I am 14 weeks pregnant, and due to “advanced maternal age” have decided, in consultation with my ob-gyn and fetal testing specialist, to have an amnio done. I went today for the blood/sonogram screening but, because of my age, the stats aren’t going to change much regardless of the bloodwork and sonogram measurements.
I am almost-but-not-quite terrified. I know there is a risk of complications, as my doctor put it, but I just don’t feel like I can go through the entire pregnancy simply hoping for the best, especially because of my age. I want a definitive answer on any genetic defects.
With that prelude, what was your experience and can I calm down at all?
We were in the same boat. I know that I was a nervous mess until after the amnio results came back. Then it calmed down and began to enjoy everything more.
I wasn’t the one that got stuck, but I was there…did NOT watch, though. Not good at that.
Anyway, it was pretty quick. I think it feels (from what I gathered) much as you might imagine it would feel to have your uterus pierced with a needle. Not pleasant, but (apparently) bearable.
S/o cramped a little bit, but they told us that might happen. No ill-effects.
And I can’t stress enough how much better I felt not having to worry.
I had one for the same reason. The cramping afterward was a little scary. My results were good, and the fat baby in my lap is evidence that my procedure caused no harm. Please PM me if you want details, not getting into the discussion with certain board members again.
I had one after a disturbing ultrasound result. It was scary, but not painful. They showed me the baby moving and kicking after, to show she was ok. I was terrified the day after that I started leaking fluid, but my OB did a test and I wasn’t.
All in all, it was a good experience as it ruled out some bad stuff.
Genetic screenings from an amniocentesis examine fetal cells which have been shed into the amniotic fluid.
IIRC from my genetics coursework there is an increase of false positives in examining these cells as compared to a CVS. That is to say there is a greater chance the amnio test will show a potential problem that is not in fact really there as compared to running a similar test on a CVS derived sample.
Some amino results (particularly a triple test) refer to a change of odds and are not so much a yes/no thing. So a “positive” result might mean your pregnancy has a 1 in 200 chance of a particular condition where before the test it might have been a 1 in 500 chance. So even with a positive result the odds are still overwhelming that your baby does not have the condition.
Net lesson. DO NOT freak out about a particular test result. Ask for thorough explanations. Consider asking for a referral to a genetic counselor to explain any positive test result.
For me it was no big deal. My son’s father turned a little green though. The needle looks scary but it doesn’t hurt.
First I got a sonogram to see where the baby was. I had a numbing cream rubbed on my belly where the needle would go in. When the needle went in it was just a tiny pinch, no worse than a blood test.
Then I had to lay there while the syringe filled, which took a while.
After a while the doctor came back in the room, wiggled the needle a little, pulled it out and I was done. The wiggling felt a little weird but it didn’t hurt.
I’ve heard some women say that it hurts, but most women I know who had it done didn’t feel a thing. I did have a teeny tiny scab about the size of the period at the end of this sentence.
Thanks, everyone. I didn’t have the details on the actual details, other than they do use a sonogram during the process. As I said, because of my age, I need to do this and I know millions (tens of millions?) of women have come through unscathed and now have happy, healthy babies–I just hope I’m one of them!
I, too, was of “advanced maternal age.” (This was 17+ years ago.) The pregnancy had gotten off to a somewhat rocky start (nine freakin’ weeks of bleeding!), so I was more than a little paranoid about the miscarriage risk.
The procedure itself was either no biggie or time has softened the memory of the trauma. I do remember that I made a point to NOT look at the needle. I did not have any cramping to speak of.
The three weeks waiting for the results were the longest three weeks EVAR. In these modern times when you get instant results for just about any medical test, I’m sure it’s even worse. Cognitive behavioral therapy techniques for dealing with worrisome thoughts are all I can suggest.
The product of the pregnancy will be heading off to college next year, which is a whole 'nother kind of trauma to look forward to.
Good luck with the procedure and pregnancy! You really have every reason to be confident that it will all be just fine.
I also had one due to AMA. I was nervous, only because there is a (very low) risk and when you are pregnant, you always seem to fixate on even the most minor of risks (at least I did). But imo the benefits far outweigh the risks and once it’s over, you can enjoy the rest of your pregnancy without fear.
My only advice would be to not look at the needle but rather keep your focus on the ultrasound monitor. What you will see is your baby doing his or her thing, then a big dark stick (the needle) slowly entering a space where there is a pocket of amniotic fluid and no baby parts. Amniotic fluid is withdrawn and the needle is removed. Then you’re done!
