CVS vs Amnio

smitty429 · 05-24-2005, 12:15 PM

Hi ladies. I'm new here from the IVF boards. Here's my story. I'm 38, have high blood pressure and am pg with twins due January 12. I had my first obgyn visit today and they asked me if I wanted to have a CVS or an amnio. I thought I wanted the CVS until I went online and googled it. It sounds like it might be more risky, but I just don't know. Does anyone have any experience with either that can give me some insight? Thanks for any words of wisdom.

tanjalalie · 05-24-2005, 12:44 PM

I would wait to see what the Nuchal Fold scan at 12 weeks tells you.
I am 40, we had the nuchal scan done which looked very good, no risk for down's, then later we had the Quadruple bloodscreen drawn at 16 weeks which came back elevated for increased risk for Spina Bifida. Actually it was a pretty severe increased risk, 1:9.

We had been declining the Amnio because of it's 1:200 chance of miscarrying due to it. At this point however our OB insisted we have one done.
We compromised and instead rescheduled our Level II scan for the next day instead of the two weeks later.
After over an hour of scrutinizing the baby's spine, head, brain and all vital organs, the Peri decided our baby was most likely just fine. He stated our risk factor for any chromosomal abnormality or birthdefect had changed to 1:800 after the scan result. He offered us the Amnio still if we really wanted, but we decided to decline and not take the 1:200 m/c risk. He agreed and thought it was a good decision.

Would you abort if you did the amnio and found out something was wrong? What would be the reasoning for you having one done?
An option they offered us was: do the amnio at 32 weeks instead, then if it causes an infection or premature rupturing of the membranes, the baby will be old enough to make it.

I personally would never even consider a CVS procedure. And the Amnio only as last resort to maybe be prepared with a team of specialists if something were really wrong with my child and it needed immediate emergency care after birth. Or, if our Level II scan had indeed shown that our baby might have a form of Spina Bifida incompatible with life.
It took us too much to get this far to take the amnio risk, we felt.
I would talk it over well with your partner, and with your OB too, before deciding. Check the risk rate of the place where you will have it done. Who will be the one doing the Amnio? How many amnio's does he/she do per week? All things to orient yourself about! Amnio's can be done any time after 16 weeks, so, no rush yet!

Tanja

mmi · 05-24-2005, 12:50 PM

My OB thinks everyone should have an amnio. Not so much to terminate or not... but rather to be prepared. If there is something wrong, many times, these newborns need immediate surgery. If you just find out at birth, then you don't have time to make an informed decision. Of the two, amnio is much safer. Whatever you have done, go to someone highly skilled. They give m/c rates, but that is for overall physicians. I came out and just asked point blank, what is YOUR miscarriage/complication rate. The dr who did mine, only had one complication in 27 years and it was way back when they used metal needles(now they use plastic transducers). Plus he does them practically every day, and I felt very confident in him. My amnio was a breeze and knowing I was carrying a normal baby girl was so reassuring. Congrats on your twins and good luck on your decision.

smitty429 · 05-24-2005, 01:27 PM

Wow Tanja. Thanks for the information. It sounds like you've been through a lot. I thought I had to have an amnio or a CVS. I thought it was mandatory. I'll probably just wait and do the amnio as late as I'm allowed to. You've definitely given me a lot to think about and consider. Thanks and good luck to you!

smitty429 · 05-24-2005, 01:33 PM

MMI, thanks. The more I've researched today, the more I'm leaning towards an amnio. When I met with the nurse practitioner at my obgyn today, she seemed to be leaning towards the CVS, but when I called her back to ask her some additional questions, she said she has no preference. Anyway, thanks for the info!

mmi · 05-25-2005, 05:20 AM

It is a tough decision... and no, you don' t have to have either one done. I do agree, the amnio is safer than the cvs and don't let a resident(dr in training) do it if you have it done, go to someone who does them all the time. Good luck

smitty429 · 05-25-2005, 05:36 AM

Yes, they would send me to a perinatologist for the CVS, but I'm leaning towards the amnio.

Dublin · 06-02-2005, 08:33 AM

Hi! I've had both.

With my first pregnancy I had the CVS and everything looked good so there was no point in doing the amnio.

This pregnacy - had the CVS (which you have to do between 10-12 weeks). Results came back that there was an abnormality with chromosome 2. The condition is very rare and most pregnancies end in miscarriage. Since mine didn't they thought that maybe the abnormal cells were from the placenta and not the baby. We had to do the amnio for this reason. Found out the baby is fine and the abnormal cells were in the placenta as the doctors thought. Now because the abnormal cells are in the placenta I will have to do a u/s every month and then one a week for the last 6 weeks. This is because the amniotic fluid could decrease and the baby might not grow as he should.

