over 35 : !st trimester screening, CVS, and amnio
- Thread starter ksandvoss
- Start date
sunnydelite
Cathlete
i am 35 (34 when i conceived) the only extra test i remember being offered was the amnio. i decided against because my afp and ultrasound all came back looking good. so we decided there was no reason to take any risks with the amnio.
scm
Cathlete
I am 12 weeks pregnant and will the 35 next month. During my doctor visit last week, I was just a bit overwhelmed by the types of testing done (because of my age). I too would like to hear what others have to say about these tests. I'm going to be scheduled to have them at the end of September.
I turned 40 at the beginning of my second trimester, and had the full amnio. I also had the screening to see if I was a carrier for cystic fibrosis, but opted out of the trisomy test. My rationale was that there is such a great incidence of false positives on that test, and I'd already decided on aminio, which is almost completely decisive in its results.
This is a very personal decision to make, and a lot of of it is based on what you would do if the result is not favorable. The national average of miscarriage is somewhere between 1 in 250 to 300 pregnancies, though the doctor who performed mine has been doing them since '82 and has never had a patient experience a miscarriage.
OTOH, I have a co-worker who is due three days before me, just turned 35 in July, and decided against amnio. In reviewing the statistics, she decided that the indicence of birth defects was so low for her age, that she didn't want to risk complications. For my age, chromosomal abnormalities occur in 1 of every 60 births.
Best of luck with whichever route you decide to take!
This is a very personal decision to make, and a lot of of it is based on what you would do if the result is not favorable. The national average of miscarriage is somewhere between 1 in 250 to 300 pregnancies, though the doctor who performed mine has been doing them since '82 and has never had a patient experience a miscarriage.
OTOH, I have a co-worker who is due three days before me, just turned 35 in July, and decided against amnio. In reviewing the statistics, she decided that the indicence of birth defects was so low for her age, that she didn't want to risk complications. For my age, chromosomal abnormalities occur in 1 of every 60 births.
Best of luck with whichever route you decide to take!
MSJ
Cathlete
Hi--
I had the screening (AFP) with babies 3 and 4. 3 came back normal. #4 came back putting me at a higher risk for Down Syndrome. I was 33 at the time. We opted for a level 2 ultrasound, which revealed a heart defect, bumping our chances of downs to between 1 in 5 to 1 in 10. We decided not to have an amnio, because we did not want to risk miscarriage and abortion was totally out of the question.
Our baby did have downs and we would not choose him any other way.
For baby #5, however, we decided not to have any testing done--too stressful. He turned out "normal". I am 37 now and for baby #6 we also opted for no testing and the condition of this child remains to be seen. My first choice would be a totally healthy baby of course, but we'll take with joy whatever is given us, trusting that the Lord knows best.
The blood tests have false positives (needless worry) and false negatives(false sense of security). The amnio does not, but carries a small risk of miscarraige. Also there are many many genetic defects which are not revealed by the tests--edited to say the blood tests, that is.
I hope this helps. Chances are, your baby is totally fine.
Maggie
I had the screening (AFP) with babies 3 and 4. 3 came back normal. #4 came back putting me at a higher risk for Down Syndrome. I was 33 at the time. We opted for a level 2 ultrasound, which revealed a heart defect, bumping our chances of downs to between 1 in 5 to 1 in 10. We decided not to have an amnio, because we did not want to risk miscarriage and abortion was totally out of the question.
Our baby did have downs and we would not choose him any other way.
For baby #5, however, we decided not to have any testing done--too stressful. He turned out "normal". I am 37 now and for baby #6 we also opted for no testing and the condition of this child remains to be seen. My first choice would be a totally healthy baby of course, but we'll take with joy whatever is given us, trusting that the Lord knows best.
The blood tests have false positives (needless worry) and false negatives(false sense of security). The amnio does not, but carries a small risk of miscarraige. Also there are many many genetic defects which are not revealed by the tests--edited to say the blood tests, that is.
I hope this helps. Chances are, your baby is totally fine.
Maggie
Maggie - you are certainly the voice of experience!
We had #1 at 33, #2 at 35 and will have #3 at 37 (just call me a late bloomer!) With the last two we did the basic screening blood tests and everything was fine. With this one, we did that plus a first trimester ultrasound for genetic screening. They can detect what they called 'soft markers' of possible genetic problems, plus, I'm a sucker for an ultrasound (love to see that heartbeat!). So far everything looks fine, but I wouldn't have done any more testing, no matter what. The issue of false positives plus any additional risks were my main deciding factors, plus, unless the tests would reveal something we could change, there wasn't anything to be learned from them that would make us any better off.
We had #1 at 33, #2 at 35 and will have #3 at 37 (just call me a late bloomer!) With the last two we did the basic screening blood tests and everything was fine. With this one, we did that plus a first trimester ultrasound for genetic screening. They can detect what they called 'soft markers' of possible genetic problems, plus, I'm a sucker for an ultrasound (love to see that heartbeat!). So far everything looks fine, but I wouldn't have done any more testing, no matter what. The issue of false positives plus any additional risks were my main deciding factors, plus, unless the tests would reveal something we could change, there wasn't anything to be learned from them that would make us any better off.