So it’s totally normal to be almost-but-not-quite terrified and when you are actually on the table, your feelings might escalate to pure terror (mine did). Those same feelings may repeat when you go into labor
One more vote for no big deal. I had mine 19 years ago for advanced maternal age. Ha! Where does that put me now, age-wise? Don’t ask! You shouldn’t worry. It is going to be fine…
Another vote for no big deal in the long run. I had mine done at the very end of my twin pregnancy (36 wks) since I was in the hospital on bed rest for preeclampsia. They were testing the babies’ lung health before my c-section. The best words I can use to describe it are “pinch” and “surreal”. But in the large scope of all things pregnancy, the test itself was no big deal.
It helped to keep my eyes on the ultrasound monitor and trying to look at the whole thing in a curious, scientific, experiencing-something-new angle.
I had a CVS instead, because I could get results earlier and I don’t like to wait. I was also AMA. I didn’t have any bleeding or anything, and I’m now typing one-handed because I’m holding Lil’ Neville in the other.
She was much older, though - 23 weeks and 6 days - and there wasn’t much fluid left, so they were forced to take a sample from much closer to her body than they usually do. It was done to try and determine if my bleeding was due to infection (results inconclusive) not for DNA testing.
It’s uncommon for it to be done so far into the pregnancy, so the room was packed with interns and students, and the moment when she grabbed the needle caused a huge gasp and nervous laughter. The doctor paused for a moment, holding his breath, and she let go and he finished the test without incident.
I couldn’t take my eyes off the monitor! I don’t recall if it hurt or not; it wasn’t really the most urgent thing on my mind that day.
I also opted for the early CVS at 12 weeks. I was 42 at the time and I wanted results as quickly as possible. The actual test itself was painless, but the prep was decidedly uncomfortable because a full bladder was required (lots of pushing UP with the speculum and DOWN with the ultra sound wand for a very painful bladder sandwich). No spotting, cramping, everything was perfect. Got the results in 2 weeks - healthy baby boy. It definitely relieved my mind and I’ve been able to relax and enjoy my pregnancy (due Jan 13).
I was terrified before mine (I was 35 years old when Dweezil was born), and it turned out to be not a big deal. I asked for a local anesthetic where she was planning on doing the needle stick. She said “that will probably hurt more than the amnio needle” and I said “yeah, but I know what novocaine feels like, I have been imagining what the amnio feels like”. She sorta laughed, then numbed the area.
So, I didn’t feel the needle going through the skin. I did feel it going through “stuff” inside (belly muscle, uterus or something) which felt pretty weird, if not actually painful. And I had to stay stock still during it. I was focusing on a button on my husband’s shirt and remember being pissed that he shifted position at one point. It was quick, at least.
The obligatory warning: while mine was just fine, and the vast majority are, there is a real risk of pregnancy loss. A friend went through that after her amnio :(.
A friend had amnio - which said “Trisomy 13” and is a pretty horrifying diagnosis. Trisomy 13 is generally not compatible with life, very few of those babies live more than a few weeks. Only, all the other tests / ultrasounds did not show any of the other markers.
Then they opted for percutaneous umbilical blood sampling which is a much trickier, riskier procedure. That was performed and a repeat amnio was done at the same time.
Trisomy 13 again - from the amnio. The blood sampling said “Trisomy 13? you’re kidding, right?”.
They took a huge leap of faith and continued with the pregnancy - and now have a healthy teenager. IIRC, the PUBS and testing on the mother returned some results suggesting that the mother had some kind of anomaly that caused her to shed cells that might screw up such testing, even though she was perfectly healthy. This was 16 years ago and I don’t recall any of the details, but it’s something her kids will need to be aware of when they’re ready to become parents.
The stats you really want to ask about are not how many women, everywhere have this test and go on to have zero complications, but how many of these this particular doctor has done with no complications.
I had CVS done, for the same reasons already cited—less waiting, AMA, Nervous Nellie. I did have some pain later but it was 100% from the whole full bladder thing. The doctor who did mine was more than half an hour late to perform the procedure, and I basically had pain and cramping from having an overly-full bladder for so long.
We also found out the sex of the baby at that time, which was cool. With my daughter we had to wait until the 18-week ultrasound.
ETA: One thing that was kind of freaky about the experience was that they could tell within 24 hours that there was *something *unusual, so they called my husband and me to come and get our blood taken. It turned out that we each had this same mutation and there was no definitive test to determine what it was, but they were able to rule out all of the really scary genetic abnormalities. A few years later we discovered that we all have Hereditary Hemachromotosis, so that’s what it must have been. Still, those days between “something’s unusual here” and “It’s nothing dire” were difficult for me.
I do remember that I made a point to NOT look at the needle. I did not have any cramping to speak of.