Seeking Moms Who Have Had an Amniocentesis

Hello L.,
I have 2 sons (12 and 14) and had to have an amnio with both of them. I have a family history of muscular dystrophy and also had gestational diabetes with both pregnancies which in the end is why I chose to have an amnio done. I weighed the risks of having one with the risks of not having one. I understand the anxiety because I didn't really want to have an amniocentesis done either. Well I hope this has helped, good luck,

T.

Hello L.,

I am understand perfectly why you are wondering about having an amnio. It is an important decision that only you can make.
I had my first baby at 37 yrs old, and I declined having the test when my doctor gave my that option. I had my second baby at 42 yrs old, and I also declined to have the amnio. My last pregnancy was also high risk and I had pre-eclampsia. Thanks God both are perfectly healthy , beautiful and smart little boys!!
My husband and I thought that we were not able to terminate a pregnancy in case something went wrong, and we would deal with it. On other hand, if something goes wrong, there is an opportunity to be better prepared to deal with the problem... But, I think it is still a matter of personal belief, strong will and specially a lot of Love.
Most of the time, it is just a precaution and routine. Just follow your instincts...but at the same time listen what your doctor has to say and ask, ask and ask whatever you need to know...
I wish you the best and do not forget being POSITIVE...

Alejandra

PS Let us know if you decide to do it and about the results.

L.,

It is definitly a matter of personal opinion. However, I was offered this when I found out at 20 wks my son would be born with a cleft lip and palate. The doctors were concerned there could be other complications and also encouraged me to have an abortion. I refused to have the procedure done and I really had to soul search to find the right answer, I knew an abortion was not an option for me but did I want to know? A close friend of mine who had six kids already and was in her late thirties got pregnant with twins. She had the amniocentesis done and was told her one child would have spina bifida and the other would have down syndrome. The twins were perfectly healthy and both 6lbs each. She always said though that God wouldn't put anything on her she couldn't handle. It stuck with me through the years. I never thought twice about it after I said no.

A.

It is your right to refuse. I am having one done on Thurs to ensure my baby's lungs are developed before they take him later that day. My mom had one 18 years ago. Her pregnancy was successful. You have to ask yourself, will it matter if you child has down syndrome? If it does not, then I would not do it. But your decision, your child, your body. Pray!!!

Statistically, when the mother is 35 or older, the risk of complication with an amnio is less than the risk that your child will have a genetic disorder. Down's Syndrome is not the only chromosomal disorder that could be caught with an amnio. Klinfelter's Syndrome, Turner Syndrome, Edward's Syndrome, Patau's Syndrome, etc. are all disorders that can be detected with an amniocentesis.

If you and your partner feel prepared to deal with any issue that may arise, then by all means, refuse the amnio. If the outcome would be the same regardless, then why take the extra risk?

However, if you feel that you would need preparation on how to deal with such disorders should your child be born with one, or if you would decide to give the child up for adoption or terminate, then I think you should do the amnio.

L.,
The risk of miscarriage is significanly increased w/ amnio.

I turned mine down at age 36.

D.

I just had one done yesterday. It is definitely a personal choice. I could never terminate a pregnancy. I did it because I need to know for me. Is that selfish?, maybe, but I also think it's smart. If we find out our baby has downs we will be able to better prepare ourselves for it. I had the AFP test come back abnormal, and I had one ultrasound showing one marker for downs, and another one yesterday showing 3 markers. Just really think about it. I can definitely see why a lot of moms decide not to do it, but I don't deal well with the not knowing.

I had 3 little ones later in life also. One at age 36, 38 & 40. I was high risk as well and my doctor gave me the option to have amniocentesis. My husband and I opted to not have the test done with any of the pregnancies because we had made a decision not to terminate regardless. If I would have had it done, I would have been under so much stress that I can only imagine how that would have affected my pregnancies. My 3 little ones are very healthy --- we were certainly blessed. I agree with the other response, that you really need to go with your heart & gut instinct on this one. I wish you the very best.

I never had one-- even though my perintologist strongly advocated for one. Mine was a high risk pregnancy too (twins) and I had received a bad result from the quad screen. Amnio carries risks of its own (and more so with 2 fetuses) so I decided against it-- even if the results were bad (downs syndrome) there wasn't anything that could be done in utero. Since I figured I would carry as long as I could (I went 35 weeks) and figure out what to do if either or both kids had any genetic abnormalities. In the end, my decision was sound. I have two beautiful (and perfect) little toddlers now. I am glad I did not go along with the amnio. It kinda depends on why they are advocating the amnio-- so I won't tell you to definitely do it or not. In my case, it had as much to do with my lack of confidence in my perinatologist (who could not properly explain stats to me!-- I teach statistics) as much as my determination that whatever they were looking for could not be addressed in utero.

