Amnio or No Amnio?

Hi K.!
I have had an amnio with results that were devastating. In hindsight, I wish I would not have known. The outcome would have been much different. (This is quite personal and if you would like to contact me, I would share what I have learned from this experience.)

Hi K.,
I'm 36 and pregnant with my 3rd. When I went in for my genetic counseling appointment, they went over our histories and said we could have the maternal screening blood work and wait to make a decision. I think they gave us some generalized statistic like at 35 a woman's odds of having a Down's baby was 1:350. My specific blood work came back with odds of 1:15000 so the decision was easy, no amnio. And no doctor pressured me in any way to have one. I have a history of miscarriage and other pregnancy complications so I was TERRIFIED of the amnio. I would never abort a pregnancy regardless of the result but if I was having a sick baby, I would like to know ahead of time so I could educate myself and get some good doctors on board. So just know that you can wait and make a decision when you have more information. Go to the appointment especially if you see doctors at Desert Perinatal. I've seen them for 3 pregnancies and they are all excellent. They give you good info and let you make your own decisions without pressure.

Wishing you the best,
J.

I had an amnio with my son. I had it because they thought he may have down syndrome from the genetic screening. I wanted to know for my benefit. I wanted to be able to be more prepared for if he did. He didn't but for me it was worth it to know. I don't remember it hurting too bad, I was really nervous though.
I am a little curious why you would have one if all the other tests have been okay. If the doctor has suggested it, personally I would do it, but that's just me.
If you're like me and would want to know whatever you can about your baby's health or special needs as soon as possible to plan ahead, then I say go for it.

I was a week from 36 when I delivered my third baby in 2006. It was a rough pregnancy and we were told the baby wasnt viable. (was a twin and lost it early on) We had the genetic testing and a nuchal translucency test as well. The N.T. test results told us they were concerned because it was thicker than they'd like. Off to Cedars for the opted CVS test. I ended up getting the amnio anyway, but I was only at 13 weeks. He gave me a local so I didnt feel much discomfort and I didnt watch. Turns out after ALL the testing, I had a perfectly healthy baby girl. All in all it's a decision only you can make. I personally would do it because they do an u/s at the same time. Then again, if termination isnt an option, then it doesnt matter. Tough tough decision to make... how far along are you?

Hi. I didn't have one with my son because up to that point all my results and whatnot were good too. I figure why do it if you don't need it right?
My mom did have one with her last one because of the simple fact she was having so many problems throughout that pregnancy. But not to scare you, she said it hurt like hell!
But I think everybody will say different things. It's the pain tolerance we all have that makes us say yea, do it. You'll want to know for sure. Some will be like no, dont do it. It hurts and you dont need it.

We didn't. We had bloodwork and a "nuchal translucency" test that took our risk factors way down.. I have had 2 friends who had bad complications, and DH and I would not have had an abortion if the results had been Downs anyway, so it didn't make sense for us.

If all your genetic screenings are good then skip it. You'll be fine 35 is the youngest cutoff for mandatory testing, don't stress about it!

I know I am not going to be very helpful but I have had five kids and four pregnancy's (I had a set of twins, and I have never heard of that what is it?

The way I see it, if its going to make a difference on how you continue with the pregnancy then do it, otherwise don't bother. I didn't even have the AFP blood work because I knew it wouldn't change how I would proceed. But if your life just can't handle the extra stress of a special needs child, then it would be best to know ahead of time.

Hi K.! I'm an Ultrasound tech and have assisted in many amnio procedures. Usually if the doctor wants to do it he's/she's just trying to gather more information about the health of your baby (i.e. if the lungs are developed enough for an early delivery...) It's not all about Down Syndrome. Of all the amnios I've witnessed, I've never seen a women in pain. They check the baby for his/her position, find a nice big pocket of fluid, they keep the ultrasound on your belly at all times, then they take about an ounce or 2 of fluid (it only takes a second) and then they take another look at the baby to check the heart rate (And give you another little peek) It's very safe and shouldn't hurt at all and if everything else in your genetic screening has turned out just fine I'm sure you have nothing to worry about, the Doctor probably just wants to be thorough, and it's a very fast and easy procedure. It's completely up to you but I'd say go for it! :-)