amnio or cvs?

[Kay0502]

Hello
Iv just had my 12 week scan and the fluid at the back or the babies neck was too high making us high risk for downs etc. This has obviously come as a huge shock to us. They said the measurement was only just over the acceptable limit (ment to be between 1-3.5) and we had measurements between 3.6-3.9. They are sending us to a consultant who will offer us either a amnio or cvs. Has anyone been in this situation before and what was your experience? Also what do you guys recommend amnio or cvs? They also mentioned the harmony test but said its not available on the nhs and the only place close to us that seams to do it charges £800 which we can't afford. I'm 12+1 at the moment.

Hi Kay,
I've not been in your exact situation but I did have an amnio on twins after a some fetal abnormalities were detected at 20 week scan on one baby. I won't go into details of my pregnancy because the results weren't fantastic, but the amnio itself was a very straight forward procedure (and I had double the needles you would because they had to test babies in 2 different sacs. The results came back quckly and the process was all very straight forward. I know amnios have risk of miscarriage attached to them but this didn't happen to me at all and in fact later in my pregnancy I've also had a couple of other procedures similar to amnio and those didn't result in start of labour either. I can't tell you anything about a CVS but as far as an amnio goes, they are less scary and complicated than they might seem in my experience and I wouldn't hesitate to have another one if it was required.

Goodluck I hope it all goes well.x

I had a CVS a couple of months ago. The proceedure was fine, not painful and quite quick. They say that the very small risks associated with CVS are these days probably about the same as an amnio, and that both risk factors are probably smaller than the officially reported figures.

I haven't had amnio or CVS so cannot advise as to that. however, if you were willing to travel, then you could get the harmony for a lot less (around half) of what you've been quoted. I paid £500 for my harmony test, but I've seen it as low as £400 in some cities. I appreciate that it is still a large expense, but it might be worth shopping around if that price drop makes a difference to your decision. Also, when you are researching it, there are other NIPT tests, e.g. Panorama, which is essentially the same as Harmony. There is another branded NIPT test, the SAFE test, which seems to be around £300-350.

Of course, these are screening tests and therefore not technically diagnostic, although they will give you a 99.9 % accurate 'result'.

good luck with whatever you decide. this is a horrible time full of worry, but I hope you get some answers soon

Look at the This is My Clinic - it is based in Leeds, I paid 395 but that was with a scan, for the NIFTY. It is 350 without. They also said you can get blood taken at your own doctors and get it posted to them. Google them and give their number a call, they were really helpful. However, if you prefer to go down the amnio or CVS route from what I have read the risks are really low (no personal experience of this though). Good luck, lots of people with your size nuchal have perfectly healthy babies x

I am sorry you are going through this. Have been in your situation before but for a different chromosomal abnormality. The harmony will give you a % chance of the various trisomies and doesnt pose any risk to the fetus. If you got a high probability result for the harmony test then you would need to get a cvs or amnio to confirm anyhow if you wanted to know for sure.

The amnio is the most dependable but if memory serves this can only be performed after 15 or 16 weeks. I think the cvs could be done immediately but has a slightly higher error margin than the amnio. As pp has pointed out both carry a small risk of miscarraige (

There's an excellent section on CVS / amniocentesis in Emily Oster's book Expecting Better. She's an economist who investigates the stats and risks behind pregnancy advice. I wish I'd read it before I had to make the choice between the procedures.

I'm attaching pics of the relevant pages, hope they're readable, it was a bit long to type out. I'd advise reading the whole section, but a basic summary is that these days the risks of the two procedures are virtually identical (CVS is not more risky) and that those risks are tiny, much smaller than the figures the NHS uses, which are out of date.

I would highly recommend buying this book for all kinds of pregnancy questions and worries.

I had a NT measurement of 3.6mm when expecting DD and opted for a CVS. I couldn't face not knowing and wanted the results as soon as possible.
The actual procedure was fine, it was slightly uncomfortable and a little sore after but not painful. I took it easy for a few days but felt OK the day after. Straight after the procedure the consultant checked DD with the ultrasound and it was very reassuring to see her heartbeat.
I got the initial results within 5 days, 2 of those were weekend though, all was well and DD is now 4. I had a couple of extra heart scans but that was all

Fingers crossed everything turns out well for you.

Hi kay

Im so sorry you are in this horrible situation. I had an amnio at 16 weeks in jan after a 3.5mm nuchal reading at 12 weeks with my current pregnancy... (i also lost my daughter at 13 weeks in august after a horrendous nuchal reading and other problems detected)

I opted for the amnio because of the slight reduction in mc rate but at the amnio the consultant said that actually the chance of complications with both were around the same and both smaller than the reported figure so go for the cvs if you dont feel you can wait - the wait is horrid!

Also i know people mean well but it isnt helpful to be told the harmony is "only" a few hundred quid in another part of the country... these decisions make you feel guilty and scared enough without feeling guilty that you cant afford the harmony too. If you cant afford it you can't afford it. Plus harmony is only applicable for the main trisomy conditions - cvs/amnio detect much more.

It's only unhelpful if the OP is saying she has no budget. That's not what she said. She said she didn't have the budget to spend 800 quid, which happens to be comparatively exorbitant for the test, hence me and another querying this and pointing out its half that normally. As I said, still admittedly expensive, but potentially affordable at

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to write a reply. As you all have said this is a very worrying time for us and we are feeling very overwhelmed. Thanks for everyone's thoughts and advice they are all helpful to us to decide what is the best option to choose for our family.

Can i just say as well kay that my amnio came back clear as did the 20 week scan and baby is doing well at 25 weeks now so there is real hope.

I was given a 1:13 risk and have since met/spoken to many women who were given similar or worse risks and cvs/amnio came back negative and no further problems were picked up. Speak to arc if you can - they are very honest and helpful about your situation and great for even just a listening sympathetic ear. I pray it all works out for you