Anyone Have Complications After Amnio

[Timing4Baby]

20 week Ultrasound --- not accurate eitherI want to thank you for all of your responses. Very difficult decision indeed.
I am touched by all of your stories and my heart pours out to those who suffered a lost as a result of amniocentisis.

I just wanted to add a few things about the 20 week ultrasound that I think is really important. I have been in touch with moms with Down Syndrome babies....each and every woman that I spoke with told me that the ultrasound....DID NOT.... pick up any markers whatsoever. Now, two of these babies did have holes in their hearts, but I have learned that is an extremely common defect found in fetuses and really has nothing to do with down syndrome or other trisomies.

I, too, thought the ultrasound would really be useful for detection of D/S among other things, but I have been told again and again that IT IS NOT! Alone, the 20 weeks ultrasound is not reliable. The only thing that is 100% reliable is an amnio. MY DOCTOR TOLD ME THAT ULTRASOUND IS NOT TO BE RELIED UPON!!!!

Now, I just wanted to share with you all that I have not made any personal decisions with respect to the outcome of the test. Many people go in thinking that they will terminate and others don't.. Really, I think the amnio is just about knowing and nothing more. I don't think a person should make a decision ahead of time. I am sure you can all appreciate that.

[COLOR=Purple]I do have some other questions.....I was told that one should plan for at least 24-48 hours of bed rest. Can you all tell me how many hours of bed rest you had? When did any of you start driving? [/COLOR]


EDD 1/1/05
Officially 18 weeks (I think)

[mmi]

My OB thinks everyone should have an amnio, not to decide to terminate, but so they can make informed decisions. I did not have one with my first, did with my second. His thought is, if they baby has problems, needs somethign like immediate surgery... if you know ahead of time, you can do research and make rational decisions. When you find out shockingly at birth, you are so full of emotion to make an informed decision.

I come right out and asked HIS complication rate(not the national average) Having been a critical care nurse, I really think you can't go by general statistics, more by personal skill level.

I had a bandaide, and NO bedrest, no nothing... got up from the table and was told to have a nice day I did go home and milk it a bit and "took" the day off(Had a 2 year old at home at the time). Knowing I was carrying a "normal baby girl" made the rest of the pregnancy MUCH easier. If I were to conceive again(wont' happen), I wouldnt' hesitate to have one by my OB.

Good luck with your decision.

[ClaireNola]

comments in pink

Originally Posted by Timing4Baby

Hi Everyone!

Just researching amnio and wonder if anyone has had an amnio.

I had one with my second pregnancy. My afp showed 4:10 chance of trisomy 18, a nearly always fatal disorder.
With my most recent pregnancy, I was 36 at delivery and did consider it, but declined. Here was my reasoning: 12-13 week u/s looked good. Nuchal measurement was within normal range, baby was good size. But this is not reliable (but still a good sign). 17 week u/s no markers for anything unusual. Still not reliable, but comforting all the same. AFP results 1:10,000 for d/s. Complication rate at the clinic at which I was seen 1:300-- that sealed it for me-- no amnio this time around. That said, I did not enjoy my pregnancy because I was so afraid there was something wrong with my baby. The amnio would have made me feel much better weeks 17-40. Still not sure that is worth the risk. She's here now and seems ok.If so, what the experience has been and if there were any complications? It hurt like a bee sting, no complications. I was sore for a couple of hours and had to walk *very* slowly back out to the car. dh and I went out to lunch afterward, though.

Has anyone miscarriaged from an amnio? If so, how soon after the amnio did that happen?

Any other comments or concerns would be greatly appreciated.

Good luck making your decision!
Write back soon

It's a girl (per u/s which is not reliable)
EDD 1/1/05
17 weeks 7 days...

[ClaireNola]

I just wanted to add a few things about the 20 week ultrasound that I think is really important. I have been in touch with moms with Down Syndrome babies....each and every woman that I spoke with told me that the ultrasound....DID NOT.... pick up any markers whatsoever. Now, two of these babies did have holes in their hearts, but I have learned that is an extremely common defect found in fetuses and really has nothing to do with down syndrome or other trisomies.

My sil and bil have a d/s baby. Fetus had an echogenic bowel at her 18w u/s, so there is at least one case where a marker was found! She declined amnio. Her afp was normal, btw.

