40+ moms that decided on amnio?

[sleepless_mom]

What a big decision, how did anyone make the choice?

[AshleysMom]

Wow, that is amazing.  I'm so glad it worked out for you!  

[splee39]

Yes, the spotting and PROM were related. I have thrombophilia, which means my blood clots too much. There was an abruption in the placenta that kept bleeding
(spotting) that eventually ate through the amniotic sac and I ruptured. I spent 3 months in the hospital trying to save my daughter and went into labor 4 times, but somehow I fought it off and got her to 32w. She was in the NICU for 2 months , but is now a healthy 4 year old!

[sleepless_mom]

I'm 40 and at 11 weeks, so my doctor wants to know my decison in the next two weeks so we can get scheduled. I did have a amnio with my son, a beautiful and healthy little boy of 4. I was scared sensless the whole time and cringed at every little discomfort afterwards. And while it doesn't guarantee anything beyond the specific tests, it did allow me to enjoy the rest of my pregnancy. That decision for amnio was based on a genetic blood condition I have. This time around that isn't a concern as the baby is IUI from donor sperm, with no trace of the disorder, so the baby could only pick up the trait, which is really no big deal in the day-to-day.

I really don't know what I'd do if they found a chromosome problem, I'd like to say no problem, I'd keep the baby and love him/her no matter what, but even then as a single mom-by-choice I really need to have all my ducks in a row for special needs and care. Also, I worry about my son, that a child with severe disorders would take away his happy childhood. I've seen this happen with two friends and they had a much larger support network to fall back on.

[AshleysMom]

Just curious, did your doctor think the spotting and PROM were related?  I'm glad it worked out for you.  That's really scary.

[splee39]

When I was pg with my daughter, I had spotting throughout my pregnancy. They offered me an amnio, but didn't do it, because of the spotting I was having. I didn't want to mess with the balance! Good thing we didn't do it, because I PROM'd (premature rupture of membranes) 4 weeks after the amnio was offered at 20 weeks.  If I would have had the prodcedure, I would have ruptured earlier, and no way would my daughter have survived if I ruptured that early. So, especially if you're having any spotting I would advise not to do it. If you're not having spotting, it still is a gamble. Good luck to you.

[AshleysMom]

Hi:

I'll be 40 in three weeks, so I thought I'd go ahead and add my two cents...

I've opted for amnios both with this preg, and with DD, who is now three.  I even had an m/c after a CVS at 14 weeks with my first preg and still went right for the amnio.  DH and I wanted to know for sure, both for peace of mind and also due to the fact that we are not sure we'd continue the preg if something were wrong.  If the baby had something that is imcompatible with life, we would definitely terminate.  If it were Downs, that would be a really tough decision and one that I thank God we have not had to face.

Neither amnios were painful, and I did not have any complications.  The place where I get them done - California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, now claims a m/c risk of 1 in 1800 - much lower than they originally thought.

I actually just had my amnio on Friday and paid an extra $300 for a FISH test, which gives you prelimnary results and rules out the top 5 genetic problems including Downs and Trisomy 18.  Mine came back normal (I got the results on Monday), so now we can relax a bit and enjoy the pregnancy.

I opted not to do the screening test at 12 weeks.  If I had a bad result, I would have freaked out for a few weeks until the amnio. If I had a good result, I'd still want the amnio and would still worry that it missed something.

You're right, that it is a big decision.  For me, it has been an easy one though.

Please let me know what you decide.  If you would never terminate, I probably wouldn't bother with it.

Best of luck to you!

[Tennesseegirl]

I figured .... peace of mind. if you tend to worry?  than do it. stress is doing more harm!  I think. My appointment isnt till Monday. so I really cant say. smile... I still have time to cancle the apointment. and am really thinking about it?  my regular apointment is tomorrow. bloodwork. etc. maybe I will get some input on that befor Monday? alls I can do is hope.  Good luck on what you decide on. I could never terminate the baby! the only thing that is driving me crazy is that the drs push it and peace of mind. with my age and my dh our chances are high.  I have a large cyst on my left side too they seem to be concerned of. anyway I will be able to put this test behind me come Monday.

[nylena]

hello sleepless,i'm a 41 mom-hopefuly-to-be and for me it's even harder to decide about it cause it made me lose my prev baby at 19w back in feb.Now i'm 24w pg and i haven't had an amnio yet,had all the other tests and u/s's which came back just fine .My dr is supporting this decision,there's still the option to have it late at 32w...I struggled very hard with the idea that i won't know for sure but i just can't ask for an amnio right now unless there's a reason.Have you had one in the past?How old are you?For me it' also baby #1..Are you going to have one or play it by ear?...

[tina1111]

Dh and I had decided against it. The outcome of the test would not have altered our decision to keep the baby. I am very scared of an amnio to begin with. There are 2 regular posters that lost healthy babies from having the test. But, there are 100's that had it and are just fine. It is one of the hardest decisions to make for sure. Whatever choice you make will be the right one for YOU.  :)