Hi Kathy,
You've gotten some really good replies already, but I'll just throw in my own 2 cents worth. I'm 37, unexpectedly pregnant w/ my 3rd baby and already have 1 boy and 1 girl at home. So we weren't trying to get pregnant, but obviously didn't try hard enough not to either.;-)
My ob explained to me all the different types of testing, etc, gave me all that paperwork, and in the end I decided to go ahead and have the amnio. Since I made that decision, I didn't have to do all the other prior testing. The one pro of amnio that my OB told me is if one has the prior testing and there is something, sometimes the only way to try and clarify is to get the amnio anyway. So I decided to go ahead and just do the amnio. I was nervous in general, not necessarily b/c of the amnio, but just b/c I'm an older mom. Last year in my workplace, there were many incidents of problematic pregnancies w/ gals YOUNGER than 35 anyway!
For us, the results of the amnio would not have altered what we would do. In California, you have to do the amnio by 20 wks in case you want to exercise your options. For me, I just wanted to know and be prepared.
When we went to our appt (I was at 19 1/2 wks), first there was our genetic counseling (btw some of those questions are kinda funny). Then there was the ultrasound, first by a nurse (I think) and then the doctor came. Both people said that the baby looked fine and that the baby appeared to be a boy. Then the doctor said that he saw nothing in the ultrasound that made him think I was at any higher risk for anyhing and asked if I still wanted to do the amnio. I said yes.
Then came the part that my wussy DH wouldn't watch - sticking the needle in my stomach. The doctor did it left of my bellybutton, and it kinda stung and he had to w/draw a vial of fluid (that I expected to be milky colored or opaque but was actually clear). Afterwards, the doctor said no sex for 48 hrs (and my DH was like "no problem!"), only light walking, no lifting of anything, and to sleep on my side. Apparently the risks of the amnio have to deal w/ leakage from the needle insertion point and infection of the amniotic fluid and what that would do to the little baby. I took a couple of days off work to be extra careful and just took it easy, which included NOT carrying around my almost 3-year old princess.
The genetic place called me exactly 10 days later to inform me that the baby is definitely a boy, and that the results were good. (i.e. right number of chromosome pairs, etc). So I am very relieved.
Hope this post wasn't too long for you, but I really understand what you're going thru and hope this helps a little.
Good luck w/ whatever you decide to do!
Belle
You've gotten some really good replies already, but I'll just throw in my own 2 cents worth. I'm 37, unexpectedly pregnant w/ my 3rd baby and already have 1 boy and 1 girl at home. So we weren't trying to get pregnant, but obviously didn't try hard enough not to either.;-)
My ob explained to me all the different types of testing, etc, gave me all that paperwork, and in the end I decided to go ahead and have the amnio. Since I made that decision, I didn't have to do all the other prior testing. The one pro of amnio that my OB told me is if one has the prior testing and there is something, sometimes the only way to try and clarify is to get the amnio anyway. So I decided to go ahead and just do the amnio. I was nervous in general, not necessarily b/c of the amnio, but just b/c I'm an older mom. Last year in my workplace, there were many incidents of problematic pregnancies w/ gals YOUNGER than 35 anyway!
For us, the results of the amnio would not have altered what we would do. In California, you have to do the amnio by 20 wks in case you want to exercise your options. For me, I just wanted to know and be prepared.
When we went to our appt (I was at 19 1/2 wks), first there was our genetic counseling (btw some of those questions are kinda funny). Then there was the ultrasound, first by a nurse (I think) and then the doctor came. Both people said that the baby looked fine and that the baby appeared to be a boy. Then the doctor said that he saw nothing in the ultrasound that made him think I was at any higher risk for anyhing and asked if I still wanted to do the amnio. I said yes.
Then came the part that my wussy DH wouldn't watch - sticking the needle in my stomach. The doctor did it left of my bellybutton, and it kinda stung and he had to w/draw a vial of fluid (that I expected to be milky colored or opaque but was actually clear). Afterwards, the doctor said no sex for 48 hrs (and my DH was like "no problem!"), only light walking, no lifting of anything, and to sleep on my side. Apparently the risks of the amnio have to deal w/ leakage from the needle insertion point and infection of the amniotic fluid and what that would do to the little baby. I took a couple of days off work to be extra careful and just took it easy, which included NOT carrying around my almost 3-year old princess.
The genetic place called me exactly 10 days later to inform me that the baby is definitely a boy, and that the results were good. (i.e. right number of chromosome pairs, etc). So I am very relieved.
Hope this post wasn't too long for you, but I really understand what you're going thru and hope this helps a little.
Good luck w/ whatever you decide to do!
Belle
shopaholic
Cathlete
Thank you ladies for all your info. I am 35 and trying for #2 and found your words of wisdom very helpful and reassuring.