Any AMA expectant moms NOT doing CVS or amnio?

[Anonymous]

i'm 8:52. gave birth to healthy son.

[Anonymous]

I was 35 when pregnant with #1 and did NT and first tri blood screen only. With #2 I was planning to skip even the NT even though I'm now 38. After that pregnancy ended in an early missed m/c, I've decided I'll do CVS if we're lucky enough to get pregnant again.

[Anonymous]

I'm 35 and like a number of previous posters, did the nuchal only (and the supplemental blood test at 16 weeks that checks for neural tube defects). My results on all were excellent, so there was no need to do any additional testing. I will probably have one more child at age 37 or 38 or so, and I plan to do the same thing again. If my nuchal results were very concerning (e.g. odds greater than 1 in 100 for T13/18) then I would probably do CVS in that instance. In terms of T21, I most likely would not terminate, so I'm not sure whether I would do amnio or something in order to be prepared before the birth.

[Anonymous]

These are my favorite posts, from people who "knew they wouldn't terminate" and of course, all had healthy babies.

I didn't think I'd terminate either until I was faced with the reality of a bad diagnosis. It happens, ladies, and you can't avoid it simply by having a positive attitude and taking vitamins.

[Anonymous]

I'm 07:57, and my baby has not been born yet, but I stand by my earlier statement. I would NOT terminate for trisomy 21.

It's not denial that bad diagnoses happen, and no one is saying that a good attitude will prevent them! They do happen, and many of us acknowledged that a more serious genetic abnormality like a trisomy 13 or 18 would be something we would think about terminating.

I work in a field where I see and treat these kids all. day. long. and I have absolutely no blinders on with respect to the unfair existence of some of these terrible genetic abnormalities. However, for me, trisomy 21 is not something to consider terminating.

You are understandably bitter, but please don't project your feelings onto those of us who have taken the time to give thoughtful, honest responses to the OP.

[Anonymous]

I am also giving an honest, thoughtful response to OP by providing the other side of the equation from someone who has actually been through this terrible ordeal. I don't think it does anyone any good to ONLY hear stories of people who did or didn't do testing but had a positive outcome. Because the reality is that some people do not have a positive outcome.

Also reality-- almost everyone on these posts say they wouldn't terminate for T21, and yet stats show that anywhere from 70-90% of women who get an early diagnosis choose to terminate. So there is obviously a huge gap between what people think they would do and what they actually do.

All I'm saying is that if anyone is pondering whether or not to do testing, they should consider all possible outcomes and understand that they might feel differently than they think they would if they actually got bad news.

And please don't patronize me by calling me "bitter." You have no idea the pain and anguish that goes into making and living with such a decision.

[Anonymous]

THAT response WAS thoughtful; the first one was just snarky.

Also, several other people did chronicle their previous difficult experiences and terminations after a bad diagnoses. If that is what you want to say as well, then please just say it rather than implying that we all think that smiles and vitamins fix all. THAT is patronizing.

And I'm not patronizing your bitterness...I'd be bitter, too. It's a terrible thing to have to go through, no matter what the decision.

[Anonymous]

Agreed. Truce.

[Anonymous]

I have 3 children and had 2 miscarriages.

My 1st was born when I was 36, 2nd - at 38, 3rd - at 41.

I only had NT for each. My results were really good and stopped there. I would like to add that my oldest was born with a congetical birth defect that was not identified during screenings - although could have been. We are fortunate that my child's condition is relatively easily treated and although something that will affect his ability to do some items, there is relatively low impact on his overall quality of life.

[Anonymous]

I'm 36 and just did the nuchal. I would have done a CVS depending on results. My results were not as amazing as when I had my first child (at age 32), but good enough that I decided to pass on the CVS. (1 in about 3000 for T21, 1 in 980 or so for T18/T13; 1 in 1000 is what I had decided beforehand my personal comfort level was. Obviously, didn't quite hit that for T18/T13, but decided I was close enough.) I was a little on the fence about the amnio, but decided ultimately to pass on that too. I did do the neural tube screening blood test. I am 31 weeks pregnant now, so I guess I don't know how this story turns out, but as the pregnancy continues, fwiw, I worry about it all less rather than more. (And having a good 20 week anatomy screen is of course reassuring as well.)

[Anonymous]

I am 36 and pregnant with dc3-I haven't had any of the prenatal tests.

[Anonymous]

36 with baby #3. Nuchal test results were good enough for me. Wait for your results and then figure it out --- no need to worry now.

[Anonymous]

I was 37 and did the nuchal screen and bloodwork but didn't do the CVS or Amnio. MY DS had minor kidney issues in-utero (one grew substantially faster than the other) but it cleared up by 32 wks and while he was born a bit early, 35 wks, that was due to my pre-e/bp issues. He is perfectly healthy.

[Anonymous]

I had my baby at 37 - did the nuchal screen and the quad screen. Tests were normal for my age (don't remember the numbers) so I passed on the amnio and CVS because of the miscarriage rate.

Everything turned out great and she's throwing blocks at me as we speak

[Anonymous]

I was 35 & 39 for my pregnancies, and just did the nuchal. Good results each time, so I opted not to do amnio or CVS. No issues with first baby; second is due in 28 days.