Amniocentesis?

[Christinee]

Today I went for my first dr visit. I was asked if I would be doing an amniocentesis because I am 37. How many of you are doing this?

 

[perfectgoddes]

I had an amniocentesis at 15 weeks after I received concerning results from my Verifi test.

Unless you are concerned about something specific that is not tested for in a NIPT (Verifi, Harmony, MaterniT21) you might want to consider having the NIPT done before an amnio. I opted for Verifi over the quad screen bc I disliked the idea of getting risk results and preferred that Verifi tells you if the aneuploidies are detected in the placental DNA. The main advantage of amnio is it is the only test that analyzes fetal DNA instead of placental DNA.

Whatever choice you make, wishing you a happy and healthy pregnancy!

 

[Christinee]

I had an amniocentesis at 15 weeks after I received concerning results from my Verifi test.

Unless you are concerned about something specific that is not tested for in a NIPT (Verifi, Harmony, MaterniT21) you might want to consider having the NIPT done before an amnio. I opted for Verifi over the quad screen bc I disliked the idea of getting risk results and preferred that Verifi tells you if the aneuploidies are detected in the placental DNA. The main advantage of amnio is it is the only test that analyzes fetal DNA instead of placental DNA.

Whatever choice you make, wishing you a happy and healthy pregnancy!

The thing that scares me about that blood test is that it is not accurate. When I was 21 and pregnant with my daughter, they did that test and it came back positive for DS. I went and seen a specialist but then decided to take my chances and not go through with the amniocentesis. Well I ended up stressing my entire pregnancy. She was born perfectly healthy. Those tests worry me now!

 

[perfectgoddes]

I had an amniocentesis at 15 weeks after I received concerning results from my Verifi test.

Unless you are concerned about something specific that is not tested for in a NIPT (Verifi, Harmony, MaterniT21) you might want to consider having the NIPT done before an amnio. I opted for Verifi over the quad screen bc I disliked the idea of getting risk results and preferred that Verifi tells you if the aneuploidies are detected in the placental DNA. The main advantage of amnio is it is the only test that analyzes fetal DNA instead of placental DNA.

Whatever choice you make, wishing you a happy and healthy pregnancy!

The thing that scares me about that blood test is that it is not accurate. When I was 21 and pregnant with my daughter, they did that test and it came back positive for DS. I went and seen a specialist but then decided to take my chances and not go through with the amniocentesis. Well I ended up stressing my entire pregnancy. She was born perfectly healthy. Those tests worry me now!

Are you referring to the NIPT or the quad screen? If you were 21, I would guess you are referring to the quad screen and quad screens give a risk ratio, like 1:64, based on blood work and a NT scan. Quad screens do not look at any DNA and cannot be positive or negative, they only give a risk estimate. NIPTs have only been around for a couple years and the majority of women who take them are over 35. Neither is as accurate as an amnio.

The OP specifically asked about doing an amnio, something I chose to get done but in case she wanted a non-invasive option, as many people do, I thought NIPTs were worth mentioning. You found the tests worrying, I found them reassuring. I will be monitored for IUGR since the amnio results combined with the Verifi results mean a possibility the placenta could under perform. It is wonderful to me that we all have choices in our healthcare. It is great your daughter is healthy. For many families, testing allows them to be prepared for an outcome different than yours.

 

[Luvspnk31]

I'm 37, and my dr asked if I wanted any tests. I said no, because it won't matter to me what the outcome is. I realize that most people do them for peace of mind and wanting to feel prepared. For me, the results are rarely completely conclusive, and tend to cause stress and worry when it's not necessary. Amniocentesis is a risky procedure in itself, so unless absolutely needed, I would never do it. I think you need to ask yourself, " will the results matter?" "Do the risks out weigh the benefits?" It's definitely a personal choice, but don't feel like "everyone" over 35 does it, or that you have to. Happy and healthy 9 mos!!!

