Please share your amino experiences - good or bad

[MrsMarcJacobs]

I am up in arms about this decision. please tell me your experience and motivation for having it done, if you care to share it of course. I can't seem to make a decision :(

Do you mean amniocentesis? If so, I will gladly tell you my experience but don't want to type out a long reply if it's not what you're asking about.

Mine was horrendous and caused heavy bleed/threatened miscarriage.
Had the Harmony test test this time around specifically to avoid the need for another amnio. Depending on your circumstances that may be an alternative for you too.

Had first one 8 years ago when pregnant with ds, absolutely fine, no pain, no problems afterwards. Just had my second one a few weeks ago, and again absolutely no problems whatsoever. Was less painful than the blood test needle prick. I am not in the UK though, so don't know if the procedure is different here in Germany.
Reason was primarily that because of my age, we wanted to know if there were any problems which were detectable. Depending on the results, we may have decided to terminate.

I had one, due to age (I was 40), despite a reasonable screening 12-week result.

I just needed the reassurance that everything was ok, with certainty. I talked things through with foetal medicine first, just to ask about risks etc - is that an option for you?

Making the decision was by far the worst aspect of it! The actual procedure was fine - it felt like a blood test, apart from in my stomach. No pain, cramping etc. Interim results within 48 hrs & final within 2 weeks.

Whoops, yes, amniocentesis. think that was the auto correct! I have had an NCIT test - I think that is the same as harmony but it is not absolutely certain. I am an older mum and feel that this is playing on my mind. from your above responses I see that I am not the only one worrying about this despite acceptable screening results. I went through some fertility treatment to get pregnant, I am not sure whether this has made me overly vigilant.

I had a 1:71 risk of Downs in my second pregnancy (I was 37 at the time) so decided to opt for an amnio, I was fairly sure I wouldn't terminate regardless of the result, but wanted to be prepared. Decided on amnio rather than CVS because of lower risk of miscarriage.

One of the leading people in the area was performing it so was reassured on that basis. The procedure itself was very quick & I remember it being painless. However, I came up in an allergic reaction to the sterilising wipe they used so my whole bump was covered in a rash.

I spent the rest of the day & the next day resting and returned to work the day after. However, I got some fairly mild cramps that morning so rang the antenatal clinic & they said to go in. I had another scan & the baby was fine but the consultant told me I had to go home & rest for the rest of the week or she'd admit me to hospital to make sure I rested. Whilst I was in the ANC I actually got the results of the amnio back & it was fine.

I had no more major problems with the pregnancy and DS2 is now a very lively 2 year old. Please feel free to ask me if you have any further questions.

I had one as a problem was picked up at the 12 week scan which mea

I had one as I was 43 with 5 other children. Also had reasonable triple test but We needed to know for sure.

I had the best doc in the area who had never lost a pg following amino. Procedure was painless and quick.

My 12 week results came back as 1:40 risk. Due to a haematoma and concerns did not have a cvs. Paid privately for non invasive tests ( harmony brand - different private companies may use different names), came back 2 low risk and one intermediate. After years of infertility and treatments and a stressful time we have chosen not to have an Amnio. NHS have offered us a 28 scan after several worrying things picked up on 20 week scan ( I soft marker, concerns about size and one other more worrying issue) and suggested an Amnio in 3rd trimester if we want it. But they are monitoring concerns with scans every 8 weeks.

Hope you happy with whatever decision you make.

Whoops!

A problem was picked up which meant that our baby had a 50% chance of chromosome abnormalities. It took us a couple of weeks to decide whether to go ahead with the amnio, it wasn't easy by any means. But in the end we decided we needed to know what we were facing and whether the pregnancy was likely to result in a baby or not. It's a very personal decision and you will figure out what's right for you, it just takes time.

The procedure itself was fine, I barely felt a thing. I felt fine afterwards too, had some mild cramping but nothing unbearable. I just took paracetamol and rested for a couple of days. The emotional side was much harder, and then waiting for the results of course.

Happy to report that the results came back clear and I am now 30 weeks pregnant. I'm glad I had the test, it was absolutely the right decision for us.