mom22722 Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 O.K. before Thanksgiving I posted about depressed about being old and thought I was pregnant. Well I am pregnant and old (38) Still haven't told anyone but my parents. Today was my first appoinment and I was told of all the fun test I can now have because of my advanced age. I do not want any invasive test so amio and CVS? are out. The other tests aren't for sure and just give statistcal information. So what are your opinions on getting these tests? I really don't know what to do. On one hand I want to be prepared if I am having a handicapped baby but on the other I don't want to worry for the next two trimesters and then have a normal healthy baby. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beansprouts Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 O.K. before Thanksgiving I posted about depressed about being old and thought I was pregnant. Well I am pregnant and old (38) Still haven't told anyone but my parents. Today was my first appoinment and I was told of all the fun test I can now have because of my advanced age. I do not want any invasive test so amio and CVS? are out. The other tests aren't for sure and just give statistcal information. So what are your opinions on getting these tests? I really don't know what to do. On one hand I want to be prepared if I am having a handicapped baby but on the other I don't want to worry for the next two trimesters and then have a normal healthy baby. Thanks I would not have minded the opportunity to prepare for a special needs child if the information were easy to obtain. However, when I learned the blood screen only showed whether my baby was at risk for certain disabilities. The only way to get conclusive results is to have more invasive testing. Since I would not be willing to do this, I opted for no testing at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I had my last 2 at the ages of 38 & 40. I had the blood work screening and a level 2 ultrasound. But no amnio--too risky. The odds of problems are given first on age. But when I had good results from those 2 tests, the odds improved greatly. Perhaps ultrasounds are even better now than they were when I was pregant with ds, who is 8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarheel Heather Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 O.K. before Thanksgiving I posted about depressed about being old and thought I was pregnant. Well I am pregnant and old (38) Still haven't told anyone but my parents. Today was my first appoinment and I was told of all the fun test I can now have because of my advanced age. I do not want any invasive test so amio and CVS? are out. The other tests aren't for sure and just give statistcal information. So what are your opinions on getting these tests? I really don't know what to do. On one hand I want to be prepared if I am having a handicapped baby but on the other I don't want to worry for the next two trimesters and then have a normal healthy baby. Thanks Would you love the child any less? That is how I look at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beansprouts Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Would you love the child any less? That is how I look at it. Of course not. This isn't why she is asking I am sure. I think it can be helpful to have those extra few months to read, learn, and plan for a child with special needs. For some of us it can also make a difference in birth choices if we know the baby may need immediate medical care when born (I have had two homebirths). However, the question is how far are we willing to go to obtain the information. For many of us it simply is not that important, or our intuition is telling us the baby is fine. What does your gut say, mom22722? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountain View Academy Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 My dr. told me they just gave odds and really don't tell me anything conclusive. Much can be determined from an ultrasound. I had a 3D ultrasound at the hospital which was amazing. They can tell by an ultrasound if you're child has downs and other problems by the length of limbs, joints missing, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELaurie Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I opted not to do any of the prenatal testing and received my doctor's support in my decision to do so. I was more concerned about false positives and pressure to preform a cascade of additional, perhaps unnecessary, tests than I was about the possibility of caring for a child with special needs after the baby was born. However, I can understand why others might choose otherwise. It's a very personal decision, and only you decide what is right for you and your family. I hope you will find the path that is most reassuring for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 For my last pregnancy, I was advanced age (just turned 35). I did not have amnio. All other screening (blood tests and ultrasound) showed no issues. My friend who was a year older had the same tests. She was told her child definitely had down syndrome. Guess what? My youngest ds has down syndrome and my friend's ds does not. As for being prepared, I don't know. It depends on the type of person you are. I thought about it afterwards. I decided for me, it would not have been good to "know". I would have spent the pregnancy worrying and completely stressed. I think the "news" is easier to take when you've got a baby to hold. At least I think that was the case for me. Dh and I made a decision that we wanted another child no matter what, so knowing while pregnant would not have been useful to us. If you have questions for me, feel free to pm me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 My dr. told me they just gave odds and really don't tell me anything conclusive. Much can be determined from an ultrasound. I had a 3D ultrasound at the hospital which was amazing. They can tell by an ultrasound if you're child has downs and other problems by the length of limbs, joints missing, etc. We opted out of screening. Our thought was that any anomalies we would need to prepare for (and, yes, I think that being prepared helps enormously with the logistics and planning involved with dealing with special needs in a neonate - it has nothing to do with love) would be evident on ultrasound. Good thing, too, because it would have been really, really scary to be told there was "statistically" something wrong when we really only had two perfectly typical babies on board. Hell, it was scary enough being told I was "large for dates" and that they were concerned enough to order an early ultrasound. (Obviously, that concern hit a brick wall when there were two of them in there) I wasn't old enough to have them throwing that "advanced maternal age" slur around, though. Oh, and Congratulations!