 13, 18 and 21.

I hope that helps.

 

[DawnMN26]

Doctors office said that at my age the nuchal Trans tests are going to come back high anyway due to my age, so in that case they skip it since i'm getting the amnio done anyway.

so confused haha

 

[pinkneon]

The NT scan is not just based on age!! I have some friends who are in their 40's and pregnant and had the NT scan and their results came back low!!

 

[coccyx]

i have had 4 amnios, one per viable pregnancy. Not as bad as it seems. Some Drs put in some local anaesthetic first. I concentrated on watching the screen rather than the procedure! With the last amnio they had trouble locating the end of the needle once in the womb, so changed to an infared????one that showed up easier on scan.

 

[tink28]

yes i have to agree with pinkneon above, a friend of mine had a baby at 40 and her results came back low risk from the NT screening.
i would definitely consider that route 1st, if u do need the amnio the results will be back in time for that to still go ahead, good luck!

 

[DawnMN26]

Thanks all.

M22 Wrote:
know that the nuchal is a screening test only and will not give you definitive yes or no answers only percentage of risk based on the findings of the ultrasound and the results of the bloodwork that accompanies the test.

And on the other hand the amnio is over 99% accurate. I need a definite answer of yes or no.

I am leaning more towards amnio, even though i am scared to death!! Ughhhhhhhh

 

[WannaB]

Doctors office said that at my age the nuchal Trans tests are going to come back high anyway due to my age, so in that case they skip it since i'm getting the amnio done anyway.

so confused haha

That is confusing, no wonder you are confused! I answered on your other thread about the amnio so I wont waffle on here, but they normally do a nuchal reguardless of age whether you are a teen mum or an old fart like me! You might go in a little higher just based on age, but after the scan and your triple screen bloods, then your risk is adjusted up and down according to the results and this normally determines the need for the amnio. The other thing I thought of is if your babies are in seperate sacks, I would presume that you would need two seperate amnios done??

 

[kcw81]

Hey Dawn, I wouldn't be too scared, I heard the amnio isn't as bad as you think. The needle ain't that long and it will be so worth it once you got your answers.

 

[DawnMN26]

Hey thanks for ur replies!
Yes i have 2 sacs which means i need 2 anmios!! ughhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

[JaymeeBee]

I had amnio done yesterday...it only pinches a bit, but when they take the fluid that feels a little weird. Definitely not something that is painful, just waiting for the results is kind of scary (for me anyways).

 

[DawnMN26]

really Jay???? didn't hurt at all?

 

[JaymeeBee]

no not really...almost like getting blood work done...it pinches just a tad bit more than that...needle is long, but not too too long. The only thing that phased me was the removing of the amniotic fluid, it felt weird, but it didn't hurt.

 

[Sophist]

I would not do amnio, especially if they haven't done a nuchal scan or measured other soft markers first. Even then I would consider very carefully if I wanted the increased risk of the procedure--often the risk of amnio is higher than the statistical probability your baby will have Downs.

The risk of complications caused by amnio is 1 in 100. The risk of fetal death following amnio can be as high as 1 in 200.

My niece had 2 amnios done late in her pregnancy and it put her into labor. Ironically the amnio was to see if the baby's lungs were ready, and the results said they weren't--but at that point she had to have an emergency C-section because of the botched amnio. Anyway--she said it was very painful and that the anesthesia (for the amnio) they gave her didn't work at all.

 

[freckle]

I had an amnio done on Monday and although I wouldn't rush to do it again it was not as bad as I imagined and it's over so quickly. I felt nothing until the needle hit the uterus wall, which was a bit crampy... I have had no pain, cramping or spotting since the procedure. The worst part is the waiting for results IMO...

I also did a heap of research on them beforehand, and if you get it done by someone experienced the risks of MC are actually much lower than the often quoted 1/200, infact some studies say as low as 1/500 (however, due to methodological flaws they aren't often quoted)... the ob doing mine hadn't had a MC due to amnio before.

I agree you are much more likely to get a high risk result with increased age as it is one of the factors that is used to compute the combined risk (along with NT, Papp-a and Hcg). Despite the fact that alot of older woman can get very low risk results, more people of increased maternal age are positively identified. Having twins further complicates this, and I understand it makes the screening test much more unreliable.

My results from combined screening came back low risk but not low enough for my liking hence, why I went for the amnio. Had a been a few years older with the same results for my NT and BTs I would have been identified as high risk... I prefer a more definitive answer ...

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!!!!