im going for my amniocentisis tonight ladies. i am totally freaking out. noone i know has had one or can tell me anything about it. i know the basics of what my doctor has told me but .....he is not a woman! i just wish someone could maybe give me some more details so i know what to expect. im 19 weeks along. any advice would be so greatly appreciated.
2007-06-20 04:17:42 · 9 answers · asked by zoebean1234 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Pregnancy
having the test is a must, not really a choice. this has to do with very low levels on my trisomy 18 screening. if anyone knows what this is....it is fatal. a baby brought full term with this does not live past 3 days after birth. so, you see, it needs to be done, so choices can be made. am i having a heart attack right now?? heck yeah!
2007-06-20 04:30:54 · update #1
I have had an amnio before, and its not that bad. Yes you run a SMALL risk of miscarriage, but as someone has mentioned it is an optional test if you are worried. What happens, is you lay down on the exam table and they hook you up to an ultrasound and monitor. Then the dr. will insert a needle into your abdomen. Even though it is a long needle, it feels no different than a normal shot. Its no wider than a normal needle. They watch the ultrasound to make sure it is far away from the baby. Then they will take a small amount (relatively speaking) of the amniotic fluid for testing. The procedure takes maybe a minute. I took my mom with me to the appt. and she held my hand and watched the ultrasound while i looked away. Im sort of sad that I looked away, as she said my son was curious. At first he moved to the other side of my body, but then moved closer like he was curious about what was going on. Many people will tell you that if abortion is not an option for you, that you shouldnt bother taking the test. Even if an abortion is not an option, it would still be a good thing to know what to expect so that you can start preparing for what you will need. I hope this was some help, and I hope that your test come back ok. *The good news is , you will 100% know whether it is a boy or girl, because they can check the chromosomes*
As a side note, if you are going in because your blood test came back as "positive" for either downs, trisomny, or spina bifida... keep in mind these tests have a high false positive rate. So just because your blood test came back positive, doesnt mean that your baby has any of the above. The tricky thing about those tests are they go by gestational age and considering gestational age is calculated by first day of your last period, it can be wrong. I was told my son was positive for Downs and I had the amnio, and it turns out that he was fine. In fact, hes getting ready to turn 7 now, and is sometimes too smart and mature for his own good! :)
2007-06-20 04:49:41 · answer #1 · answered by celticfairygoddess 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've had an Amnio and it wasn't that bad at all as far as the needle going into your belly, you can't even feel it. I had my done because blood test came back not good. The results show that there was a 50/50 chance that my daughter might have some disorder and the only way to be sure is if I had an Amnio which I chose to do. It took no longer that 15 minutes and they let you watch on screen the whole thing. The don't even touch the baby, they take the fluids surronding the baby. The emotional part of it's scary and I did cry and it was a hard decision to do, but in the end I thought it better so I can be prepared if my daughter was going to be born with a disability. In the end everything turned out okay. She's now 4 and heathly. Sometimes it's good to know. I'm not sure the reason why you need to have one, sometimes it's an age factor or other test showed some negative results. Good luck and don't worry too much.
2007-06-20 04:33:40 · answer #2 · answered by paz 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I too would question doing an amnio without a valid reason to do so. And that early....
I personally would never have one done. My reasoning is this: the results would not change whether I would carry my baby to term or not, I would love and take care of my baby whether they had a genetic burp or not. OTOH, amnio's are risky and not completely, 100% accurate.... So I simply would not have one IMHO.
Medically, they numb your belly with a topical anesthetic, then insert a long needle into your abdomen, through your uterine wall and into the amniotic sac. They remove a small amount of amniotic fluid and test it.
Risks include: puncturing baby, puncturing the placenta (and bleeding), breaking the bag of water prematurely, infection at the piercing site, and, in rare cases, fetal death.
Benefits include: knowing if your baby will need extra attention or not. Knowing if you need to abort if you wouldn't want a special needs child.
Also, check out this link for more information on keeping a trisomy baby to term: http://benotafraid.net/
Good luck and congratulations on your beautiful baby!
2007-06-20 04:30:05 · answer #3 · answered by Nicole D 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I have personally never had one but my mother had one with my youngest sister and I observed. And my middle sister had one back in October and I observed that one as well.
IT is a scary thing. They don't do this test without good reason and I'm sure you are aware of that.
Although the test is tricky and there are risks, I'm sure that you wouldn't be having one just to be having it.
So, 1st thing you need to do is relax.
Take someone along with you for support.
Ask any and all questions you have before hand and make sure they answer them to the extent you need them answered so that you can be relaxed.
Watch the monitor and see that precious gift from God as they get the fluid they are after.
Good Luck and my Prayers be with you!
2007-06-20 04:29:07 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's a procedure in which a small quantity of amniotic fluid is withdrawn from around the baby (fetus). This sample is examined for disease and serious medical problems (ex: chromosomal abnormalities) in the baby.
Wish you lots of luck!
2007-06-20 04:25:16 · answer #5 · answered by buttermilk_07 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is an OPTIONAL test. It can do damage to a fetus. Consider the reasons you are doing it, and consider if you would terminate your pregnancy based on the results. NO ONE can or should make you do this test, and you should not feel pressured to take it. It's a money-making test for the doctor, and the injury rate to a fetus is something like 1 in 200. Have faith that your baby will be okay - pregnancy was never meant to be a *medical* condition!
Good luck!
2007-06-20 04:25:09 · answer #6 · answered by jane 3 · 1⤊ 3⤋
why are you getting that test done? it's a very scary test to be done. I havn't had one, and my doc would have to have an exetremely good reason to do it. exspecially that early in pregnancy. has he told you ALL the risks? it's very dangerous for your baby unless your doctor predicts that it's better to do the test than not. I'd be asking your doc questions about this one. I know I wouldn't let anyone touch me with a long needle like that.
2007-06-20 04:23:32 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
would you consider a termination if the test came back abnormal ,if the answer is no then why have one
2007-06-20 04:25:13 · answer #8 · answered by dumplingmuffin 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
http://www.trisomy18.org/site/PageServer?pagename=homepage
2007-06-20 04:39:56 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