Anyone gone straight to CVS?

[Zara1984]

Hello everyone!

Being the silly goose that I am, I posted my question over in the Pregnancy forum instead of here. Basically, my question is whether any of you have gone straight to CVS/amnio testing instead of weighing up the nuchal fold/blood test risk factor result.

Very keen to have certainty - to the extent it is possible - about any abnormalities. The question is magnified because I live in Ireland and combined test is not offered routinely as part of antenatal care - you have to ask specifically for it and pay through the nose anyway (so my thought is - in that case, should I go straight to CVS?).

Would really like views/comments/thoughts on this! You could post over in the other thread or here if you like. :) :) Thank you!

In my last 2 pgs we decided beforehand that we would have CVS irrespective of the nuchal scan risk results - though I still had the nuchal scans. Both were low risk. I had CVS with both. No issues in either case.

Personal reasons for this which I am not going to discuss here and not interested in the usual flaming about miscarriage risk etc, just to let you know some people do take this route. I had the procedures at the Harris Birthright Centre at Kings in London where the procedure was developed so was reasonably relaxed about the risk of miscarriage which is actually below background risk there, but I am not sure I would have been as comfortable having it done at a local hospital or one that wasnt accredited by them.

You will get flamed about saying you want to have certaintities about abnormalities though, but I know where you're coming from.

Thank you befuzzled! Yes have been flamed in RL too by people who were... er.... not sharing my viewpoint about why I wanted to know about abnormalities. Finding a top-quality consultant/clinic to do it is vital I agree.

Yes. We chose to have CVS/amnio with our third pregnancy. This was following the loss of our previous baby who had T21. Due to GP cock-up we were referred too late for a CVS and ended up having an amnio at 15 weeks.

We were automatically offered an amnio with our lost baby as I was over 35 - we refused as the risk of miscarriage was higher than the possibility of having a child with Down's Syndrome. We had the triple-test (this was before the nuchal screen was available on the NHS) which came back with a 1:70 risk.

We felt that going through the process of having the nuchal and bloods with baby 3 was just building in another obstacle, as our risk was already 1:100 for a baby with T21. We felt that we needed to know with absolute certainty that there was not a chromosomal problem and as we'd chosen to terminate the pregnancy with our previous baby, we wanted to get a definite result as soon as possible. My aim was to get the results in before my pregnancy reached 18 weeks gestation - the time when I had the termination.

We were, however, advised that DS had mild to moderate talipes in his left foot and they were concerned that this was indicative of a growth restriction. We had an extra scan at 30 weeks to check amniotic fluid levels and his growth. Talipes can apparently be at an increased risk if you have an amnio. He's fine - just had long legs and couldn't stretch out as much as he wanted.

For me - and this is definitely from my own personal experience...your experience is personal to you - I would take the CVS/amnio route with any future pregnancy that I had. I would need the reassurance that there is not a chromosomal issue and the option to make any decision as soon as possible.

I'm sorry that this turned into an essay...I can absolutely see your reasoning and why you need to know. I hope it's helped.
Good luck with whatever you decide.