[hbby]

I opted for the amnio after an abnormal nuchal scan. The main reason we decided to do it was because we are having twins and were worried about the twin in question and his brother. We wouldn't have terminated if it was d/s but it was important that we know what was going on for both their sake. The procedure was nothing, there was a tiny poke and it was over. The hardest part of it all was the wait. We didn't get our results for 12 days! I was told to take 24 hours of bedrest and not to drive for that time. We had it done on a Friday so I could take it easy for the next two days. I did have some pretty bad back pain but that went away after a day or so. Best of luck in your decision.

[LeslieT]

The 20-week ultrasound is getting much more accurate though if you combine it with the new nuchal scan blood serum/ultrasound test they perform around 10.5-11.5 weeks. That and having a perinatalogist perform both tests, the nuchal scan and the 20-week anatomical, not just an u/s tech. At 17.5 weeks it's too late for the nuchal scan, but it's an option for others who are earlier in their pregnancies and want to avoid the risks of invasive tests like CVS tests and amnios.

No, it's not as 100% certain as an amnio. But then for the vast majority of ladies at this decision point, if the nuchal and 20-week both come back negative with no markers, your risk of still having chromosomal problems are lower than the miscarriage risk from a CVS test or amnio...higher the older you get, but even at 40 my risk of miscarriage from the tests was higher than from possibly still having a chromosomal problem with no markers showing up.

I just want to stress to all ladies who are deciding still. I felt exactly the same way...wanted to know for surgical reasons if my baby had an issue, wanted to prepare myself ahead of time so my birth would be more joyous, wanted the choice on whether or not to terminate if there was bad news, etc. That was, until I lost my baby because of the test. Now my feelings on invasive tests are entirely different.

Timing4baby, it sounds like you've already made up your mind to have the amnio, so I wish you the best of luck.

[Maddy00]

Originally Posted by Timing4Baby

[COLOR=Red]I just wanted to add a few things about the 20 week ultrasound that I think is really important. I have been in touch with moms with Down Syndrome babies....each and every woman that I spoke with told me that the ultrasound....DID NOT.... pick up any markers whatsoever. Now, two of these babies did have holes in their hearts, but I have learned that is an extremely common defect found in fetuses and really has nothing to do with down syndrome or other trisomies.

Just wanted to say it is MY understanding that a good peri with a 4-d ultrasound certainly CAN see many of the markers for DS, trisomy 13, trisomy 18, spina bifida, etc...

I don't know how prevalent 3-d u/s were a year or two ago, but I think they make visualizing certain markers even easier than in the past. As for the mom's with babies who had DS and showed heart defects, that is a different situation. To me, in that case you have cause to at least examine the option of an amnio. So in those cases, the u/s did what it was supposed to do..kwim? It detected some markers...whtat they did with that information is very individual (to investigate further and get an amnio, or wait it out).

Just wanted to point out that a lot of it depends on skill of the doctor, and what type u/s they're using. Such an individual choice...at least we all have many options!!

[CAKI]

Hi Ladies,

It is interesting to see all the different view points on this topic. Being almost 37 they asked me whether or not I wanted an amnio. I have decided not to because the outcome would not make a difference. I am already high risk due to age, being a DES daughter, 4 different laser/leep on the cervix and gestational diabetes. Add to that my DH is in Iraq and won't be back untl Oct and I would have to go through it alone. I am being monitored every two weeks for cervical length and am concerned what complications could occur from the amnio converning contractions etc. The docs here have not pushed the issue and maybe if they did I might reconsider because both sides seem to make very valid points. I appreciate your candidness and insight into this very critical issue.

Thanks

Cathy

[Timing4Baby]

You know...I forgot to mention the importance of the nuchal translucency. That in combination with the ultrasound is the best way to detect problems. This is something that you should all know and I forgot to share with you. I went for the nuchal translucency, but was told that I was too advanced in terms of pregnancy for the exam. I had two other ultrasounds that put me exactly at 5 and 7 weeks...however, no other u/s until when I appeared at 13weeks for the nuchal translucency....my baby grew leaps and bounds during the 5/7th week and the 13th week. When I went for the nuchal translucency the doctor indicated that based on the size of the baby its gestational age was much more advanced and they could not perform the test. It was a real let down b/c I knew the importance of that test and felt like I had been deprived of something I so much needed.