One good thing about doing the CVS is that we are aware of the possibility of a problem and I can be monitored thoroughly. If I had only done the amnio, this wouldn't have shown up.

The most important thing is to pick a doctor who has done each of these procedures a million times. That will decrease your chance of m/c.

Its a personal decision so talk with your doctor and do what you think is right and what is best for you.

Good luck.

Dublin
EDD October 20

hopinandprayin · 06-04-2005, 05:35 AM

I agree that it is a very personal decision. Our RE seemed to strongly suggest the NT sonogram and the triple screen would be best. I had the CVS with my last pregnancy with absolutely no problems, but the person who did mine then had a ton of experience. He's not in the state now however. I tend to want the CVS, probably because I know far too well all the things that can go wrong, but our OBGYN suggests the amnio. I did a lot of research and have pretty well decided that is the best option for us. As someone already mentioned and my OBGYN said to me, do you want someone doing the CVS who only does 10-20 a year? We didn't, the amnio is so much more common here, so the docs have much more experience. You have been given great advice by everyone, sound like the key is doing the research in your own area and then deciding based on that information and your personal issues - the abnormality issues, early intervention should something be wrong, or possible termination - all these are so personal.

burra · 06-04-2005, 06:04 AM

Just a thought for you.....you do realise that an amnio or a cvs will not pick up all "abnormalities" in your baby. There are no guarantees that everything will be fine. Of course a vast majority of pregnancies end with a healthy happy little baby.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

05-24-2005, 12:15 PM	#1 (permalink)
smitty429 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Florida Posts: 119	CVS vs Amnio Hi ladies. I'm new here from the IVF boards. Here's my story. I'm 38, have high blood pressure and am pg with twins due January 12. I had my first obgyn visit today and they asked me if I wanted to have a CVS or an amnio. I thought I wanted the CVS until I went online and googled it. It sounds like it might be more risky, but I just don't know. Does anyone have any experience with either that can give me some insight? Thanks for any words of wisdom. __________________ Lisa

05-24-2005, 12:44 PM	#2 (permalink)
tanjalalie Registered User Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: New Jersey Posts: 3,771	I would wait to see what the Nuchal Fold scan at 12 weeks tells you. I am 40, we had the nuchal scan done which looked very good, no risk for down's, then later we had the Quadruple bloodscreen drawn at 16 weeks which came back elevated for increased risk for Spina Bifida. Actually it was a pretty severe increased risk, 1:9. We had been declining the Amnio because of it's 1:200 chance of miscarrying due to it. At this point however our OB insisted we have one done. We compromised and instead rescheduled our Level II scan for the next day instead of the two weeks later. After over an hour of scrutinizing the baby's spine, head, brain and all vital organs, the Peri decided our baby was most likely just fine. He stated our risk factor for any chromosomal abnormality or birthdefect had changed to 1:800 after the scan result. He offered us the Amnio still if we really wanted, but we decided to decline and not take the 1:200 m/c risk. He agreed and thought it was a good decision. Would you abort if you did the amnio and found out something was wrong? What would be the reasoning for you having one done? An option they offered us was: do the amnio at 32 weeks instead, then if it causes an infection or premature rupturing of the membranes, the baby will be old enough to make it. I personally would never even consider a CVS procedure. And the Amnio only as last resort to maybe be prepared with a team of specialists if something were really wrong with my child and it needed immediate emergency care after birth. Or, if our Level II scan had indeed shown that our baby might have a form of Spina Bifida incompatible with life. It took us too much to get this far to take the amnio risk, we felt. I would talk it over well with your partner, and with your OB too, before deciding. Check the risk rate of the place where you will have it done. Who will be the one doing the Amnio? How many amnio's does he/she do per week? All things to orient yourself about! Amnio's can be done any time after 16 weeks, so, no rush yet! Tanja __________________ Me: 42, DH, Avi: 29. Three IVF #2 12/04: Twins. Twin B at 11 weeks, 2 days Twin A: Quinlan Nathaniel, 6lbs, 10 oz. , born 08-29-2005 Proud to be AHM! Natural miracle Kian Yehuda to be delivered by C-Section on 2-16-2007 http://bd.lilypie.com/KB3pm4/.png