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I'm 40, and just went through all of those tests (well, not the amnio or CVS). But, we've been planning a home birth, and had the results come back less than favorable, we would have altered our birth plan and gone with a hospital birth. There is a nuchal-tube screening test (U/s), which is done in conjunction with the blood screen and has a higher degree of reliability regarding the risks for down syndrome. With my 4th, I had the basic tests done the first time, and the blood screening test came back reading possible neural tube defect (where the spinal cord doesn't close properly... and worse). The u/s was able to rule that abnormality out. If anything came back "borderline" we would have changed the birthplan. It didn't, so home birth is still what we're preparing for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lighthouseacademy Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I would never ever in a million years have the AFP test done. I have had 3 friends take that test. The first was told her baby had trisomy 18 and would likely die before birth but if not, right after birth. She went ahead and had the amnio etc done because she was so scared. That little girl was perfectly healthy and happy and is now 8 years old. I had one friend be told that everything was normal. She was carrying a baby with spina bifida (one of the things the AFP is supposed to pick up) and it wasn't until an ultrasound where the tech noticed enlarged ventricles in the brain that they began to investigate more. The third friend was told that she had a baby with downs. Instead, she was carrying twins (another thing the AFP is supposed to test for). So, after watching all these dear friends who were 20-26 years old go through the stress of a test I later found had an 80% false positive rate I will never ever take that test... (BTW the 80% false positive was correct 7-8 years ago but I have no idea what it is now). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 It didn't, so home birth is still what we're preparing for. Ack! Have you STILL not had that baby? Quick! Run around the block, wolf down some Mexican food and and go grab the hubby for some, uh, "quiet time". :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy in Indy Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I was 42 (2 weeks shy of 43) when I had my last baby. I had ONE ultrasound (because I wanted it) and the GD test. That's it. There's too many false positives on everything else that's non-invasive. Advanced maternal age....don't get me started on that! :rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Ha- advanced maternal age! I had my last just shy of 44. Our last 3 we had with a midwife (that is a book in itself- I would never go back to a hospital birth if there was no serious medical need to - and being "advanced" in age is not a medical "condition" - ARGH. I would recommend not getting testing done because of the potential for false positives. My OB-GYN (who really is a great guy and delivered my first 4) agreed when I told him I did not even want to have an ultrasound. I said this was probably my last pregnancy, and I wanted to enjoy the last several weeks of it rather than worry over some false positive. He agreed that given the indicators regularly measured by my midwife that it was highly unlikely that anything really serious could be wrong that would require intervention before birth, and if anything was wrong we could deal with it as it came. BTW, Baby 7 is now nearly 4 and healthy as a horse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amy g. Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I had my last baby at 40, and Dh has a family history that includes several babies with birth defects. I was told that a sonogram with a skilled technician was the best screening tool available. I did not have any other tests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veritaserum Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I personally just stick with one 20-week anatomy ultrasound. The blood screening test you can do early in your pregnancy has a very high false positive rate (ie. you can get a positive result when there is no problem). If you get a positive, you have to have an amnio for diagnosis. So, if you're not ok with doing an amnio due to the risk of miscarriage, then you probably would want to skip the blood screening test. I would feel much more comfortable doing an amnio during the third trimester if it looked like there was an issue. The amnio could trigger labor, but the baby would have a good chance of survival if that happened (unlike early pregnancy amnios). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarheel Heather Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 We did quad screens, they are speculative. Every result is dependant upon this level and that level, age, race, previous pregancy. You literally plug in all the numbers and a computer program spits out the odds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I avoided the whole issue by moving cross country while pregnant. Too early for tests in CA, and too late for them in FL when they finally got me in. Drat. That said, my 2nd child - i was 30 with her, turned 35 with #3 - is the one with the genetic condition. None of what she has shows up physically (sorta), so she was 7 before we found out. There are a few things that we would have done differently up to that point - but would have only been able to find out with an amnio and that wasn't going to happen. I don't recommend moving cross country - but it was sure nice to not get asked! LOL!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I was 19 when I had my first child. They did the AFP test to determine whether there was any "risk" of handicaps. Well, it came back showing that my oldest son could have Down's Syndrome. I spent the next 6 months worrying that he was not okay, but I also opted to NOT have the invasive testing to know for sure. The risks that he would die from the test were greater than the chances that he had Downs. Well, he DIDN'T have downs. It was a false result. He was normal as can be and has no handicaps at all (unless you consider ADHD a handicap....and in that case, I guess my OCD is too). The second baby...I decided that it was just not worth the worry. He was fine too. I know you would love the baby no less if it were to have a handicap and there is no true test without invasive procedures...which could end up harming your baby and it turn out to have been totally normal. Hard decision...in the end, I think I would not test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phathui5 Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 I chose not to get the blood screen test because of the high false alarm rate. I had an ultrasound with my first pregnancy and no other testing with the other three. