Has anyone refused to have routine tests in pregnancy?

[foreverastudent]

I refused blood tests as I didnt see them as being medically necessary. Had loads of hassle with the hospital about it though.

I did have ultrasounds because I felt that the benefits outweighed the potential risks but would be interested to hear from anyone who refused these?

Does anyone else worry about the possible long term consequences of routine ultrasounds? I know docs say they're safe but thay said that about thalidomide (sp?) and ultrasounds haven't been around long enough to know if there will be effects 50 years down the line.

pixie Did they do any procedures whilst you were still pregnant or did they wait until he was born?

I refused the tests for things like downs syndrome because it didn't matter. It wouldn't have made me make a different choice so what would have been the point?

I had scans because they can pick up conditions that are incompatible with life, or which will require care during birth or attention straight after and which it is in the child's best interests for the team to be prepared for.

Had blood tests as badly anemic, had scans as baby was BIG. But refused tests for Downs etc as it would not have changed anything or made me terminate so didn't need to know.

Tests showed DD would be born with Spina bifida. Massive pressure was put on me to abort. I refused, but it was an horredous time. DD was born fine and all was brushed off with 'the testing equipment at nottingham QMC was faulty' FFS.

Refused all tests for DS 4 years later. DS was fine too.

trust your body.

Bloody hell, thelunar thats awful. Its wonderful that your dd is fine, but it is horrendous that you could have terminated on medical advice.

I had tests for general health but refused all scans. They told me I had to have one at 35 weeks to check the amniotic fluid and placenta praevia so I did that. The reason I didn't have scans before that was because I felt they'd be irrelevant and nobody's sure of the effects on the baby's brain yet. I definitely didn't have an amnio. What would I have done with the information? Aborted the child? Eugenics or what!!??!!

thelunar that is truly awful, sorry you had to go through that. We were also offered the option to abort after they found the renal problems, I think they "have" to do so but maybe pinkheart can confirm that. It still haunts me that we were even asked, especially when I watch him tearing it up on the Rugby pitch or getting great reports at school.

Nappyaddict we were monitored bi-weekly from about 28 weeks IIRC, keeping an eye on fluid levels and the extent of the damage, he was a big boy anyway and after a 4 day labour had an EMC. He went straight to the baby unit and at 3 days had the valve that was blocking the urethra burnt off. He was then put on trimethoprim for a year and was monitored regularily. At 4 he had a nephrectomy to remove the non functioning kid and he is now monitored yearly.

He is a superstar and I am very proud of him

Are you asking for an reason?

I've just realised something after reading pinkhearts post (totally anecdotal, non-evidence-based.) DD1 had 2 scans, DD2 had a lot of scans due to being very small for dates, something like fortnightly from 28 weeks. With DD3 I declined scans. DD2 is the only left-hander. Hmm.

We did the dating scan, 20 anomaly week scan and a 35 week growth scan for DC2 & 3. But we asked not to be given Downs risk odds.

But refused blood tests for downs etc etc as like others we would not have terminated in any circumstance (apart perhaps where there was a situtation where the baby had a condition where they would not survive AND this could cause a serious risk to my life).

I was at a private hospital where there is a higher proportion of older mothers and the midwives thought it was VERY strange not to do the full blood tests etc. But they respected our decision.

I had blood tests as requested as I felt they were relevant for my health as well as my child/ children.

I've just had booking in appt with midwife and said we don't want nuchal scan (just dating) or Downs blood tests or triple test. Reassured to see this thread and realise that this is quite a common decision.

I know the 12 and 20 week scans may show up problems and lead to anxiety and pressure to terminate, but I figure that they are sufficiently useful that we'll take that risk. I would want to know about foetal non-viability and any problems that should be picked up early for immediate treatment.

I agree with alle01 and secretme.

The assumption that if the baby had defects and you could not do anything about it anyway is False. Read secretme's post.

Dd1 had multiple anomalies picked up at 13 weeks. She was scanned every 2 weeks until she was term (she is right handed BTW). I was offered a termination, I was offered CVS - I took it. My pregnancy was entirely easy physically but the emotional stress and rollercoaster of repeated scans and uncertain diagnoses and treatments would test anyone.

She was born with a major heart defect in a medically managed way that ended up with my having a crash cs.