 

[Christinee]

I'm 37, and my dr asked if I wanted any tests. I said no, because it won't matter to me what the outcome is. I realize that most people do them for peace of mind and wanting to feel prepared. For me, the results are rarely completely conclusive, and tend to cause stress and worry when it's not necessary. Amniocentesis is a risky procedure in itself, so unless absolutely needed, I would never do it. I think you need to ask yourself, " will the results matter?" "Do the risks out weigh the benefits?" It's definitely a personal choice, but don't feel like "everyone" over 35 does it, or that you have to. Happy and healthy 9 mos!!!

I know what you mean. I'm still deciding. I am also 37 and it was the first thing the Dr asked me too.

 

[petitpas]

The pp asks: would the results matter? The answer for me is yes! And not necessarily in terms of termination. If I was expecting a child with Downs Syndrome or a life-limiting condition such as Edwards or Patau's I would want a team of specialists present at the birth to give my child the best possible chance.

Still, as a recurrent miscarryer I would prefer taking one of the new non-invasive tests to having an invasive test such as an amnio, which carries a 1-2% risk of miscarriage. Christinee, these tests have only been around for a couple of years but are supposed to be very accurate and give you a yes/no answer. Ask your doctor about it as an alternative to an amnio if you are unsure.

I personally think these new non-invasive tests will take over from nt screening and quad tests as the norm in a few years.

 

[pineapple91]

i never did any testing. i had the anatomy scan at 20 weeks and it all came back with no major abnormalities that all that mattered to me. its a personal choice.

 

[madseasons]

I am not having an amnio, just a blood test (Harmony, MaterniT21 ect.) From what I gather, they are the new NON-INVASIVE procedures in place of getting the amnio or cvs.

Dee

 

[BunnyN]

I can't get over the fact that while it is a low risk women do regularly loose perfectly healthy babies because of geting an amnio. I'm not saying it is wrong to choose to have one but I couldn't accept that risk. I do get wanting to be medically prepared at the birth if there are any problems but if nothing mayjor like heart problems have shown on the scan I still think the risks of loosing a baby are higher from an amnio than not being prepaired at birth. If I was very high risk I might consider a 3rd trimester amnio which would give the same results but with a much lower risk.

I will be 35 when this one is due and baby had a large nucal scan measurement so we chose to pay for the harmony test. Thankfully it was negative and while it is not quite 100% accurate I'm happy enough with the low risk factor. The only disadvantage is that we had to pay for it ourselves and it was expensive.

 

[Larkspur]

I did the quad screen and the risk came back at 1:4500 so I was perfectly happy with that. Blood tests aren't available where I live and nobody asked if I wanted an amnio at any point.

 

[Christinee]

I did the quad screen and the risk came back at 1:4500 so I was perfectly happy with that. Blood tests aren't available where I live and nobody asked if I wanted an amnio at any point.

It was like the first thing the dr asked me when I went in for my first appointment.... I am still on the edge.. I guess at 37 my odds are 1 in 250 (without any tests)... I need to talk to the doc about alternative blood testing available. He didn't even mention or offer any so far. These doc's just want to go balls to the wall (excuse my language) it seems. I guess in their eyes nothing is as good as "for sure" results.

 

[Larkspur]

I did the quad screen and the risk came back at 1:4500 so I was perfectly happy with that. Blood tests aren't available where I live and nobody asked if I wanted an amnio at any point.

It was like the first thing the dr asked me when I went in for my first appointment.... I am still on the edge.. I guess at 37 my odds are 1 in 250 (without any tests)... I need to talk to the doc about alternative blood testing available. He didn't even mention or offer any so far. These doc's just want to go balls to the wall (excuse my language) it seems. I guess in their eyes nothing is as good as "for sure" results.

It seems really OTT to me. You wouldn't do an amnio till after week 12, surely, and you'd have quad screen results by then, so why would he jump the gun? I had my baby at 38, so I was the same base risk as you.

 

[Christinee]

I did the quad screen and the risk came back at 1:4500 so I was perfectly happy with that. Blood tests aren't available where I live and nobody asked if I wanted an amnio at any point.