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 For my second two babies (one at advanced maternal age), I opted for just a 20-week ultrasound. This was after having a child with severe disabilities. Dd's defect (brain did not divide correctly) was not picked up by any prenatal testing, and I heard somewhere that only a small percent of potential problems can be identified. Certainly not autism, adhd, and many rare genetic issues. Would my life have been different if I had known a few months earlier that dd has significant disabilities? No--I just would not have been able to enjoy the last half of that pregnancy. Would I have been more prepared to be a mom of a special needs kid? Nope--nothing like on-the-job training there. And in fact, if something is wrong I think it's easier to go through it after you have already fallen in love with the little person and know that you would do anything for him or her. For me, this happens when they are in my arms. I got more advanced ultrasounds for my second and third dds. They could tell me that they did not have the same defect as my first which gave me peace. And ultrasounds helped friends plan for a surgery their dd would need right after birth. But I had no interest in any other type of testing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elisabeth in IL Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 I was 38 for most of my pregnancy and gave birth at 39. The only test that I had was an ultrasound and it was because I wanted to know if I was having a girl or boy. Personally, I don't think the tests are necessary. Eat well, take your vitamins, and extra folic acid. Congratulations on your new little one to come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in PA Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 I have a family history of spinal issues that meant a higher than average risk of spina bifida. I had the blood screenings with both pregnancies (I was 28 and 30 for them) because if a problem had been found, there was a very good chance that the baby could have had surgery in utero that would have lessened the severity of the condition. I also had additional ultrasounds done and genetic counseling. Both times things turned out just fine, and I was glad to have that added bit of reassurance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 We had routine tests show a possible positive for Trisomy 18 when I was 24yo. We chose to do more ultrasounds (which found defects) and then amnio. It was confirmed, and that with the severity of her defects that she wasn't going to make it. (The regular ultrasounds at 16 weeks had missed the defects-brain and heart- or they weren't apparent at that time). I had already started buying clothes, and decorating her nursery. I was able to return what I had bought, and to put the nursery back away in the attic. We lost the pgy at 24 weeks (12 years ago this week). I was happy to have the knowledge, so I could mentally prepare before the event. And we could let the family know. I left my job because I knew I was going to need some time to heal. I knew what to expect and what was going to happen. When we lost her, I didn't have to explain everything to everyone, go back to the store's baby department and come home to a decorated nursery. I feel like the knowledge was a blessing. It let me start the mental process of loosing her, before the physical part started. It made the process much less traumatic. Our results were clear and definite. I don't know about grey areas. I don't know about the feelings of false positives. I don't know about not having the information. With my next dd, we did CVS at 9 weeks. I just needed to know...and she was totally healthy and I could relax for the rest of the pgy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 We had routine tests show a possible positive for Trisomy 18 when I was 24yo. We chose to do more ultrasounds (which found defects) and then amnio. It was confirmed, and that with the severity of her defects that she wasn't going to make it. (The regular ultrasounds at 16 weeks had missed the defects-brain and heart- or they weren't apparent at that time). I had already started buying clothes, and decorating her nursery. I was able to return what I had bought, and to put the nursery back away in the attic. We lost the pgy at 24 weeks (12 years ago this week). I was happy to have the knowledge, so I could mentally prepare before the event. And we could let the family know. I left my job because I knew I was going to need some time to heal. I knew what to expect and what was going to happen. When we lost her, I didn't have to explain everything to everyone, go back to the store's baby department and come home to a decorated nursery. I feel like the knowledge was a blessing. It let me start the mental process of loosing her, before the physical part started. It made the process much less traumatic. Our results were clear and definite. I don't know about grey areas. I don't know about the feelings of false positives. I don't know about not having the information. With my next dd, we did CVS at 9 weeks. I just needed to know...and she was totally healthy and I could relax for the rest of the pgy. :grouphug: I am so sorry about the loss of your daughter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ria Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 There is a nuchal-tube screening test (U/s), which is done in conjunction with the blood screen and has a higher degree of reliability regarding the risks for down syndrome. This is what I'd suggest. To me, testing could easily help a child. If you know that your child is going to have special needs, you can prepare ahead of time. This might include a different doc, or a different place to deliver, depending on the facilities at your hospital. I wouldn't worry too much. Congratulations. I'm excited for you! Ria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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