for those who did or will do cvs or amnio...?

please let me know how you came to this decision? i am pg through ivf and i am over 35.

i reallllllllllllllllly dont know what to do..even with drs recs or not..

i know they say well would you terminate if something was wrong...
and please no flaming....i may consider it if the baby had something that would be verrrrrrry painful and unable to treat........in that case maybe ...so is it even worth testing? will it only cause more concern bc i hear alot of testing is borderline kwim?

thoughts? ty v much!!

Re: for those who did or will do cvs or amnio...?

I did the amnio. i am 38 and knew we had to know definitively if something was wrong. I skipped the NT scan because I knew I would not have great results based on my age alone.

My Dr doesnt like the CVS. It does carry a slightly higher risk of miscarriage but also not many Drs do it so I would have had to find one that does them all the time to reduce the rate of micarriage.

As far as the actual amnio.....it really wasn;t bad....the anxiety leading up to it was way worse than the actual test. you can FM me any question you have about the test....I am an open book and will answer anything.

ETA my sis had the CVS. she felt she needed to know ASAP because she would have had to make decisions based on the results.

Message edited 10/13/2011 9:25:38 PM.

Re: for those who did or will do cvs or amnio...?

I also opted for an amnio instead of CVS as my dad's brother had downs and my sister lost a baby at 5 months due to trisomy 18 based on that my odds would have been very high.I am also 38 years old. I had the amnio at 15 weeks instead of a 12 week NT scan and it was not bad at all. I received the results just over a week later and thank god baby is doing great. I also got pregnant via IVF so I wanted to make sure I was prepared if anything was wrong. Good luck to you on whatever you deceide to do it has to be whatever you are comfortable with.

Re: for those who did or will do cvs or amnio...?

I had the CVS done at 12 weeks. I wasn't planning on either the CVS or amnio, even though I am 39. However, my NT scan came back very elevated. My OB thought it was in my best interest to do the CVS then at 12 weeks then wait until 17 weeks to do the amnio. I agreed. It wasn't an issue at all. And finding out then that everything was normal was priceless.

Re: for those who did or will do cvs or amnio...?

I had a lot of support from the women on here. My 12 week blood work came back high for downs. We decided not to do anything till after my 16 week blood work came back. That blood work too came back even higher so we chose to do the amnio which was the best thing we ever did. We found out our baby was genetically perfect however at our 20 week sono we saw that the baby had a small hernia like type hole. The baby will need surgery right away but since we had the amnio we know he is fine and that is why my blood work kept coming back high. Im 34, will be 35 when I deliver. Some women skip everything and just do the amnio and honestly knowing that the baby is fine that is something I may consider next time. Good Luck and let me know if you need anything.

Re: for those who did or will do cvs or amnio...?

I had one. I turned 36 just after my BFP.

Before I got my NT results, I was considering doing an amnio regardless of other test results for peace of mind.

My NT results came back 1 in 250 for downs. While this was a "normal" result for my age, my previous pregnancy was 1 in 10,000. I didn't like those results so I made an appt at Mt Sinai because they are THE genetic specialists, and they do CVS's and amnios all day long, so the risks are lower at a facility like that.

Based on those results, my feeling that if something was wrong I would potentially act on it, and my risks for neural tube defects, which is what the amnio tests for in addition to downs (the cvs only does downs and other chromosome abnormalities)- we decided to go for the CVS.

This test, and I am sure the amnio as well is A LOT of build up for not really a big deal. I cannot express to you how much relief/shock I felt when it was over. I was like, that's it?? It's really not a bug deal.

If doing one of these tests makes you comfortable, go for it-- it is so worth it for peace of mind.

Re: for those who did or will do cvs or amnio...?

I had an amnio with my first. I was 38 at the time. I did not plan on the amnio, but my AFP test (a blood test that is combined with the results of the NT scan and I have since come to find out has a very high false positive result) came back slightly elevated for Trisomy 18. Although my dr was not concerned, I am a worrier and new I would not relax the rest of the pregnancy not knowing. I had my Level II which was fine but still had thr amnio to confirm at 17 weeks. This time around, I am 40. I have my 1st appt with my OB on Monday so we will discuss options, but DH and I are leaning towards the same plan as the first. If something comes back off, we will discuss amnio again. Like the pp said, the amnio itself is not bad at all. I felt some pressure and slight cramping, but it is over fast. FM me if you have any questions.

Re: for those who did or will do cvs or amnio...?

I had the CVS done both times. Both times the DS risk came back elevated for my age. I am the type of person that needs to know, I can't just put that risk in the back of my mind and go on for 9 months, I need to be prepared, so there wasn't even a question in my mind. The doctor that did mine has done many of them, so I was confident in his ability.

Re: for those who did or will do cvs or amnio...?

I had one, my first tri screening came back high risk for downs...I had to know....and it gave me so much peace of mind....he's ok and nothing to worry about. I think I would do your first tri bloodwork and see how it looks....some ppl come back really low risk over 35 and then you might feel better ....I was really nervous to get it done...but,all that being said,it went well...

Re: for those who did or will do cvs or amnio...?

FYI I had an Amnio at 17 weeks

Re: for those who did or will do cvs or amnio...?

im having twins and im 32.

i went to a high risk dr- joanne stone- at mount sinai ,and she recommended the cvs for anyone with a singleton over 35 or twins and over 31.

she performs hundreds a month so i feel very confident with the 1 in 1000 chance- and i also know that it will bring hard core peace of mind.

i am doing every test under the sun- i am a control freak like that.
i am going next week for it, actually.
i heard its an odd seneation.

if you can get into the city to see dr stone, i highly recommend her.

good luck in whatever you decide - im pretty sure everything will be just fine though..