Amnio?

H

Hazel

Guest
Hi ladies. I need your opinions. I turned 35 last November, just before I got pregnant with #2. Of course, since this makes me of "advanced maternal age" (yuck -- I hate that description -- it makes me feel like my grandmother!) my doctor suggested I have amnio (apparently the AFP test won't even register because at age 35 I've exceeded all the parameters they measure -- or something along those lines).

Being a good little patient, I went ahead and scheduled the appointment for next week. But today I was having lunch with my husband and discovered that he has some serious reservations about the procedure. So now I am confused as to what to do.

Obviously, his biggest concern is the risk of miscarriage. Since the risk of Down's is slightly higher for someone of my age than the risk of miscarriage from the procedure, that's really the only reason to have the test. The truth is, I just don't have any idea what I would do if I found out that the baby had Down's, but I certainly would want to know one way or another so I could prepare myself and my family. (I hope that doesn't sound insulting to people who have Down's children -- I don't know anything about the condition and thus just don't know how I'd react to such news).

So I guess I'm interested in your experiences with amnio, whether you thought it was worth the risk, what helped you decide to have it or not, etc. I realize it's a very personal decision, but I'd sure like some input from people who have been there.

Thanks!

Hazel
 
Hi Hazel,
Like you said - the amnio decision is an extremely personal decision and a difficult one to make - especially at 35. I guess what it really comes down to is what you would do if the results came back and there was something wrong with your child. If you would continue with the pregnancy anyway, then there is really no reason to have the amnio. But, if you think you would consider terminating the pregnancy, then it is definitely something you need to consider.
I'll be almost 35 when I deliver, so I feel fortunate to not be "advanced maternal age" quite yet (my doctor used that phrase also!). Personally, I wouldn't have the procedure done at 35, but that doesn't mean I don't think anyone else should.
By the way, I am very ignorant about Down's syndrome also, but one of my kids' friends has a brother with Down's and he is a beautiful, delightful little boy.
Good luck with your decision and the amnio, if you decide to have it!
Erica
 
I was 38 when my daughter was born. My husband and I decided that we would keep the baby no matter what so I decided not to have the amnio. Plus, I didn't like the miscarriage possibility. In the mean time, I went to the library and looked through a few books on down's syndrome. It turns out that there are many levels of severity and that parents universally described their children with down's a complete joys. If you have questions, the library is a good place to start.

That said, my doctor explained that it would be very useful to know ahead of time if something was wrong with the baby so if she needed additional medical support in the delivery room it would be available. She suggested a level II sonogram - which I had. This is a much more detailed sonogram where they measure the brain, stomach, look for folds of skin on the neck (a sign of downs). I think they even measure the thigh bone. This test came out OK.

The upside, I had a very healthy happy girl last June. But, to tell you the truth, my husband and I have been talking and wondering what we will do if we have another. Since we had one healthy baby, a special needs child would be a challenge. With one special needs baby, we could have dedicated our all to her. We are debating an amnio next time.

Hope that is helpful. Good luck with your pregnancy!
 
Hi Hazel,

I agree with what Erica said about the amnio being a very personal decision. Also that it really does come down to what you would do with the information you got from the amnio. Since you asked how people came to their decisions I will share mine with you as well.

I am also in the same age group as you and Erica. I turn 35 a day after my due date (although I am having a c-section a week before so I guess I just made it under the curve). They also used that awful "advanced maternal age" term with me too :eek: Anyway, they told me I could decide about the amnio since I was right on the borderline. I chose not to have it personally since the results wouldn't change my decison to have the baby yet the risks do remain. In addition I chose not to even have the triple screen. The reason being is the high number of false positives. Since I wouldn't have an amnio if I got a troubling result from a triple screen it made no sense to have that test either. I felt it would have caused me to just worry through the rest of the pregnancy. Personally, I wouldn't have the amnio again even if I have a third child and would be over 35. I just felt the risks of having a miscarriage and other rare side effects weren't worth knowing if the baby had a problem ahead of time.

I know it's a very difficult decision. I wish you luck figuring out the best thing to do for you and your family.

Alison
 
I was hoping someone would bring this up on here. We are currently in the 'trying' stages for number 3. I am 34 and if things work as quick as the first two, we will be making the amnio decision in the next few months. I was kinda hoping that a whole bunch would come on here and say it was fine, don't worry, everything went well when I had it done etc. : )
Is the main risk miscarriage? Any more input,positive or negative would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for bringing this up Hazel, not an easy subject.
 
Hi! I had amnios when I was 35 and 38 and both experiences turned out fine. We wanted to be forewarned if there was going to be any problem. Actually, with the second amnio my daughter's results did come back with a chromosonal abnormality, but it turned out not to be a problem, as I have the same thing and I am normal...I guess. ha ha! But I mention this because an amnio can pick up other things besides Down's Syndrome, although that is the major one. I was also told that the added risk of miscarriage is not very significant statistically. Good luck with whatever you decide.
[font color=green]BETSY[/font]
 
As a couple of people have already mentioned here, Downs babies can grow up to be very high functioning, independednt people, with more love to give than any parent can imagine. Some don't get into the kind of trouble that 'normal' kids do, which makes them easier in many ways. I don't say this from personal experience, and I'm not trying to belittle the difficulty of raising a mentally challenged child, but that is a viewpoint worth considering. Since this is my belief, I chose not to have the amnio. I had all the blood tests, and the level II ultrasound, and hope to have a healthy baby.

What I don't understand about people who abort downs babies is this: what if the child had been born with some other disorder that could not be detected by amnio? Would they want to terminate it after birth? Of course not!!

