sort of personal... amnio test??

Well let me just say that i'm new here and i don't have any children, nor am i pregnant (yet) so i hope no one minds that i'm posting. But i was just curious about something. My sister in law is pregnant (5 months) and we were talking about amniocentesis tests. So i was just curious how many woman have, would, or wouldn't have one done.

I know there is a 1% chance of a miscarriage if you have one done, but i also know that most woman over 35 years old have them done since the chances of birth defects are higher.

My sister in law is 31 years old and her doctor asked her if she wanted one. (There is no history of birth defects in our family).

Re: sort of personal... amnio test??

I personally wouldn't have one. But i also wouldn't terminate for any reason...it just seems that it is not worth the risk even though the risk involved may be small. I know its a very personal choice, and I do know women who have received an amnio...all to be told the baby was healthy and fine. I guess its more a peace of mind thing, but for me it wouldn't be!

Re: sort of personal... amnio test??

At 31 years old with no history of birth defects I would probably not have one unless some other test (like the AFP) came back positive. I am 36 and did plan on having one but ended up not since my APF and level II sono came back with good results. I was still planning on having one but the time just got away from me. I think with baby #2, I will probably schedule it regardless of the APF and level II results to put my mind at ease. (This time, I waited for the results of those 2 tests).

Re: sort of personal... amnio test??

Re: sort of personal... amnio test??

I had one because my blood work came back that the baby might have some type of disabiliy. The Dr that did it told me that once it was done to just relax and sit with my feet up so that the baby would be ok. Everything was fine with the baby and he has no disabilities.

Re: sort of personal... amnio test??

Re: sort of personal... amnio test??

Re: sort of personal... amnio test??

they asked me if i wanted one around 16 weeks. i am only 26, my bloodwork was perfect and i am healthy, so i decided against it. i was more worried about hurting the baby in the processs than worried that there was something wrong w/ him to begin w/. i dont think i would ever get one, to me, God has a plan and i wouldn't wanna do anythnig to alter it.

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I am over 35 but my integrated testing cam eback negative, so my DR. did not feel that I needed to have it.

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at 32 i would have had one had the ultrascreen and/or AFP come back questionable. as of now we are planning for #2 in the future, i'll be more inclined to have one done since i'll be hitting or over 35. we are not aware of any history to worry about, however the age factor is a concern for me...

Re: sort of personal... amnio test??

I would not have it done ever. the risk of something going wrong is much too high. A level 2 sonogram can be effective in diagnosining or seeing if anything is wrong with the baby and I believe that amnio's are mostly for people who would decide to not carry the baby to term based on the results.

Although I know my SIL just had one done and she did this because her AFP results were bad. The Dr literally called her and said, come to our office and dont drive. When she got there, they told her the results and phrased it as you can wait 4 weeks till your level 2 sono or you can have an amnio and find out now if something is wrong.

Now she wouldnt have aborted no matter what but they put in her head 4 weeks of agonizing and she was persuaded. This was WRONG IMO of that Dr. to do. ( the test results were wrong BTW, the baby was fine)

I know 2 people who have gone into Pre-term labor because of the amnio's...and both of them lost their children because of it.

Its not worth the risk to me.

Re: sort of personal... amnio test??

I had an amnio done when I was pregnant with my daughter (I am over 35 and my Dr really pushed it), and although everything went fine, I was so stressed out about it that I told DH that when we get pregnant again, I won't being doing the amnio again. I am currently 13 weeks pregnant and have opted to do the Nuchal Fold test instead of the amnio.

Re: sort of personal... amnio test??

Just to clarify your poll..Over 35 does not = you have to have one. If I ever get pregnant again we will skip the test unless there is real cause for alarm.

There are risks to the procedure so I would not want to take those risks. But there are many women who feel it is important and do have it safetly without any issues.

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I didn't have one. I wasn't stressing myself out.

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being that my ultrascreen came back normal, I dont see any reason for me to do any further testing and stressing.

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Yes. My age and family history dictate a need for amniocentesis and my culture dictates a need for pre-natal testing of a genetic nature.

I was a child born as a result of a positive experience with amniocentesis one year after my family lost a child due to a chromosomal disorder. Though I was not alive when my brother died, I relied on the stories from my parents and siblings to tell me of that time in their lives. It was devastating to my parents who had to bury an infant and it is surely something I don't think I could ever put behind me if I were in their shoes. If I can prevent, at any length, the devastation of losing a child for me or for my husband, I will. My brother would have been 37 this year and it was only in January that my mother was able to give him a stone at his grave because my father was now with him. They will both rest in peace now.

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I would not have an amnio done unless there was significant reason too. Even if I am over 35, I see no reason to just because of my age. I would never terminate for any reason, this plays a big part in my reasoning.

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There was no reason to with this pregnancy. I'm 31, and all earlier tests came back fine/normal. My dr never even suggested an amnio.

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I wouldn't get one regardless of age. This is just my personal opinion. If there was a history of problems then I might consider it. I didn't have to with this PG.