It was like the first thing the dr asked me when I went in for my first appointment.... I am still on the edge.. I guess at 37 my odds are 1 in 250 (without any tests)... I need to talk to the doc about alternative blood testing available. He didn't even mention or offer any so far. These doc's just want to go balls to the wall (excuse my language) it seems. I guess in their eyes nothing is as good as "for sure" results.

It seems really OTT to me. You wouldn't do an amnio till after week 12, surely, and you'd have quad screen results by then, so why would he jump the gun? I had my baby at 38, so I was the same base risk as you.

I have actually just changed my doctor. My new dr has a much more up to date office, so I am excited about that. I need to call and schedule my first appointment.

 

[BunnyN]

I did the quad screen and the risk came back at 1:4500 so I was perfectly happy with that. Blood tests aren't available where I live and nobody asked if I wanted an amnio at any point.

It was like the first thing the dr asked me when I went in for my first appointment.... I am still on the edge.. I guess at 37 my odds are 1 in 250 (without any tests)... I need to talk to the doc about alternative blood testing available. He didn't even mention or offer any so far. These doc's just want to go balls to the wall (excuse my language) it seems. I guess in their eyes nothing is as good as "for sure" results.

I do think they can be a bit OTT with the age risk thing in general. Okay 1:250 is "high risk" but it is still only about 0.4%. Seeing as the risk of loosing your baby from an amnio can be as high as 1% a risk of 0.4% doesn't seem that bad to me. I think it's partly because there really isn't that much a doctor can usually do for you in pregnancy except offer tests so it makes them feel like they are doing something to be efficient about that.

 

[Christinee]

Today at my dr appt... I am almost 12 weeks I was asked what I wanted to do about genetic testing.. My two choices are the blood screening (I am not sure what it is called) or the amnio... I told them I would call them today or tomorrow with my decision.. I know I want some sort of reassurance but I am just not sure which route to take. I wish I knew more about the blood screening and how accurate it was... If its the same one they took with my daughter, that one came back positive and just caused me a bunch of stress.

 

[Garnet]

I had a blood screening and a amnio and my suggestion is to do blood screening! If they detect anything with that then do Amnio. 1 had my son at 40 and he was 1 in 17000 for issues. Amnio did not hurt just the pre jitters. It was like a bee sting for a few seconds as they prick the skin and draw out the fluid. I did feel wobbly afterwards and rested for 24 hours!

 

[petitpas]

Christinee, ultimately, any blood test is non-invasive. It won't hurt the baby so for me that would be the first step. Amnios carry a 1-2% risk of miscarriage. That's why they are usually only offered if there is cause for concern.
Personally, I'd ask your doctor more about the blood test and results. See if that might offer you the answers. If you're still not satisfied with the results then discuss more invasive options such as the amnio.
You might find that the blood test your doctor offers is one of the new ones, which pretty much replaces the need for an amnio.

 

[Christinee]

Christinee, ultimately, any blood test is non-invasive. It won't hurt the baby so for me that would be the first step. Amnios carry a 1-2% risk of miscarriage. That's why they are usually only offered if there is cause for concern.
Personally, I'd ask your doctor more about the blood test and results. See if that might offer you the answers. If you're still not satisfied with the results then discuss more invasive options such as the amnio.
You might find that the blood test your doctor offers is one of the new ones, which pretty much replaces the need for an amnio.

I called and asked and they said its the AFP blood test. I had that before with my daughter and it came back positive for DS and it was so stressful and horrible. I was so young that I turned down the amnio (and my daughter turned out fine), but now that I am older I don't think I would do that and I would probably move forward with the testing.... I also don't want to go through the stress of a false positive again. So there is where my indecisiveness comes in. I decided to give myself the weekend to think on it and then I will call the Dr. office next week to let them know which route I will be taking. Such a tough decision. !!

 

[madseasons]

I did end up having the MaterniT21 test and the results were negative and a girl...no need for an Amnio now and my mind is at ease. GL!!!