Anyone Have Complications After Amnio

[Timing4Baby]

Hi Everyone!

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


If so, what the experience has been and if there were any complications?

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.


Write back soon

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

[tanjalalie]

Our personal choice, after all our miscarriages, and despite an AFP Quadscreen testresult that came back with a 1-in-9 chance of severe Spina Bifida, we opted to go with ultrasounds and refuse the amnio that the OB recommended.

We knew the risk was small, but still didn't want to take it.
Ultrasounds showed that things were fine afterall, whew!

Why are you considering having one done may I ask? did your OB recommend it?

Tanja

[BC-Sweedie]

I'd just be sure of the reasons why you think you'd wants an amnio. For me, I was 25 and 37 when pg so naturally the chance of Down's was greater. But my thought was if I had a Down's baby, I'd never terminate the pg anyway. So why have it. I also knew I'd never forgive myself if I m/c'd after having one.

I know the chance of m/c is low, but just be sure you really feel you need the amnio for peace of mind before you decide to consider doing it.

[Magpie]

I had one at age 40. The place I had it done at (Maternal Fetal Medicine) has a very low loss rate. I was told that they do 1,000 per year and that in the past 3 years they have had one loss due to amnio. The loss rate varies from center to center so you really need to ask about the loss rate at the particular place you will have yours done.

The detailed u/s prior to the amnio is cool. There was a very sharp pain when the needle pierced the uterus - I wasn't expecting that and glad I didn't jump. The amnio procedure itself is very brief. Was told to go home and rest for the remainder of the day. I did have a few contractions that afternoon but no bleeding. They told me that I might have contractions so I wasn't alarmed. Nine days later I got the results that I was having a healthy baby boy.

I am scheduled for a second amnio (2nd baby) this Monday at the same place. Even though their loss rate is low, I am still scared somewhat and if all looks good from the u/s, I may change my mind about the amnio at the last minute.

[jcc]

I haven't personally had an amnio but it has been a close topic in my family. My siblings have a genetic problem with chromosomal abnormality. We never knew it until my sis had recurring m/c. That's when the testing started and they found the problem....this problem resulted in a much higher risk of m/c and downs. My sis did have 2 successful pregnancies/births after that and got the amnio to test the baby - no issues with the amnio. However, with her last pregnancy, got the amnio just as before around 20 weeks. The results came back perfectly normal but within a week or two, the baby's heartbeat stopped. It is believed she suffered that low % loss from the amnio. It was incredibly devastating. She would never have done anything differently had the results come back downs, problems, etc. She'd continue the pg and care for the child no matter what. How she wished she didn't bank on the low chance of complications.

So many women have them and do just fine. Do what you is right for you - - its a very personal choice. However, if your decisions about the pregnancy and the baby wouldn't be any different regardless of the results, I'd think about even the low chance and stick only with the less invasive tests. Good luck with whatever you decide and for whatever reasons you may need this test, I hope everything turns out fine.

[BC-DKNY]

i opted out of the amnio, even tho with my last pg i was 38. my OB was an advocate for amnios for age 35 and above, but truthfully, i wasn't willing to take the risk. it had taken us years to conceive and terminating wasn't an option regardless of the outcome.

i do know someone who unfortunately miscarried due to an amnio. it happened relatively quickly after the amnio, and it was just heartbreaking. the baby was deemed perfectly healthy too.


if you're considering an amnio, magpie gave good advice. each doctor/practice/clinic should be able to supply you with m/c (due to amnio) rates. beleive it or not, just like anything else, there are doctors that are more skilled at this than others.

best wishes.

[burra]

I am another one who has opted out of amnio. My DD has down syndrome so I do have a statistically higher chance of having another baby with Ds plus my age (39 next week) is an issue. However I wouldn't change anything, my DD is such a delight and healthy and happy. The amnio can only test for a handful of things so even though you may get a "clear" amnio, it doesn't mean that your baby will be born completely healthy.

