Over 35 moms to be - please help - amnio, CVS, sequential screening

I know this is a deeply personal decision, but can you give me the reasons you decided to go for one form of testing over another, your experiences if you've already had the procedures done, and anything else you think will be helpful in making a decision.

I knew going in that I would have to go through these tests, but I'm finding the reality of making the decision really daunting and frightening.

Thanks!

Re: Over 35 moms to be - please help - amnio, CVS, sequential screening

I will be 36 when DD is born. I did the ultrascreen, but never even asked for the results. If offered, we will not have any additional testing done because the results do not matter to us. If something is wrong with the baby, we will deal with it at the time of birth.

But like you said, it is a very personal decision

Re: Over 35 moms to be - please help - amnio, CVS, sequential screening

I'm 35 now and was pressured to have an amnio done. In the end I decided against it. My ultrascreen came back ok and to me my age wasn't enough of a reason for me to take the risk of the having the procedure.

Re: Over 35 moms to be - please help - amnio, CVS, sequential screening

Hi, not pg but I did have the CVS test due to maternal age. It's done very EARLY in the pregnancy, (10-12 weeks gestation) and we opted for it so that we could either relax if the results were good, or make a plan if there were issues. I didn't have an amnio later in the pregnancy, it wasn't necessary because the cvs gave us all the genetic info we needed. I got the results in less than 24 hours and it was a HUGE relief to know all was well. We also got sex confirmation super early, so that was fun! I know it's not everybody's choice but at my age (i was 40 at the time) I really felt like I needed to know about the genetic situation in order to enjoy the pregnancy HTH!

Re: Over 35 moms to be - please help - amnio, CVS, sequential screening

I was 37 when I was pregnant with DD. We opted to do all the screenings. My NT scan came back with good results, but my Quad Triple Screen came back with an elevated risk of having a baby with Down Syndrome. We were pretty adamant about NOT having an Amnio done. It was a long, painful and emotional journey to even get pregnant and I didn't want to take any risks with my pregnancy. Once I had my Level II though (at 18.5 weeks), they saw 3 soft markers for DS and after ALOT of crying we decided we needed to do the Amnio.

We did the Amnio NOT because if there was anything wrong we would terminate, that wasn't even an option. And it's a HUGE pet peeve of mine when people say "I'm not having an Amnio because I'm not going to terminate" Having one done does not automatically = termination if something is wrong. I cringe whenever I hear that because people automatically assume. Okay... getting off my soapbox now...

Anyway, we decided to do the Amnio for the following reasons:

1. Peace of mind... having the information we had, I could not spend the next 5 months worrying about the "what if's"
2. If G'd forbid there DD did have Down Syndrome, we wanted to be prepared prior to birth.

It's a very personal decision. It was an extremely stressful and nerve-racking time in my pregnancy.

Good luck in whatever you decide!

Re: Over 35 moms to be - please help - amnio, CVS, sequential screening

I opted for an amnio with my second pregnancy. I'll do the same or a CVS with this pregnancy.

My decisions are because I work with disabled children every day, so it's always on the forefront of my mind. I am a planner and needed to know with as close to 100% as possible that I could rule out certain disorders.

The genetics center I had my testing done has a miscarriage rate of 1/850. My chances of having a child with chromosomal issues was 1/200. That alone was enough of a reason for me.

Re: Over 35 moms to be - please help - amnio, CVS, sequential screening

Re: Over 35 moms to be - please help - amnio, CVS, sequential screening

Re: Over 35 moms to be - please help - amnio, CVS, sequential screening

My reason is this.
No matter how many screening tests I had- ultrascreen, etc, it still wouldn't give me a definitive answer.
It would all be percentages.
My husband and I both feel that we need to know 100% about things that the amnio tests for.
When we sat with the genetic counselor we coudln't belive all the things that the amnio does screen for.

It's a very personal decision of course- but for us there was no other way to go.
My theory was why go through all the screenings and still feel unsure...

Re: Over 35 moms to be - please help - amnio, CVS, sequential screening

I was 41 when Ann was born.

Down's for my age was 1 in 65
My U/S was 1 in 498

Trisomy 18/13 for may age was 1/119
My U/S was 1 in 2,361


I knew I didn't want an amnio so I opted for the Modified Sequential and Genetic Sonogram at 16 weeks just to have the extra screening and it came back fine.


I don't recall ever discussing the CVS.

Message edited 12/22/2009 11:25:30 AM.

Re: Over 35 moms to be - please help - amnio, CVS, sequential screening

I'm 35. I just had my ultrascreen and my results were excellent - basically my odds of having a baby with Downs or Trisonomy 15/18 are the same of that as a 20 year old, so I don't feel any need to get the amnio done.

I had that test done because it's not invasive, I like to look at pictures of the baby and because if there is something wrong I want to know now, but with the results I got I don't feel the need to investigate any further.

Re: Over 35 moms to be - please help - amnio, CVS, sequential screening

I was 35 when I got PG and am now 36. DH felt very strongly, as did my OB, about getting an amnio. I was leaning on the side of getting one, but did not have as strong feelings as they did - which is natural, as the mother, carrying the fetus, worrying about miscarriage, etc.
I did my research, spoke with a LOT of people, and decided to proceed. I was not interested in a CVS - from everything I read and spoke with my doctor about - much more invasive and risky to fetus than amnio. Also, as a PP wrote, I wanted facts, not percentages and odds. As others have pointed out, we also discussed the fact that as a 35 y.o. woman - my risks of having a baby with Down's or another chromosomal deformity, was much higher than my risks of having a miscarriage from the actual amnio.

Since I knew early on in my PG that I would get an amnio, we sort of worked backwards. I was away for the summer when I was 12 weeks and prepared to fly back for NT, but OB didn't feel I had to since regardless, I was doing amnio.


It's a scary and emotional decision to make and you and your DH need to come to that decision together. I wish you luck and strength in making the decision that's right for you.

Re: Over 35 moms to be - please help - amnio, CVS, sequential screening

I was 40 when I did my IVF and became pregnant with the triplets. My Dr recommended I do CVS bc of my aga as well as bc it was a mulitple pregnancy. The test was quick and really was just uncomfortable not painful. I had the results back in a few days and knew the sexes of the babies at 12 weeks. Thank GOD everything turned out fine.....

Re: Over 35 moms to be - please help - amnio, CVS, sequential screening

I had my DS at 35, this one will be born when I am 37.

With both pregnancies, I had excellent numbers from the ultrascreen so I did not opt for an amnio.

Many women I know have had either CVS or amnio done either because of elevated risk or simply preference due to not wanting to "sweat it out" the whole nine months. They all said it was worth it for the peace of mind.

I was born with a birth defect and my Mom said the hardest part was the shock of finding out when I was born. if they had these tests back then, she said she would have felt better prepared for it, emotionally.

Re: Over 35 moms to be - please help - amnio, CVS, sequential screening

If we have a 3rd I will be 35 and considered advanced maternal age and I think for me and my piece of mind I would probably want an amnio. But I worry a lot and not knowing would cause me great anxiety my entire pregnancy.
That said I'm not pregnant with a 3rd so I can't say for sure until it's here but I think that's what I would do.

Re: Over 35 moms to be - please help - amnio, CVS, sequential screening

I'm 36 and pg with #4. Many of my friends my age are pg with #1. Every test they take it seems like the numbers are elevated. The trisomy is high, the downs is high.

I opted for the amnio and only the amnio. My friends are on pins and needles because of how the numbers align with their ages and I don't think I have the strength for that.