amnio/cvs???

Mine increased dramatically with the bloods because I have some extremely low protein. I went along prepared for the amnio and the doc took a look at the scan and said it wasn't needed. Amnios come with their own set of risks and could take up to 4 weeks to get the results.

Hey Freckle

Try not to freak out too much. We have just been through the ins and out of this. Our combined results came back as increased risk for Trisomy 18, our result with the bloods added was 1/150. We were referred to a fetal specialist at the hospital and essentially I think a CVS has to be done by 12/13 weeks. A CVS is where they put a fine tube in through your cervix and they take a tiny piece of your placenta to test. Whereas the amnio is a needle that goes in though your tummy and takes a sample of amniotic fluid which they test.

Anyway the risk of miscarriage for an amnio is 1/100 so for us we decided to wait and have another scan at 16 weeks and if there were any markers at that scan we would have had the amnio. Our scan was fine and bubs was looking great, so this meant our baby is less likely to have T18.

It really is a personal thing as to what you would prefer to do. For us we felt the risk was higher that we might miscarry from the procedure. We have since had our 19 week scan and baby is still looking great.

I can't tell you what an amnio would cost, but I would have thought if you were referred to the hospital by your midwife then it would be free, Im not totally sure on that though.

HTH's

I had an Nuchal Translucency Screening test come back as 1mm, was given something like a 1:35,000 ratio. Maternal Serum screening test gave me a good result also around the, 1: 1,500 mark. Anatomy scan came back with 3 soft markers for Trisomy 21 (Downs Syndrome). Ended up being given a 1:20 ratio for my son having Trisomy 21 (I'm 23 and previously concieved a baby with full T18, the T18 went undiagnosed until 32 weeks when I went into premature labour. Ultrasounds had all come back with a good result). My son how ever is perfectly healthy and turned out that there is absolutely nothing wrong with him. You need to remember that the Nuchal and Serum are just screening tests. They can cause a lot of panic and stress for absolutely no reason.
A CVS can be done a lot earlier than an AMNIO. Basic FISH results for both are usually available within 48 hours. Full results take 2 weeks. An amnio is as risky as those who perform it (eg: if you have one find out how many they perform a year, don't go with someone who has only performed 7 or so during their whole career. Go for someone who is the 50+ a year catagory).
You'd think an amnio would be free with a referal from a midwife. If your unsure about anything maybe approach another midwife for advice, or request a referal to see an OB. I researched my facts, and made demands. Nothing wrong with that if it brings you peace of mind.
Goodluck, and wishing you all the best.

Freckle my midwife rang the hospital and they contacted me the next day and we had an appointment within two days (I was about 13 weeks at this stage). That initial appointment was to see the specialist who then gave us our options which were either to have an amnio at 15 weeks or to wait one more week and have a scan at 16 weeks and decide from there.

Im pretty sure it is all free if you are referred to the hospital, certainly our scan at 16 weeks was.

Oh freckle, I'm sorry you are going through this! I've no experience to offer you but will be thinking of you this arvo.

tessie I am so sorry for your loss T18 is a nasty disorder. But I am so happy for you that your son is healthy.

freckle have you thought about what you would do if your baby tested positive for downs? it is really important that you discuss this with dp while you are considering having the test, as this will help you decide if the risks of miscarrying from the test are worth knowing the result. also you need to be prepared that the results of the test will force you to make a decision one way or the other. if you and your dp decide that having a downs baby is not something that you can handle then it may be worth you having the test even though your risk is low. but if you and dp decide that having a downs baby is something that you can handle then the risk of the test may be higher than is worth it.

excuse the long post but its really important to be prepared for having to make a decision, as your initial reaction is just to know.

Thinking of you Freckle We were given a high risk (1/250) from just the nuchal scan with our 2nd DS. Our risk went down with the bloods and we decided against amnio but can totally understand what you mean about worrying and stressing. An amnio might give you peace of mind and if you feel that the benefits outweigh any risk, then maybe it is the way to go.

I hate to hear of others going through this as I remember how stressful it was for us and how that stress didn't really dissipate until DS was born. Hope all goes well, whatever you decide.

Huge big hugs Freckle, this is something I think that would send nearly all of us into a complete spin .

As the others have mentioned, amnios are normally done later in pregnancies than the CVS test. The risk of miscarriage following one is, depending on the person who does it, somewhere between .5 and 1%.   

I personally think if the not knowing is going to stress you out, then it's probably a good idea to have it done. A risk of 1/350 is still incredibly low but having that confirmation that all is okay will save you stressing for the rest of the pregnancy. And maternal stress is just not a good thing all round.

I hope you hear back really soon and are able to get the ball rolling for your peace of mind.

((hugs)) Freckle- I would be freaking out too...although I think more about not knowing than anything else! In your shoes I would do what I needed to do to get a definitive answer....what you then do with the information is a choice for you and DH alone to make.

Bless

Thanks again guys for all your kind words !! I just heard back and I can't get an amnio through public as I'm considered low risk, so we have to go privately which is gonna cost $800... I have booked in for Monday and now I'm utterly stressing about whether I'm doing the right thing... it just sucks that I could be risking miscarrying a perfectly healthy baby to give me peace of mind But then again stressing for the next 5 and half months can't be a good thing either....