Amniocentisis gone wrong

[melmoknit]

During my amniocentesis the baby was moving and when the doctor put the needle in he seemed to be moving it around to avoid the baby and the doctor was getting agitated. I was in really bad pain and was crying out, he asked me if he should stop but I didn't really know and didn't want to have to do it again. He had to take the needle out in the end as it was too painful. He tried again a few minutes later and it went smoothly as the baby wasn't in the way. 24 hours later I started losing amniotic fluid and had to go to hospital. They said I might miscarry and i was at risk of infection. It turned out the baby had T21 anyway so i terminated the pregnancy. Has anyone else had such an experience during an amniocentesis? I'm sure it can't be right. The doctors wouldn't acknowledge that the amniocentesis maybe caused the rupture.

Bumping for you

Im sorry you had to go through it.

It is stated in the risks that the amnio may cause a miscarriage. It is an invasive procedure, and it carries a not insignificant risk.

It seems your procedure was one of those. It happens, sadly.

Sorry for your loss.

A quick google will confirm that 1-2% of amniocentesis result in leaking amniotic fluid.

infection and miscarriage are on the list of risks as well.

so it seems odd that your doctor wouldn’t acknowledge that the issue was linked.

When I had amniocentesis I was told it would be uncomfortable and I may leak amniotic fluid. Both of those things turned out to be true. It’s hard to be relaxed when you're having such an invasive procedure which is also for a very emotive reason.
I’m so sorry for the outcome you had - have you had counselling for this?

when you were consented for the amnio you would have been warned of any risks as it's well-known ? what/how were you trying to discuss with the Dr. ,when you say they wouldn't acknowledge it as a possible cause? i'm sorry for you pain and your loss, hospitals usually offer a service to talk through difficult events and this might be useful for you.

My friend had amino and leaked fluid but it was all ok in the end . They told her because they are piercing the amniotic sack that there will be some loss of fluid before it heals itself? She got scanned after she had a gush of fluid and they monitored her for a few days and all was okay .

Also so sorry for your loss ❤️

sorry for your loss

it is a risk you agree to when you have the test, if you have the test - most women don't. I certainly didn't- from what I remember it carries a 1% miscarriage risk, so far more likely to miscarry as a result of the test, rather than find out about an abnormality

@piintheski it’s quite probable that OP had the test because she knew there was a significant risk of T21. She will have known of the risk but bargaining/turning over what happened is part of the grief process and entirely normal.
I chose not to have the amnio and just to terminate based on a positive NIPT and I beat myself up over that too.
So sorry for your loss OP - unfortunately I do know how it feels. Be kind to yourself.

I know there is a 1% risk of miscarriage but I think the doctor should not have continued with it if the baby was moving around as he had to move the needle around and cause me massive pain. He should have waited for the baby to stop moving first. An amniocentesis isn't supposed to cause that much pain according to the NHS website.