Best of luck. My only advice is not to feel pressured to do anything. read as much as you can about amnio, think about why they are suggesting that you do it, and think long and hard about whether you are comfortable with the procedure, while weighing its costs and benefits.

I was 38 with my last pregnancy and I too had a amnio. It wasn't nearly as horrible as I had anticipated. I don't recall any serious after effects. If they think you should have one, I would do it. Of course I was worried about the possibility of a miscarriage, but it didn't happen. It was just meant to be I guess.

I had one and it was because I had had a positive result on some tests. I wanted to know. I wanted to prepare. If you are scared about this, I urge you to take someone with you to your appointment. I was there by myself and I think that having someone with me would have made it a whole lot less scary.

Hi L.,

I had an amnio to check for lung maturity before an urgent c-section. They numbed the area and all I felt was a little pinching and some cramping for an hour afterwards. I don't know anyone who regrets getting an amnio. You can spend the rest of your pregnancy with less worry. Plus you'll know for sure the sex of your baby. If you are informed of a chromosomal anomaly you have time to prepare before the baby is born.

E.

I would not have one done.

I had heard a story of a woman having the blood test to check for disorders, the one that they do before they tell you whether or not you should have the amnio. The tests came back to say she was high risk and probably would have a baby with a disorder. They suggested that she have an amnio done. She declined the amnio and had a perfectly healthy baby.

Also, from what I remember from being pregnant, they run those test somewhere around 20 weeks. I don't know if I would be capable of terminating a pregnancy, especially that far along.

Aren't the ultrasounds pretty accurate at looking for possible things that could be wrong?

I had an amnio with my boys due to their abnormal fluid levels. One baby had a lot more fluid than the other, so they drained fluid off Baby A to allow Baby B more room to grow. Mine was at 31 weeks, but I had no problems with it. The boys did arrive 8 weeks premature...but that was simply due to the twin pregnancy rather than the amnio.

All in all the amnio was not nearly as bad as I had expected. There was a little bit of cramping, but nothing unmanageable. It was an amazing process to witness. I wish you all the best.

Your situation is completely different, though. If you have questions about the process itself I may be able tp answer them, but the questions of whether to have one or not is a very personal decision. I can tell you that my husband and I have talked about the possibilty of another baby when I am older and will be at high risk. We have decided that we would have the amnio done, simply to give us time to make any preparations we would need at home. Plus to prepare us in the event that something would be 'wrong' or abnormal'. That said, that is just out situation. As I said it is a hot topic and it seems everyone has strong opinions.

I wish you the best!

Take care,
~B.

I think it depends on what your thought is if you find out something may be abnormal. If your plans are going to change because of the outcome of the test I would recommend it. If not then I wouldnt pay the extra money on it. It can be very expensive.

It is really up to you but I would think and pray about it. I had an amnio at 20 weeks because they thought my baby had downs syndrome. Turns out he didn't and the amnio caused me to go into preterm labor and I lost my baby. I'll pray for you both.
T.

L. i had two amniocnetesis with my second child and i was fine and the baby was fine, but it is a personal decision, they are very careful but my sugestion is to pray about it and let God lead you to the right decision, God Bless, A.

L.:

I too was 37 and pregnant. I had to go to a high risk specialist but had a very easy pregnancy and no problems. Due to my Advanced Maternal Age (The dreaded AMA), they tried to get me to do the amnio several times.

Okay, I didnt do it as when you look at what can be done in-utero to repair issues it's such a small percentage and is not worth the increased chanced of miscarriage.

Doing the amnio is not just about finding chromosomal disorders like Downs and many others, it also can find heart defects as well as some other issues that can be repaired in-utero. They are doing more and more surgeries on vital organs in-utero at places like the Childrens Hospital in Philly and many others. I didnt have it and my child had a lung issue at birth but after two weeks in the NICU he came home perfectly fine.

While my numbers on some tests came back very high for the chance of Downs and the specialist tried to scare me in to getting the amnio, I did not have it.

You need to really look at the risks/rewards and follow your heart in your decision.