Amnio ???

B

byebyehk

Registered User
Hi ,

I'm carrying my first baby now, and failed the Down Syndrome screen at 12th week ( risk is around 1/200 ). Doctor suggested amnio . I did my studies and the procedure seems relatively safe, but I'm still scared by the idea of sticking a needle into the unterus.

Anyone here experienced the amnio procedure before ? I know most of the women are just fine and never need to worry about this. I just hope that I can get some first hand experience, calm myself down, and go through this procedure safely. :woman
 
We're in exactly the same situation, byebyehk. I hope to hear some good responses!

I have heard that the rate of miscarraiage depends in part on the skill and experience of the doctor. Does anyone know miscarriage rates for specific doctors in HK? Any recommendations?
 
Hi. I had an amnio done back in July. The actual procedure wasn't too bad and not at all painful for me, just some slight discomfort when the needle went in and was drawn out.

The doctor did a scan of the baby first, and then we saw the needle going in on the ultrasound screen and away from the baby. After the needle was removed, there wasn't any bleeding on my belly but they stuck a plaster over the needle point anyway. Then the doctor scanned the baby again to show it moving and see the heartbeat.

I was told not to apply pressure to the abdomen and rest for the next 3 days, and also not to carry anything heavy or do anything strenuous for a week. I sat at the clinic for about 15 mins and then went home. I didn't get any cramping pains, although I've heard this is quite common.

As I was still quite nervous about the risk of miscarriage, I took things very easy for the next 3 weeks. I was probably a bit too overcautious and wouldn't even sleep on my side where the needle went in!

We got the preliminary results for down syndrome the next day, but I didn't get the final report until 3 weeks later. I've heard some people can get the final results earlier around 1.5-2 weeks time but depends if the cultures are slow growing.

I'll be happy to answer any more questions you might have. Good luck to both of you.
 
I had a bad downs screening too - like 1 in 160 or something, I can`t remember now. It was a devastating thought.
But I had no questions that I would never end the pregnancy. So, the 1-3% chance of a miscarriage from an amnio versus the less than 1% chance that I would have a downs baby really made my decision for me. It didn`t make sense for me the have the amnio.
What I did was the get another screening (it was completely different -and better - from the first one but no one could tell me which was was more accurate), and then I went to a good doctor for the 20 week fetal anamoly scan.
I gave birth to a beyond perfect little boy just over 8 months ago.
You basically have to ask yourself WHY you want to have the amnio. If you plan to keep the pregnancy regardless, then is there a lot of point to it?
 
I forgot to ask you - how was the nuchal fold test, where they look at the baby`s neck in on the ultrasound? What did they say about that?
 
It's one of those decisions only you can make. Yes there are risks, and there is the cost.
We decided we didn't want to bother with the amniocentesis as we had already decided we wanted this baby whatever the issues, and thus it was a redundant test for us.
I think there are more factors at play than just the "skill" of the doctors conducting this procedure. And currently the number of and period of use of these tests carried out in Hong Kong appears to be a bit small to have a decent sample with which to judge how risky certain doctors are.
Again, it's a very personal choice.
 
Hi Shenzhennifer,

I did the nuchal fold test, number looked good ( 1/1700 ), the only thing that failed was the blood test ( Papp-A and HCG ).

My first thought was that I would never abort the baby no matter what, so I said no amnio. But then I went through some research on the life of Down Syndrome children, which made me realize it's not an acceptable life for my baby. That's the only reason I'm re-considering it now.
 
Hi Akachan,

There is another thread on amio in this forum, where people recommended Dr. Lam. I'll try if I can find the link.

I'm seeing Dr. Alexander Doo right now, so I probably will go forward with him. Dr. Doo told me that on average, he did 100 to 200 amnio each year over the last 10 years, with only one case of miscarriage. It seems quite safe.

Good luck to both of us
 
i had a very poor combined result (1:4) which was devastating and for my own reasons, opted to have the CVS test which is like the Amnio but extracts from the placenta and is performed at 12 weeks (rather than 16). Because of risks (a little higher than Amnio because earlier), I felt reassured with the test being performed by Dr Lam in the central clinic. The clinic performs a lot of these tests and has the efficiency (and warmth) of a factory (which was fine for me, as this works out well re. statistics). Waiting for results was dreadful and like the earlier poster, I was quite careful physically for a few weeks afterwards. All went well and I gave birth to a healthy little boy 8 mths ago.
 
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So many people performed amnio with Dr. Lam .... It makes me re-think if I should go forward with Dr. Doo or not. I belive that more exercise leads to better skill.

The warmth of a factory ..... haha so funny
 
byebyehk said:
Hi Shenzhennifer,

I did the nuchal fold test, number looked good ( 1/1700 ), the only thing that failed was the blood test ( Papp-A and HCG ).

My first thought was that I would never abort the baby no matter what, so I said no amnio. But then I went through some research on the life of Down Syndrome children, which made me realize it's not an acceptable life for my baby. That's the only reason I'm re-considering it now.
Click to expand...


It`s interesting that your 2 tests don`t correspond with the other. I would be inclined to think that there is some kind of error in one of them. You had the test done at 12 weeks, which is the cut-off, isn`t it? I can`t remember exactly, but something drops off after the 12th week so they can`t test you anymore, some kind of hormone or something. Sorry, I did a lot of research at the time but it was a long time ago now. Also, it`s not just the actual blood test - they calculate it based on your age and what week you`re in. So you should make sure that all information is exactly accurate (on my first test it wasn`t and that`s why I had it redone) because it really affects the outcome.
We also have to remember that it is PEOPLE who are doing these tests. Humans are fallible. Everyone has a bad day sometimes.
I also did research on down syndrome kids and parents, but that more shaped my feelings towards keeping it no matter what.
Different strokes for different folks. You have to do what is best for you and your baby.
 
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a friend in NZ also was told that she has a big chance of carrying a down baby but he turned out to be so healthy and perfect. he is now 3 months old.
 
1. Do you think the amnio is worth it?
2. I've read that a lot of women who do the amnio go on to have a miscarriage after a few weeks. How likely is this?
3. If a mamas' group is here, this could be a good topic for discussion :-)
 
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