05-24-2005, 12:50 PM	#3 (permalink)
mmi 5000-9999 post king of hearts Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 6,471	My OB thinks everyone should have an amnio. Not so much to terminate or not... but rather to be prepared. If there is something wrong, many times, these newborns need immediate surgery. If you just find out at birth, then you don't have time to make an informed decision. Of the two, amnio is much safer. Whatever you have done, go to someone highly skilled. They give m/c rates, but that is for overall physicians. I came out and just asked point blank, what is YOUR miscarriage/complication rate. The dr who did mine, only had one complication in 27 years and it was way back when they used metal needles(now they use plastic transducers). Plus he does them practically every day, and I felt very confident in him. My amnio was a breeze and knowing I was carrying a normal baby girl was so reassuring. Congrats on your twins and good luck on your decision. __________________ 3 years and 15 medicated cycles(clomid, injections, iui's, ivf's, fet, you name it) and 2 angels before finally getting princess 1 (1999) 2 injection cycles for princess 2(2002) Truly miracles! "Life isn't measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

05-24-2005, 01:27 PM	#4 (permalink)
smitty429 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Florida Posts: 119	Wow Tanja. Thanks for the information. It sounds like you've been through a lot. I thought I had to have an amnio or a CVS. I thought it was mandatory. I'll probably just wait and do the amnio as late as I'm allowed to. You've definitely given me a lot to think about and consider. Thanks and good luck to you! __________________ Lisa

05-24-2005, 01:33 PM	#5 (permalink)
smitty429 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Florida Posts: 119	MMI, thanks. The more I've researched today, the more I'm leaning towards an amnio. When I met with the nurse practitioner at my obgyn today, she seemed to be leaning towards the CVS, but when I called her back to ask her some additional questions, she said she has no preference. Anyway, thanks for the info! __________________ Lisa

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05-25-2005, 05:20 AM	#6 (permalink)
mmi 5000-9999 post king of hearts Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 6,471	It is a tough decision... and no, you don' t have to have either one done. I do agree, the amnio is safer than the cvs and don't let a resident(dr in training) do it if you have it done, go to someone who does them all the time. Good luck __________________ 3 years and 15 medicated cycles(clomid, injections, iui's, ivf's, fet, you name it) and 2 angels before finally getting princess 1 (1999) 2 injection cycles for princess 2(2002) Truly miracles! "Life isn't measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

05-25-2005, 05:36 AM	#7 (permalink)
smitty429 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Florida Posts: 119	Yes, they would send me to a perinatologist for the CVS, but I'm leaning towards the amnio. __________________ Lisa

06-02-2005, 08:33 AM	#8 (permalink)
Dublin 1000-4999 post queen of hearts Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 1,226	Hi! I've had both. With my first pregnancy I had the CVS and everything looked good so there was no point in doing the amnio. This pregnacy - had the CVS (which you have to do between 10-12 weeks). Results came back that there was an abnormality with chromosome 2. The condition is very rare and most pregnancies end in miscarriage. Since mine didn't they thought that maybe the abnormal cells were from the placenta and not the baby. We had to do the amnio for this reason. Found out the baby is fine and the abnormal cells were in the placenta as the doctors thought. Now because the abnormal cells are in the placenta I will have to do a u/s every month and then one a week for the last 6 weeks. This is because the amniotic fluid could decrease and the baby might not grow as he should. One good thing about doing the CVS is that we are aware of the possibility of a problem and I can be monitored thoroughly. If I had only done the amnio, this wouldn't have shown up. The most important thing is to pick a doctor who has done each of these procedures a million times. That will decrease your chance of m/c. Its a personal decision so talk with your doctor and do what you think is right and what is best for you. Good luck. Dublin EDD October 20

06-04-2005, 05:35 AM	#9 (permalink)
hopinandprayin Registered User Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 60	I agree that it is a very personal decision. Our RE seemed to strongly suggest the NT sonogram and the triple screen would be best. I had the CVS with my last pregnancy with absolutely no problems, but the person who did mine then had a ton of experience. He's not in the state now however. I tend to want the CVS, probably because I know far too well all the things that can go wrong, but our OBGYN suggests the amnio. I did a lot of research and have pretty well decided that is the best option for us. As someone already mentioned and my OBGYN said to me, do you want someone doing the CVS who only does 10-20 a year? We didn't, the amnio is so much more common here, so the docs have much more experience. You have been given great advice by everyone, sound like the key is doing the research in your own area and then deciding based on that information and your personal issues - the abnormality issues, early intervention should something be wrong, or possible termination - all these are so personal.

06-04-2005, 06:04 AM	#10 (permalink)
burra 10000-15000 post ace of hearts Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Adelaide AUSTRALIA Posts: 16,422 Blog Entries: 301	Just a thought for you.....you do realise that an amnio or a cvs will not pick up all "abnormalities" in your baby. There are no guarantees that everything will be fine. Of course a vast majority of pregnancies end with a healthy happy little baby. Good luck with whatever you decide. __________________ Karen DS 7/93 DD 12/03 DS 11/05 Don't worry about the world coming to an end today, it's already tomorrow in Australia

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