Over 35 / Amnio

My husband & I are trying to decide whether or not to have an Amnio done.


His sister had one done a few wks back (in Germany) & was strongly advised to have it done & given all the facts/info pertaining to the procedure.

My doctor on the other hand, pretty much blew off the whole idea of having an amnio done. (??)


According to all the tests/scans I've done so far, I am low risk & everything looks normal. I don't especially want an amnio...but my husband feels we should consider it ..that way we'll at least be prepared.


My Doctor seems a bit insistant that I am fine, and should'nt have it done...kinda had a nonchalant attitude about the whole topic.


That was a big turn off that he was'nt even willing to discuss it with us.


Now I'm more confused than ever what to do, or what doctor to go see about getting more detailed info on the procedure.

I want to make a well thought out & informed decision. But I could sure use a Doctor who is willing to do that.


Any advice or suggestions who to see would be appreciated. Thks

I have to say I find myself counselling more patients whose Dr is pushing for an amnio when it is probably not indicated.

Although this is a very emotional matter, the answer is all in the statistics.

At 35 or 36 the risk of an amnio is less than the chance of having an affected child, so we used to advise amnios to all mothers over 35. Then the other tests, blood and neck measurments came in and this helped establish a new way of calculating risk. So that we have been able to reduce the number of amnios.

Bottom line-- you need to see all the figures and have them explained to you.

If you are looking for a 2nd opinion I would recommend Dr Ghosh who is a real gentleman and is an expert in making complicated issues understandable.

Hi Bumblebzz,


I had my first baby at 36. All my early scans were clear and the chances of having an affected child was something like 1 in 2000. Given that the amnio risk is 1 in 200 we decided not to have an amnio. But that decision was made after a proper discussion with our ob/gyn (in Aus), and he was prepared to be supportive regardless of which way we chose.


This time I'll be 40 when I have our second. Although I discussed it with my ob/gyn, I was pretty certain I wanted an amnio going in. He was fine with my decision and we didn't bother with the early scans.


I think it's a personal decision. This time I was just worried and wanted either my mind put at rest or to be prepared (it was all clear) - didn't want to spend 8 months worrying about the baby. The other scans are not absolutely certain, and given my age the risks were higher this time.


By the way, you should be aware that an amnio doesn't pick up all abnormalities so you still wont have 100% comfort that all is ok. But it does detect downs syndrome and other chromosonal abnormalities.


Good luck and hope all goes well with your pregnancy and baby.

hi,

i was going to be 38 when i had my baby. both my husband and i discussed whether to have an amnio and whether or not the blood tests, scans only etc would lessen our anxiety. the scans and blood test were not specific tests and we were quite anxious (due to my age). so i (we) opted to have an amnio... i had it in wk 17 and it went fine. the tests came back negative for Down's and many other things they test for - i had the result in 48 hrs, and to be honest, it was a load off our minds.

i had to rest all weekend and not have sex for 10 days after but we coped! we even flew back to the uk the week after the test.

i had read a lot of things on the miscarriage issue. one thing i did read was that many amnios were done between wk 14 - 17. the earlier it is done, the less amniotic fluid there is and perhaps that is not a good thing when doing an amnio. however, there is no specific data on how many miscarriages have occurred because the amnio was done during wk 14 rather than wk 17....nor data on whether the miscarriage would have occurred naturally anyway, with or without the amnio. no one knows.

my advice to you is to do what you feel is best. if you would feel less stressed having an amnio, then do it. if you do, then go to a doctor that does them ALL the time - I had Dr Lam in Prince's Buidling. try to do it later rather than earlier so there is more fluid, and lastly, relax before and after it.

i'm glad i had mine and will do so again if i got pregnant again!

Hi,


I had an amniocentesis 2 months ago due to positive Down screening test. I am only 32. My husband and I were very worry about the possible complications. I was referred to Dr. Cora Ngai for further discussion. She was very patient and never pushy. She explained every step about the procedure. She also explain the possible outcomes of the result. And the most important thing is that, she help us to make our own decision. I finally had it done at about 17 weeks of gestation. The procedure itself is not very painful. It took 2 minutes. I had the result the next day.Fortunately, my boy has a normal result. Everything has been fine and I am planning to have an elective C-section in the coming July. Dr. Ngai is now my obstetrician. You may find her a have a discussion. Her number is 25259213. The consultation fee including ultrasound per visit is about $1,000. Good luck.

Just to give a full picture and the difficulties for doctors. Over the years I lost a few patients who went to see other doctors because I even suggested that they had the option of screening for Down syndrome.

There is an implication in the testing that the parents can choose to abort the pregnancy if the fetus is found to have DS. These patients were all devote Christians who would never abort in any situation and found my suggestion of testing to be repugnant.

Frankly Dr Moreton, that says more about them than you. Whether you are religious or not, it is wise to know all your options when a child is concerned.


The other side to this situation is that some doctors may steer patients away from amnio in case they do opt to abort a DS foetus. I have found that Asia is not very forgiving of those with special needs.