Bad Thoughts in Back of Mind Regarding Amnio Results

Amino's are statistically 99.4% correct. They are usually only wrong, when there is a technical error. I had a level 2 ultrasound, to see if my baby had any chromosomal defect "markers." I would suggest, requesting a level 2 ultrasound and genetic counseling, like someone else suggested.

No more worrying! The amnio will tell you if there's something wrong because it takes a sample directly from the baby to test chromosomes. I also had a false positive test. We did the genetic counseling and Level 2 ultrasound where they found no markers for Down. I opted out of the amnio. When the baby was born, my doctor still wondered if he had Down Syndrome because of his small head and small eyes. We decided to take a blood sample when he was a few days old and did the chromosomal analysis then. All came back fine.

My baby is dealing with some other health issues, but I have to say that the constant worrying and thinking negative thoughts throughout my pregnancy and into the early stages of my son's life has clearly taken a toll on my whole family. No matter what happens, I want my baby to be happy. And he is! Bottom line.

I certainly understand your fears. I actually chose not to have either the quad screen or amnio because I didn't want to spend my pregnancies worrying, and I knew I wouldn't abort if anything was wrong- just my personal choice. But... Did you also have an ultrasound? There are markers within that test that help determine any problems. I can't take away your worries, but I can tell you this. Having a child with Down Syndrome is NOT the end of the world. After two miscarriages, I was blessed with my 3rd child who happens to have Down Syndrome. He has no life threatening illnesses or defects, he has all 10 toes and fingers, and a personality that can't be beat. Is it all rosey, no, but honestly, if I didn't have to deal with schools and beauracracy, it would be a breeze. Your fears are natural, but like I told the Dr. when she informed me of the diagnosis, everything will be ok, really.

Don't have any first hand experience with this, but have heard numerous stories of moms who had negative screenings with perfectly healthy babies. Have also heard that the amnio is much more accurate than the screening, what does your OB/GYN say? I kind of wish they never did those tests, to a doctor it is a number on a paper, to you this is your baby!

Can tell you that I was on a prescription medication that you are not supposed to take while pregnant when, surprise, found out I was pregnant. I spent 7 1/2 months worrying myself crazy that I somehow damaged my baby without knowing it. My son is now two and extremely healthy in every way. If you can try to not worry, just enjoy the new life growing inside of you. When you hear that cry for the first time, your beautiful baby will win your heart no matter what happens!

I had a bad quad screen, so I had the amnio. It said the baby was fine, and he was. They actually test the DNA, so it is pretty accurate.

The quad screen test has a very high false positive rate. This is so they make sure to catch almost all abnormal results. If it were less sensitive there would be some that slip through. Unfortunately that means that some people get abnormal results when everything is fine. The amnio is a very accurate test. The two tests look at different things as indicators; the quad measures the level of AFP in your blood, and the amnio looks at the actual chromosomes of your baby.

I understand your worries as I went through the same thing with a false positive quad screen for downs, did the amnio and found no chromosomal abnormalities. If you have further questions you should call the perinatologist or whoever did the amnio and ask. That is part of their job. I found my doctor to be very helpful and reassuring when explaining the testing process and results.

Amnio's are accurate.... MORE so than earlier screenings.
Nothing is 100% though...
but yes, Amnios are accurate..... 99.4% accurate.

I had amnios, with both my pregnancies.
It was fine.

You should also have seen a Genetic Counselor, before taking these tests. That is the usual protocols... did you see one? They can answer any questions you have.

If the amnio is fine you are good to go!! The other tests as you know measure probability, the amnio is accurate. If it is normal just rest easy and enjoy the rest of your pregnancy!!

With my last 2, the quad screening said I had a very high (cant remember, but think my last was 1:7) chance of a baby with downs. Had an amnio and everything was fine with both pregnancies. Both kids were just fine. I think we all worry about our babies when we are pregnant, no matter what any tests or screenings tell us. That is what makes us good moms. :)
S.