BUT she had a bed in NICU and was monitored from birth, stressful too in terms of feeding, weight gain obsession etc.

Medical advancements are such that she had surgery at 4 months and I have a beautiful healthy daughter with no damage to her heart, just a zipper scar on her chest.

If I did not know her condition, she would have in all likelihood gone into irreparable congestive heart failure before doctors picked it up. She was asymptomatic right up till her surgery, but when they opened up her chest, her heart was already very strained.

Did I think the worry was unnecessary. Some of it, yes. Would I go through it again? Definitely. Did I refuse tests/scans for ds - absolutely not.

I have a phobia for needles too. I had all my bloods, I just looked away. Since when is it a right for women to have a worry-free pregnancy - it is not an 'experience' you book. I wonder how many men take the same attitude to screening tests with their wife's pregnancy?

If something was wrong, wouldn't you want to know and be prepared, if not for yourself at least for the sake of the baby. Granted there are false diagnoses, but the downside is just unnecessary worry and perhaps a more medically managed birth than necessary. The downside could equally have been much much worse, particularly if something could have been done earlier.

But, blueshoes, don't you think you are making a LOT of assumptions? Like the assumption that one's DH will support your decision, for example, to carry to term a profoundly disabled child?

Littlesilver, I am not sure where that assumption comes from. Is that what you read from my post? I think you might have missed my point.

It's the bit where you say "if something was wrong, wouldn't you want to know and be prepared?"

Well, yes. But I couldn't keep that information from DH. And he would unequivocally want me to terminate. No exceptions. He would put me under a huge amount of pressure to abort and I don't think our marriage would survive it. Termination is completely unacceptable to me.

BUT he might well come around to a child with disabilities. Therefore I took the (extremely personal) decision to decline scans and not find out. It was the right decision for me. I would not dream of criticising another woman's choice.

Littlesilver, that situation is very personal to you. I would never in a million years have thought about that situation. I don't share your approach anyway as to how to save a marriage in that situation. You are making even more assumptions about your dh.

My post was simple - if you can do something to improve a baby's condition because it was picked up early through antenatal testing/scans, why would you turn down the opportunity to do so through self-imposed ignorance, just to avoid the worry to yourself of false positives or fear of needles?

No, blueshoes, they are not assumptions

LittleSilver, just so long as you are prepared to take on the burden of your dh potentially blaming you if your child ended up with a condition that could have been treated/ameliorated through early detection but was not because you decided you would rather not have screening.

i had one scan that told me i was 20 weeks when i expected to be only 8-10 weeks. Had no further ante-natal care till 2 weeks before my due date.

I also drank coffee, ate what i liked and worked up til the friday before my due date (which was the Tuesday of the next week).

DS2 born naturally after 4 hour labour and six pushes (ok he was 18 days late). weighed a healthy 9lbs 4oz. He was born with dislocated hips but that wouldn't have shown on any scans....

I had all NHS scans/testing with DD aged 4.

All tests fine, had a normal unevental pregnancy....then DD was born without her left arm below elbow.

I hope it's ok to answer the OP without reading all the way through.

I was high risk by age for DS. DP and I both have scientific/clinical backgrounds and discussed the issue about relative risks and needs for tests at length. We had all the routine scans - in fact we had some extra, medically advised scans through the pregnancy. We declined nuchal measurement at 12 weeks and declined alpha fetoprotein testing (whch can be used as an index for Downs).

This was because we knew that I would come up as high risk because of my age almost irrespective of whatever tests they did. There is a good argument that the whole process of investgating for Downs in the way that we do in itself creates more stress and so more likelihood of miscarriage. The amniocentesis process carried a 1 in 100-200 risk of miscarriage. The implicit assumption is that it is more important either to know the DS status (or to be able to avoid a having a DS child) than to avoid losing the baby.

Since I wanted this child very badly and would not have terminated, we asked not to have the AFP tests. I had loads of other blood tests though, as I had medical treatment for various reasons. And we had a very healthy little one in the end!

I had the routine tests as know am rh negative but refused blood screening tests as midwife agreed that since no mater result I would not terminate or agree to more intrusvive tests was no point

though I did have quite few scans due to previous problems with dd

Ds does have problems but then there untestsble got anyway