Anyone pg over 38 who decided against the amnio?

[nylena]

Hi girls,please try to forgive my relative obsession with prenatal tests etc.,but, what is really yr experience on the subject?Has any of you decided not to have a cvs or an amnio despite yr age?Did you decide based on good nt results,dr's guidance or just religious beliefs? I'm 41,a victim of previous amnio,no family history,my risk factors are ok but not superb,my doctors think i should do nothing at this point,my dh feels the same and i still fell so insecure -since i know that only invasive tests are diagnostic.Any opinion is welcome.

[nylena]

well,i consulted a top-top specialist in  london after the mc and he said ''i was a classic case'' leaking almost immediately after the amnio....thank you girls for yr responses,it's really touching hearingt about everyone's opinion and feelings..

[Zoe2B]

Were they sure that it was the amnio that cause the mc?

[juul]

I'm 43, almost 44 and I'm not taking any risks, so I have accepted the possibility of a child with Down syndrome. I'll have my second trimester U/S to look  for major malformations. No invasive techniques for me.

[jamomma]

My sister did it.  She was 42 at the time.  She miscarried a few days later as a result.

[Waiting4Molly]

Not over 38...I am 35. My dr. recommended a CVS at 11 weeks if we thought we would terminate. I was confused, didn't think I would want to terminate but decided I needed to know. My bf felt the same. It was a hard decision but we decided it would be best to have the CVS and know for sure. The test was 99.1% accurate and was fine. Risk to baby was minute. We also chose to find out the sex. A girl!! We now know our chances of having a healthy baby are great, have picked out pink, her name and can enjoy the rest of the pregnancy. We also went through genetic counseling (my bf has a son who has a cleft L & P) and the people were wonderful. Modern medicine is an amazing thing and I am glad we took advantage of it. It is definately a personal decision and there are no wrong ones. Good luck to you.

[nylena]

thank you girls for yr replies,i find yr opinions respectable and helpful.The thing is i don't think i'm in this category of people who would never terminate,no matter what.Maybe that's why it's more of a dillemma.More posts are welcome.Best of luck to all curvy pgs!

[TAKIWA "TK"]

before you ecide to have those tst done, you should ask yourself this question would you keep your child if he was born with a birth defect or disability? and if the aanswer to that question is yes then there is no need to put yourself through all that unnecessary stress and pain. put your faith in your GOD and believe. remember he'll never give you more than you can bare.

[spec]

I am 36, will be 37 when I deliver and we decided not to do any of the tests.  I didn't even do the blood test, because I didn't want to do the amnio.  Even if I had done all the tests and something came back abnormal, we wouldn't have aborted.  We based this decision on the fact that it took us so long to get where we are and we wanted to enjoy the pregnancy and not stress over it.  We decided to accept whatever God gives us.  It is ultimately your decision, but I would think that it would be better if you and dh got on the same page, so that if something does go wrong, it is not a "I told you so" issue and so that it does not put a strain on your relationship.   Good luck!

[stillpregnant]

Hi, I am a 39 year old mama who will turn 40 a month before I deliver.  My other 3 children were born many, many years ago.  So this is the first time I had to deal with this delimma.  I am currently 12 weeks pregnant and my doc asked at the last visit if I wanted any of the testing done and told me the numbers for possible miscarriage being 1-200.  I'm sorry but that is just too risky for me.  This baby was a surprise for me and his/her decision is to be here, so I don't want to risk the pregnancy in any way.  I will get the blood work done at 16 weeks, though.

[Renogirl]

Just 37 currently but we decided against amnio at this time - I was really torn because of my age and my DH's age (59) but we know that regardless of the results we would never terminate - we have a history of recessive gene disorders in our family that do not show on a amnio - on top of that - by the time we got in with our obgyn - we were too late to do the NT testing or first trimester screening - we decided to do the second trimester screening - non invasive blood work - and the 18-20 week ultrasound - if there would be problems then we can decide if its worth doing an amnio - it sounds to me like you have already in your heart decided against the amnio but just need some reassurance in your decision - you'll make the right decision for you and your family!

[mlb1234]

oh and just to mention, i do have some family history - my mom's cousin has a daugfhter with down's and my sister had a trisomy 18 baby but I still chose not to do the amnio.

[mlb1234]

I am 37y - will be 38y at delivery and I did not do amnio or cvs based on good nt results and doctors guidance.  My opinion is that you really should try to trust your doctors even if you have had a bad experience in the past.  They are the experts at this stuff and would tell you that you should do the test if they thought it was medically necessary - they are obligated to do so.  At this point, from the numbers you said in a previous post, the amnio has a much higher risk of miscarriage than the chance of your baby having something wrong.  With that being said and your previous history with amnio I personally cannot fathom why you would still be considering having another amnio.  Your doctors have said it isn't necessary, your husband does not want it, you have no family history, your risk factors are good (even if they are not the numbers you were hoping for they were still GOOD) and you have had a terrible experience with amnio in the past.  Now why on God's earth would you still want another amnio???????  It is a personal decision though and I do respect  your right to make that choice but I believe you should try to relax and enjoy this pregnancy without focusing on what "could possibly but most likely won't" happen.  Have a little faith and I think you will be much happier.  

[orphanannie59]

My dr is encouraging me to have at least one screening test, and I think I will have the one at 16 weeks.His reasoning is, if the baby has ds I may need to deliver somewhere else to get the best possible medical care for the baby.  I will have an ultrasound with the b/w.  At this point I will not have an amnio, but with that said, I haven't reached that point so things could change.

This is really a personal decision each woman/couple makes.  My dh and I know we will not terminate due to chromosomal abnormalities, but there are so many variables in pregnancy. There could come a situation in which it would be medically necessary, I don't know. I just pray everyday that everything is okay, and I am not forced to make that decision.