I certainly have a similar story.....we were told that our son had a high probabilty that he had downs syndrome...we were devastated.We went to genetic counselling where we were told the chances and probable outcomes...at the end of the visit the dr said..."so you had your blood drawn on Monday right?I said no monday was a holiday it was drawn on friday before the monday!She looked at me and went white!!She ran outta the office and came back to tell us it was a lab error!!The dates were entered incorrectly!!!!So we went from our son would most likely have downs to whoops...it was a lab error....I wouldnt put much faith in these tests!!!I would absolutley trust the amnio though!!!They seem to be much more reliable and in your case...good news!!Take a deep breath...relax and don't let the screenings get you worked up!!!I lost so much of my pregnancy worrying (for nothing) and will never get that time back......enjoy your munchkin bouncing around insiide of you cause it goes by way too fast!!!Blessings to you!!!!

This is exactly why I didn't do any of the test. When I asked the doctor what the purpose would be. She basically said that if the baby had downs, it would give us the option to terminate or umm...prepare!??!?!?

My sister in law went through this a few years ago, and her mom had the perfect response... If you knew for sure there was something wrong, would you terminate the pregnancy? When she replied "Well, no, but I am worried all the time. I could never have an abortion. I would love it and carry it to term no matter what, but I want to know if anything is wrong for certain." Her mom said..."if you are having it anyway...what does it matter? You will love it and you will handle it with grace and dignity...whether or not the tests tell you for certain, so stop worrying and leave it be." If the outcome is the same, stop worrying and enjoy the journey."

Amnios are pretty definitive. If your amnio results were normal for the problems you were worried about, then you're fine. If you were going to have a Down's baby -it would have shown that.

I have two children and opted both times to not take any tests. It didn't matter to me because the outcome wouldn't change anything. I would still have my child and I would still love them. Sure, some things may be a little more difficult but wouldn't it be worth it? Whether or not your child has special needs shouldn't affect your ability to love it, especially while it's in your womb.

Amnio is accurate!It is a dirrect DNA test,so it shows either your baby have it or not.Sorry you had to go through all this instead of enjoing your pregnancy.You can relax now,if the test says "no",your baby is fine.

I would trust the amnio more than the quad screen. I never got the quad screen done because my doctor told me it had a 90% false positive or something like that.

Amnios are MUCH more accurate then the quad screening. I have heard many many stories of false positives, thats why I have never done them. Im sure your baby is okay.Trust the amnio. That tests actual DNA material.

I wish they would not do those quad tests. They are very unreliable. Very. I had like a 1 in 16 chance or something and opted out of the amnio. I had a high def ultrasound and the amnio doc said my son looked perfect so we said no to the amnio. I later found out so many women get the same 'scary' results on the quad test. I don't even think they did that test for my first 2, and, they should not have for my last one. It would have saved some mental anguish.

With our daughter I had the first trimester screening because of my "advanced maternal age". We had similar results to yours. We opted out of doing an amnio because we had just gone through a miscarriage scare and even though it is a very slim chance of an amnio causing miscarriage we didn't want to take that chance. Ultrasounds didn't show any of the markers for Downs but I was really worried about it my whole pregnancy. One thing that did help was something our genetics counselor said. A 1:16 chance means that if you had 16 babies maybe 1 of them would have Downs. An amnio is much more reliable. Have faith! It will be OK!

boy thats a tough one huh?? i refused the test myself...whatever god gave me..it was my responsiblity to love an cherish an take care of my baby...plain an simple..i know its hard not to worry...but dont it doesnt help a thing..handicap or not...your gonna love it...both my kids were fine...good luck

I'm so sorry that you are going through this, but try to move forward. Amnios are pretty reliable and I hate to see you not enjoy the rest of your pregnancy.

Kick back, put your feet up and spend this time just "being" with your baby. December will be here before you know it!