Should I have amnio?

[LynRob]

Hi all - I'm 41 and will be 42 when baby is born, all being well. I've just had combined test results back - on age alone my risk is 1:65, but results have lowered that risk to 1:106

Because this is still high risk they have offered me an amniocentesis, which I really don't want (had 2 previous miscarriages and really don't want to take any risk at all).

1 in 106 sounds ok to me - it's less than 1% risk after all - but what other options are there? Are there any further risk-free tests which can be taken? I will go through all this with the doc tomorrow, but just fretting a bit about it all beforehand...

[cece]

When I was 40 and pg I had a result of 1:50 for the combined test.

I decided not to test as I knew I would not be able to terminate my baby at 17 plus weeks.

As it turned out I had a late mc anyway. This confirmed my view that I had made the right decision.

I then went on to become pg again at the age of 41. This time I didn't even have the combined test as I knew I didn't want to start down the testing road iyswim.

Not sure if this helps but thought I would tell you what happened to me.

[cece]

Oh forgot to say I spoke to the charity ARC on the phone. They were very helpful.

[RememberToPlaywiththeKids]

I think your results sound really good BUT there are people who have been given a really really low risk and have then given birth to a baby with down syndrome / other chromosomal issues and then people given a really high risk (1 in 2 even) and baby has been 'normal'.

I personally think that all you can do really is decide what you would do with all the results if you did have an amnio and whether knowing that info is worth the risk of miscarriage.

What helped me (I was given a risk of 1 in 5 and opted not to have amnio etc) was getting an understanding about what the different chromosomal disorders actually mean for the baby/child/adult while trusting that the 20 week scan would be very likely to pick up anything that was severe enough to be incompatible with life (eg no kidneys, physically deformed etc)....

for me I decided that I could only consider termination if there was something incompatible with life and even then it would kill me. The risk of miscarriage I felt was too high for my desire to 'just know' one way or the other. Like you, I had just had 2 MCs and couldn't bear the thought of another because of an action that I had taken.

I only felt peace once I'd made the right decision for me.

[Cicatrice]

I had 1:115 and I had amnio. I had to know.

Hope everything works out for you.

[manitz]

hi, you can also have cvs which can be done earlier. i have been told that overall risk of miscarriage for cvs and amnio is 1% but individual consultants have a lower or higher risk.

At your appointment I would ask if they can give you the stats from their hospital for miscarriage rates from both amnio and cvs and possibly also for the consultant who would perform it if you went ahead.

Secondly before going for an invasive procedure ask them/demand(!) a detailed scan. My consultant offered one before my cvs, if they then pick up soft markers for any of the trisomies you may then be able to make a more informed decision about what you might want to do next.

You are not at the bad end of high risk so i wouldn't worry too much and just take each appointment as it comes. A scan might put your mind at rest enough or you may find you want to find out for sure. I didn't think I would ever have a reason to terminate a pregnancy but it's now a choice I've made twice. Like cece I also found arc very useful and they may know of more tests you can have.

Take care. I hope everything goes well tomorrow. x

[Vakant]

Hi - my screening came back as 1 in 134 and I decided not to have an amnio or CVS mainly because I didn't feel the risk of abnormality was high enough to risk a miscarriage (in percentage terms the risk was about the same i.e. 0.5-1% for miscarriage and 0.7% risk of there being an abnormality).

Instead I decided to wait for my 20 week scan which I had on Monday with a consultant. Baby looks absolutely fine with no soft markers, and whilst down syndrome or another chromosonal abnormality cannot be ruled out (only the invasive test can do this) I feel sufficiently reassured to continue on and still not have any invasive testing. Had there been soft markers I may have opted for an amnio.

It's a very difficult decision which only you can make, but thought I'd share my (so far) positive experience with you.

[manitz]

fwiw my detailed scan was offered the same week as my nuchal so at 12+ abit gestation. Push to have it done early, i wouldn't wait till 20 week anomoly scan.

[LynRob]

Thanks so much for all your help. I just got back from the hospital where I discovered my risk is actually 1 in 130, so not that far under the 1:150 cut-off rate. Nuchal and bloods were completely normal, so it's really my age that puts me at that risk - so I have decided not to go for the amnio and will wait for the detailed scan at 20 weeks. Feel so much better for just having made the decision, and it really helped hearing your stories.

[LynRob]

Just wanted to give you an update. In the end I was fretting so much I asked for an earlier scan and got a detailed scan at 16 weeks. Everything looks fine so far - all measurements within normal range, so think all is well - thanks again for the support x