Has anyone had an - AMNIO done??

moped wrote: Just curious - anyone had one done? What are your thoughts??

luvmykids replied: I never did, only because my OB made it seem sort of outdated and useless with all the false test results.

boyohboyohboy replied: are you talking about an amniocentisis?
I had to have one done with jake at 37 weeks to see if his lungs were developed enough to have him..and he was fine.
however, i wouldnt ever one again unless i was far enough long that delivery wasnt dangerous. it was scary, and it felt like a lot of pressure, i was afraid she might knick the baby with the needle. and its a huge needle.
and the risk of infection is high.

what made you think of that?

MommyToAshley replied: Is there a reason you are considering an amnio?

I had one with our previous pregnancy, but there were factors that indicated a serious condition (which turned out to be the case). I first did a level II U/S since they were safe to myself and the baby. The U/S had further indicators that something was wrong. I read everything I could and talked to a genetics counselor at the hospital about the amnio. There is a risk of infection, miscarriage or preterm labor with an amnio, but in my case the risk of the more serious condition outweighed the risks of the amnio. So, I had one done.

The amnio itself does not hurt. I didn't even have the area numbed because I had a reaction to lanicane in the past. I just had to lay very still and felt pressure in the area. (Don't look if needles make you squirmish) Afterwards, you are to rest and stay in bed for a day or so. I just felt a little "gassy". I had no complication from the amnio. However, it was horrible and torturous waiting to hear the results.

If you are considering an amnio due to a medical concern, I would make sure you read all the facts and understand the risks. If there is no medical reason to have one, I would not put the baby at risk.

mummy2girls replied: I had one with jenna. Why? because my AFP test came back as high risk of having spina bifada. We went for a ultrasound and me and aron decided if they cant be completely certain then i will do the amnio. I was scared because I know it carries a risk for miscarriage. What they did for me is they had me laying down, my hands crossed up by my neck, and they put some freezing stuff on my belly and then they turned the u/s on. they had to keep the u/s on so they know where the baby is and not risk hitting her or any other important things. then he stuck in the big needle. I had my eyes closed so i dont know the exact size but according to aron it was HUGE. and it did feel like a bad pinch that lasted a minute. Then they had me to take it easy for the next few days, no lifting heavy things etc etc etc. and then it took 2 weeks to get the results back. which i agree with dee dee was very torturous!!!!! i was a walking basket case.

MyBabeMaddie replied: If there were no risks I would have one just to find out all the genetic info, but I would only do it like in DeeDees position if it were necessary

lovemy2 replied: Nope - I felt that no matter what was wrong with the child I would keep it, love it and care for it and I was too afraid to know ahead of time that something was wrong so that I would be COMPLETELY stressed out for the remainder of the pregnancy....had something shown up on an ultrasound to indicate a problem, I may have considered it but...I can't honestly answer one way or the other unless I was actually in that position to have to decide.

lisar replied: My sister had one done cause they thought the baby had down syndrome. They did the amnio to check and see if it was true.

indywndy_04 replied: My gf had them done on both of her twins, they were in different sacks and everything was fine, she had it done because blood work came back as showing down syndrome and she wanted to know which twin it was. The doctor said he guaranteed everything would come back normal and tried to not to get her to do it because it was unnecessary but she was determined to make sure everything was fine. Sure enough, all amnio tests came back within normal limits, both babies are now 8 months and are perfectly fine.

Some of the blood work comes back stating there is something wrong, and generally there isn't.

Hope you don't have to have one, although nothing serious happened to her, as in miscarriage..thank goodness...she still said it was very painful and she had cramping for 2 days.

moped replied: Thanks guys, I have no certain plans, but I guess because of my age (35) and I am not certain that our family could handle somehting.....no debates about that. I am going to get the u/s showing downs etc, and I think that is soon but I thought I would get others peoples thoughts. I don't feel that anything is wrong, but I would like to know if there is simply because of my age.

Mommy2BAK replied: understandable!

MommyToAshley replied:
I think that is a good decision. I was going to suggest that you start with the U/S and AFP test (simple blood test). While these are just screening tests, they can let you know if you are at risk. They will also take into consideration your age when doing these test and give you a % chace. For example, the "normal" chance of having a baby with trisomy 18 at the age I was at the time was 1/950,000. After the U/S and AFP, the chances they gave me were 1/7 which was a pretty good indication that something was wrong.

Once you get the results back from these tests, I recommend that you then talk to the genetics counselor at the hospital. You can then decide if you want to do an amnio. The U/S and the AFP are a screening test, the only way to know for sure is to have an amnio.


I know it's hard, but try to relax and not worry. Lots of women over 35 have perfectly healthy babies.

moped replied:
Dee, so this was your first pg? Is that what happened?

MommyToAshley replied:
Yes, our first son had trisomy 18. It's a condition where the baby gets an extra copy of chromosome 18. They don't know what causes it, they call it a fluke and it is rare. The reason that the amnio is 100% accurate is that they take some of your amniotic fluid, grow the cells, and then they can tell if there is an extra chromosome. They can also tell you the sex of the baby and many other things.

Downs Syndrom is similar, the baby gets and extra chromosome 16. Trisomy 18 is much more severe though, most babies don't make it to term and those that do make it to delivery do not live very long. They call it "a condition not compatible with life" -- I still hate the sound of those words. Our son was stillborn when I was around 21 weeks.

After that, I was scared to death the entire time I was PG with Ashley. But, the U/S's and the AFP test all indicated that it was a healthy, normal pregnancy so I did not have an amnio done with her. Even though I was scared to death, the risks associated with the amnio were not worth putting my mind at ease. I did have many extra U/S's along the way though because I was considered high risk.

lovemy2 replied:
I was a freak about the fact that I got preg the second time at 35 - my OB told me this...."just because you turned 35 does not mean all your eggs went to pot...it is a beginning point for the medical profession to begin screening for the possibility of issues....it doesn't mean you WILL have these issues...."

Don't worry - and when the time comes you will make the right decision for yourself. As for the AFP - I would be skeptical IMO - I have ALWAYS been told there are ALOT of false positives.....

moped replied:
That is a very sad story....I am sorry you went through that Dee

moped replied:
Yeah my doc said the same sort of thing - she just said it is the "magic" age where they keep a closer eye on things - it doesn't mean anything bad!

It is nice that people on here don't think I am old!

lovemy2 replied:
You will be after the pregnancy - it certainly aged me