Word of Wisdom: Nuchal translucency has to be performed between the 11-14th week I've been told...fetuses advance differently, so make sure you are not further along (even if you have had a timed conception) because your baby can advance much faster than you think. If by u/s they detect that your baby is larger than predicted, more than 11-14 weeks or so, you will be denied the nuchal translucency. I would highly suggest having your ob reconfirm the gestational age of your fetus at the 10-11 week just to make sure you aren't further along than expected.

Since I don't have the results from a nuchal translucency and nobody warned me that this could happen, I feel that I am without many options. Yes, I am glad the u/s thus far didn't pick up any markers, but my doctor told me 17 weeks is too early for an anatomical ultrasound --- they like to perform the ultrasound around the 20th week. I will still have the 20th week ultrasound (provided everything goes well), but I don't think it is wise to wait to the 20th week for an amnio b/c the amnio does not always go well....I've heard that, in some cases, they have to run the tests again for one reason or another and it takes approximately two weeks to get the results back, so it could potentially take 4 weeks (depending on how things go at the lab).

NOTE: if you pay an additional $$$$ for FISH you can have the preliminary results back in as little as two days.

I can't speak for other states, but I know that women have options up until their 24th weeks...(check with your doctor) after that no matter how severe a condition your baby is in.....you are having that baby, so that is why I am leaning towards an amnio prior to the 20th week...just in case.

Remember amnio looks for Trisomy 18, which is a lethal form of retardation...you can actually carry to term and baby will die within first week of being born.

In coming to a decision, regarding the amnio -- the genetist asked me two important questions -- altho she was not encouraging termination she did ask me if in the case of Trisomy 18, would I want to carry a baby to term, almost a full year, knowing that the baby won't last a day outside of the womb? She then said, considering your age, wouldn't you want to start trying again?

Well, ladies, I don't know about you but if the amnio revealed, that no matter how normal the baby looks, it would not last for more than a day outside the womb would I want to carry the baby to term? Well, obviously the answer is of course I want to carry this baby to term, but do I want to hinder or forego the opportunity of having a healthy baby by doing so. Remember as we all advance in age it is just going to get harder and harder to have children. I mean I am sure that for some it does not get harder, but I think we all know that it gets tougher with age.

Anyway, as it turns out, I am not an increased risk for Trisomy 18...in fact I have like a 1 in 4000 chance per the test, but there are false negatives....know what I mean?

I am already attached to this baby...very much so....the baby sucks its thumb. It was 14 weeks when I first saw it lift its arm and flex it at the elbow and attempt to do something with it....when I went back just three weeks later...the baby had been practicing b/c in one picture no thumb in the mouth....less than a second later in went the thumb....much faster. LOL....I asked for a picture of the thumb sucker...Anyway, I've always found thumb suckers very cute for one reason or another... LOL. I have at least three thumb suckers in my family...and I definitely would have been one, but instead I used to just put my hand up to my face....didn't quite get to the thumb sucking stage....Okay...I've gone off on a tangent...sorry.

Anyway, if things are going to go bad....really bad.....TRISOMY 18....I want to know now.


EDD 1/1/05
18 weeks
They think it's a girl!!!

[tanjalalie]

I am sorry that you missed the Nuchal Scan option, you are right, it would have helped. But there are things in life and nature you just cannot always control - chromosomely healthy or defective foetuses being one of them. Sometimes life deals you a blow and you have to cope as best you can. I speak from experience about the defective foetuses. The grief and healing are a lot of work.

BUT!!!
I have to throw in the devil's advocate thing though!

What if she/he is completely chromosomely sound, and you loose him/her due to just having the procedure? Because you felt you needed to know?
Will you be able to live with that?
Specially at a chance of 1:4000 for a rare defect and a 1 : 300 chance that something will go wrong due to the amnio itself?
Would that not be far more bad than the bad of finding out a defect?

Would the guilt compounded with the grief and healing work not make things more awful than waiting the natural course of the pregnancy out, even if the outcome would have a slight chance of being very sad?

I do very much hope that all goes well of course, no matter what you decide.
I merely wanted to again stress where many of us opting for good ultrasounds done by Perinatologists on good equipment and other non-evasive tests instead, are coming from.

Good luck and best wishes

Tanja