Has Anyone Had an Amnio?

[enkyenky]

Hello,

I am a T1 (20 years almost) and 13 weeks pregnant. So far the pregnancy has been great, and I'm starting to get excited since I'm past the first trimester. I'd always been quite positive that I would have an amnio, given the increased risk of neural tube defects, statistically, with diabetic moms. I am 35, and will deliver before I turn 36. My last a1c was 6.8, and will likely be lower next go-round, and all my ultrasounds have looked good, and baby's heartbeat has been strong.

I am opting out of screenings because of how ambiguous they are, and how many false positives are reported. I think that amnio is probably the reasonable course of action, but I'm feeling weird about a needle going into my womb. Am I just being overly sensitive? I have a genetic testing counseling session scheduled soon, too, so I'm sure some of these questions can be answered then.

My mom is a prenatal nurse who gave birth to twins at 46(!) (she had me at 18), and had no genetic screenings/testings done. There is no history of chromosomal abnormalities in our famly. Is amnio reasonable, or am I being paranoid? I also know that my mom is giving me a little attitude (unspoken, that is) about getting an amnio. Still, I know myself well enough to know that I would most likely not carry to term a baby with Trisomy 18 or Down's. I'm sorry if that offends anyone, but that is my and my husband's feelings.

Anyway, any experience you have with amnio testing, or diabetes and amnios, would be much appreciated. Is there any statistic out there showing a correlation between increased miscarriage with diabetic moms and amnios? Or is that just something I'm also thinking too much about?

Thanks in advance!

[gettingby]

I had to have an amnio done when I was pregnant. That was 19 yrs ago so I don't remember much about it. I do remember though that it was not as painful as I thought it would be and my OB assured me that there was no risk of harm to my baby. Of course though, mine was done the day before my C section to make sure my daughter's lungs were developed enough for delivery. I don't know of any statistics but I'm sure you can find some here on the big wide web.

Good Luck with your pregnancy. I'm sure you will do well in whatever decision you make.:)

[Keezheekoni]

I just gave birth 10 weeks ago (today!) to a healthy baby boy. I did not have the amnio, but I would have if the 13 week u/s had shown that his nuchal fold was larger than 3mm. Have you had that u/s yet? Usually they do it with the quad screen, which I opted out of because my perinatologist told me that the screen isn't accurate in T1 diabetics...our blood messes with the results.

I have a history of multiple miscarriages so I didn't want the slight risk that an amnio has of miscarriage as well.

[Meghann0409]

1st, while I disagree with your choice to end a pregnancy due to fetal abnormalities, you need to talk further with your OB about this - from my understanding, the screens just give results of the chances of having a baby with abnormalities - I don't think they lead to a diagnosis. The other thing to prepare yourself for is that many people have all of these screenings and pass with flying colors - only to have a Down's baby, etc.

Amnio - I will have one around 36w for lung development assessment, as PP said. At that point, I am not concerned about it. Unless directed by my Dr. I would not opt for one earlier than I was able to deliver a healthy, viable fetus.

[genie86333]

Um...since you're past 12 weeks, isn't it to late to do anything about it anyway?

When my sister was in her 2nd trimester, they discovered some abnormalities on the ultrasound & they believed she had Trisomy 18 & the doctor said "Sorry we discovered it too late to do anything." (I believe he said the cutoff was 12 weeks?)

(Luckily it wasn't Trisomy 18 & she thriving at almost 4 years old...even though she has *at least* 2 more surgeries needed in her future & has had 2 already)

[Keezheekoni]

Genie, it depends on the state you live in... Here in WA it's legal to terminate a pregnancy up to the 23rd week.

[MoCoke]

I had my amnio 23 years ago today!! Also, like others stated, it was in preparation to a C-section. I was told that there wouldn't be much pain involved, and they were right, there wasn't any. They used an u/s thing to make sure they were going into the fluid instead of hitting my daughter, which is what i was most concerned about.

Congrats on your pregnancy and may it be all that you hope!

[genie86333]

Genie, it depends on the state you live in... Here in WA it's legal to terminate a pregnancy up to the 23rd week.

Really? Wow. Thanks for the info, Rikki! Didn't matter in my sister's case anyway because Bella was wanted no matter what. We thank goodness that she's doing great, however!

[enkyenky]

Thanks for sharing your experiences with me, everyone. I appreciate your opinions.

[Ategeler]

I had an amnio due to false postives on a triple screen test. I am so glad that I had the amnio! I didn't think it hurt at all. And the peace of mind knowing that my baby was okay was beyond helpful! I am a bit of a worrier so it made my pregnancy much more enjoyable not having to worry about false positives. I agree with you about going straight to amnio and bypassing the blood tests. I know far too many people who have had false positives on those tests. The amnio gives you much more accurate results.

[krysnsho]

Hi, I am new to this forum, so hello everyone! I am going monday (sept 14) for my second trimester scan, which will include the amnio. If it is truly you and your husbands choice to not continue the preg if these things are present then you should absolutely do the tests. There is no bigger risk to diabetics than anyone else as far as complications with the test. I have researched it to death, as I do everything. :).

[cynthiazinn]

This is a very personal decision. There is a risk of miscarriage with amnio. I hope someone has been honest with you about that fact. In my situation I would not have cared what sort of abnormality my child had (they have none) because I believe they have a greater purpose on this earth. Abortion is totally against every fiber of my being and I would never have considered it. This being the case, it would have been a useless, and possibly harfull, test. But, you must assess your own feelings on the subject.