(This may sound like I'm preaching pro-life beliefs, and that is not the case. I am pro-choice, all the way).
 
Hi Hazel,
I have a 5 1/2 year old son that is in special education with the county. When you get the chance, pick up the book by Max Lucado titled "The Crippled Lamb". This book always puts the biggest smile on my face (after a good cry of course!)
Wish I could help you with your decision. This book I recommended is a short child's book but does help put things in perspective when you're confused. (At least for me it does).
Good luck to you.
Lisa
 
I am in the same boat. I am 36 and 12 weeks along with my third child. My husband and I did alot of discussion on the subject and since we would never consider abortion, we passed on the amino. I am scheduled in one month for the ATP blood test combined with a Level 3 Ultrasound. My doctor has been very supportive and informative. She explained that the ATP test almost always comes back positive because being of advanced maternal age our risk naturally increases to 1 in 200. She was very reassuring, it also helped that she had her third child at age 36. Good luck in your decision.
 
I got pregnant with my 3rd child at age 37 and didn't even consider having the amnio. The first question you have to ask yourself is would you terminate the pregnancy if you found out the baby did have Down's. Since that wasn't even an option for me, I chose not to have the amnio or the triple screen. Then there's the one, "you need to know if there's something wrong so you can prepare yourself." Honestly, how can you prepare yourself for something like a baby with Down's? I think you can do all the preparing you need to do after the baby is born. An ultrasound can detect heart abnormalities which is common with Down's babies. Frankly, I think alot of this screening is unnecessary and just puts money in the health care provider's pockets (and my husband is a doctor.) Sure I wondered if my baby was healthy, and thank God he was. But I wondered that with my 2 girls who were born pre-35 too. Good luck with your decision, I think the posts here will provide you with the information you need to make that decision.
 
How can my opinion on something be judgmental or offensive? Nowhere in my reply did I condemn anyone for having the procedure. I gave my reasons for not choosing the procedure. I am merely being forthright about my personal viewpoints on amniocentisis. Giving one's opinion is not equivalent to being judgmental. People often misuse the term judgmental. I would be judgmental if I had the procedure and then criticized others for having the procedure. I don't need to ask my husband about all the problems babies with Down's syndrome can have. I am aware of those problems, all I am saying is that those problems can be (and are) dealt with after the birth of the baby. Many women under age 35 have babies with Down's syndrome as well and they don't know until the baby is born.
 
Hi Hazel,

I don't know if this will help but I will tell you about my experience. I am only 33 and had a baby last October. During my first ultrasound at 18 weeks, the tech found cysts on the baby's brain. These cysts are considered to be one of the "markers" for Downs. I was then referred to a genetic specialist for a level two ultrasound and counseling. Fortunately, everything else about the baby looked fine, but that did not rule out Downs. So it was up to my husband and I to decide if we wanted the guarantee that the amnio provided.
In the end we decided that the amnio was just not worth the risk. Especially considering at that time I was at 20 weeks and would not have terminated the pregnancy anyway. So I had to wait out the rest of my pregnancy to find out if the baby was okay. Again fortunately he turned out perfect. In the end, if I had done the amnio and it were positive I am not sure I would have felt any more prepared. I think I worried less because I didn't know, therefore I didn't dwell on it.

Good Luck to you!

Linda
 
Risk of miscarriage

My baby is due in June shortly before my 39th birthday and I refused the amnio. I had an office mate who lost a long awaited baby due to an amnio. It may be a statistically small risk, but to him & his wife it was devastating.

Windy
 
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Mar-09-02 AT 12:23PM (Est)[/font][p]Hi,
I was 36 at the time I chose to have the amnio done. (My amnio was performed at 14 weeks, one of the earliest to be done at my hospital.) The reason I chose to have amnio was because I wanted to know if my baby had Down's syndrome. I would never have chosen to abort, but thought this would better prepare me in the event my son had Down's syndrome. The bottom line is that the procedure went smoothly, there were no problems. I am glad I had it done. Had the test been positive I would have researched everything I would have needed. Since the test was not positive, I was able to relax. Had I not done it, I would have spent countless hours worrying.

Good luck whatever your decision is.
 
Hi,

I'm not a mom, but I read this board for inspiration. If pregnant mom's can find time to exercise, then I have no excuse. Also, I think I'll be a mom someday and I don't want to learn things at the last minute.

About Amnio. I just wanted to say the my sister had this done several years ago when she was pregnant. Shortly after the procedure, she noticed that she did not feel the baby kicking anymore. My sister is childless today as she was of "advanced maternal age" when she conceived. I was a later-in-life surprise and I don't think I would do it myself as I would now be considered of "advanced maternal age." Yuck, I don't like that term.

This is a personal decision, but I thought I should mention my sister's experience, because statistics happen to someone.

I hope this helps,

Helen
 
I am 40 years old and 17 weeks pregnant with my first child. I had amnio last Wednesday. The test itself was yucky (the same way that a blood test is yucky, only more so) but I felt totally back to normal by the next morning. The reason I chose to have amnio was that if there is a problem, I do not want to continue with the pregnancy. Of course we are hoping that everything is OK -- we will find out within a couple of weeks. I wish I could have more frequent ultrasounds just so I could see that the baby is still OK. I had one at 15 weeks and could not believe how much the baby was moving around in there!! I have my 18-week ultrasound on the 18th, which I am really looking forward to (in spite of having to have a full bladder).

I have to admit that the stories above about women miscarrying after amnio have me really worried; that would be devastating. I know there is a small risk of this happening, but it is important to remember that a small risk is still risk, and this does happen to people...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top