The risk for me just isn't worth it...down syndrome is not the evil bad thing that the medical industry would have us believe.

Good luck with your decision.

[3pookies]

I am interested in reading the replies here as I will be grappling with this same decision myself in a few weeks. Good luck making your decision.

[Maddy00]

I too passed on the amnio. They suggested it at my appointment last week because I turn 35 a month before I deliver. Picking on me simply becaue of my "old" eggs lol lol. I spoke to the genetics counselor (automatic referral when of "advanced maternal age") and she asked if I wanted the amnio and I told her no for the reasons already listed here.

I wouldn't terminate based on the outcome and also, many markers for things such as downs, spina bifida, etc... can be seen with u/s (especially the 4-d u/s) nowadays. I chose not to for those reasons as I didn't want to take the risk.

If you DO need the amnio, look for a clinic with low m/c rates as magpie suggested. Good luck making your decision!

[LeslieT]

I would strongly ask yourself, what do you want to do with the results? Is this "just to know", or is it because you would definitely want to terminate if there was a problem? Yes, there are many women out there who have CVS and amnio tests and things go just fine. But for the small few who lose their baby because of them, particularly a perfectly healthy baby, it is truly one of the most devastating experiences you will go through. Especially if you did the test "just to know."

I lost my baby during my second-to-last pregnancy right after a CVS test (only slightly higher risk than an amnio). My brother is severely handicapped and I was 39 at the time, so I was highly concerned about Downs or some other chromosomal problem. Would I have terminated had the results been bad? I don't know. I wanted the choice, wanted "just to know". And I lost my little girl. She was chromosomally fine, and I lost her from wanting just to reassure myself. Every single day I feel a deep guilt and remorse over it. I've since gone through another pregnancy and had a wonderful, healthy, normal little girl, at 40. But she still doesn't make that underlying sadness go away. I blew off the low miscarriage percentage, thinking "oh, it won't happen to me." I had already had one with my older daughter, at 37 years old, and everything had gone just fine. Same place (one of the top genetics facilities in the country, by the way), same exact doctor, same exact procedure. I just fell on the bad end of the statistics. And I feel like I betrayed my little girl, like I directly ended her life myself. If I had just been patient, if I had just waited to see the 20-week ultrasound and decide on an amnio after that, she would be in my arms today.

Everyone has to make this decision for themselves. But after having experienced what I have, I strongly urge you to think hard about what you want to do with the results if they indicate a chromosomal issue, and weigh that against falling on the bad end of the statistics. Don't let assurances of "never had a problem" or "only 1 out of 1000 cases had a problem" affect your decision. Weigh hard the need to know versus the risk of losing your baby. Those assurances don't matter when it ends up being you that's the one case with a miscarriage.

You're very close to your 20 week ultrasound. They have become so sophisticated these days, they tell you now most of what an amnio will with no invasive procedures. Especially if you schedule it with a perinatalogist.

The other thing is, as our perinatalogist reminded us, you can always have an amnio later, during the last trimester, when the risk is diminished much more and if something bad does happen to trigger labor or some other difficulty, the baby can survive outside the womb. This is if your main reason for wanting the amnio is to prepare yourself for any chromosomal issues prior to delivery. At that point, you will have done your 20 week ultrasound, will know if there's even any markers showing up that are a concern, and would have much lower risk if you did decide to do an amnio check. Of course this isn't an option if you would want to terminate, but it will help you greatly on the risk factor if it's just wanting to prepare yourself prior to delivery for any issues. Insurance might not cover it, but I would give any amount of money to have my little girl back...if I had only just waited and paid for it myself later, or not done it at all.

I know it can be a hard decision. For me, the decision during my last pregnancy was a no-brainer. Even at 40 and with my family history, there was absolutely no way I was going to have another miscarriage to feel never-ending remorse for. My little girl from that pregnancy is now 3 months old and fine, and I am thankful every day that I was strong, stood up to the worry, and didn't put her at risk.