CVS to find out gender?

[juneluv11]

Hi,

Did any of you (over 35) do a CVS test just so you could find out gender? And of course check to see if baby was healthy??

I haven't even TTC yet, but wondered if this was an (early) option out there for the mature mamas.

Thanks!

[atomic sagebrush]

I didn't personally - we talked about it wiht our third son but would have had to drive 8 hours away and stay in a hotel. After that I had decided I was ok with waiting to see anythign on an ultrasound - by the time DS 4 and DD came around i had made my peace with the possibility of Downs and there no longer seemed to be any point.

I just want you to know that one lady on here lost a baby due to a CVS procedure. I'm not trying to scare you out of having one but I had promised her that I would let people know that it can happen.

[Dana-Alicia]

I would only do a CVS if I had a strong reason to think something is wrong with the baby healthwise. The risk of miscarriage is usually higher than the risk of anything wrong with the baby. Wouldn't want to risk that happening. You can find out about gender around 16 weeks. Those 4 weeks don't make a big difference, do they? And healthwise I would rather have ultrasounds to confirm baby's health. It's never a 100%, but it's a lot safer for the baby.

[nuthinbutpink]

There are new blood tests now do you do not have to do a CVS or Amnio. They tell gender too.

http://www.sequenomcmm.com/Home/heal...About-the-Test

Panorama is another one.

Non-invasive prenatal tests.

[Adia]

I have known 2 ladies who did CVS to determine gender. Both ended up terminating early because it was not their desired gender. They did the CVS specifically for determining gender.

I think its great that their are new blood tests that can be done to determine gender and not the risky CVS.

Best of luck, its always a tough call.

[strawberrymom]

I did the MaterniT21 test at 10 weeks 4 days. It is a noninvasive blood test with no risk to baby and tells you gender and if baby has 3 trisomies (including downs) with a 99% + accuracy. I recieved my results in 7 business days.

[Mrs_P]

i did a cvs test with this little one for a few reasons. Firstly i have one child with special needs i could not handle a second with possibly worst, it was not fair to my first or my other boys. Secondly, i had a high nt result with my third but decided it was too late by then to do the test as i would not have terminated (my personal opinion at the time was that 12 weeks was the latest for something like that - by the time i'd gotten the results and was offerend an amnio it would have been 16 weeks +).

I did also want to know the gender as i suffering horrible gd at the time (i had it really bad, almost verging on depression with ds3 and did not want to go there again even with the hindsight that he is the best thing that ever happened to us i was worried i'd end up on that long lonely path again) that was making me miserable, the answer would not have made a difference but i needed to know what i was getting so i could get over the dream and be excited for what i had - when combined with my worries about health this tipped the balance for me and made me go for it

Those blood tests sound great but were not available in our country (or at least not that i could find and i did look quite extensively).

The miscarriage risk for a cvs is there but according to my doctor it only had a 0.5% higher risk than that associated with an amnio when done after 12 weeks, making it about 1%. The majority of the risk is due to infection. Some of the higher risk is attributed however, to the risk at that stage of pregnancy anyway, with the risk being higher before 12 weeks as more women will miscarry anyway (its hard to know if it was down the test or going to happen anyway). Statistically your also more at risk if there is a problem with the fetus. Most women who miscarry do so right after the procedure (i think due to infection and the slight chance they could catch your bowel when they go into the uterus) or within the first two weeks, after that risk is next to nothing but then the procedure is normally done at 11-12 weeks so m/c risk dramatically drops at 13-14 weeks in the second tri anyway

I suppose it depends on your personal answer to the question what difference would the results make? If your answer is you would terminate if they were bad then the early choice could be important to you. If you would keep the baby regardless then its not worth the risk however, small it is.

Just so you know to other risks from the test come from it being wrong, i was quote 98 to 99% accuracy but it can be affected by placental mosacism (some parts of the placenta can be unaffected when the baby is so a false negative). There is also a slight chance gender can be wrong and they could get your dna not the babies (as it goes through your tummy or vj) so if your told girl there is a slight chance it could be boy.

If its something you want to do only for gender reasons i would recommend finding a good nub tech instead as they can tell you at 12-13 weeks anyway. At the u/s where they did my cvs test they told me 100% sure it was a little girl - i didn't believe and i remember saying no i don't do girls i have three boys this will be another boy, she smiled and said you'll see in three days time - but then the genetics test confirmed it.

ps whilst i remember the tech makes a difference to the m/c rates too, most have personal rates recorded and the more they perform the more often the less the risk. I can't remember the exact guidelines but there is a recommended number they should perform per year as a minimum to remain in good practice - a google search is very informative. I had mine done privately but the doctor (or whatever he was) i used was one of the top 5 within the country for the procedure. Placental positions also makes a difference, he took 45 mins scannning me first waiting for my uterus to move around so he could get a good view at the placenta and very nearly refused to do it was it would have increased the m/c risk.

Peace of mind was great though, results were back in 3 days for 3 main trisonmies and gender

[juneluv11]

Atomic sagebrush: Wow, someone lost their baby? I guess I didn't think about those risks.

Dana Alicia: You're right, it is only 4 weeks, but I'd be restless just thinking about it! Lol!!

Nuthinbutpink and Strawberrymom: thanks! I'll check those places out!

Aida: They terminated?! Wow! I hope the CVS test shows the gender is 100%! Can u imagine if they had gotten it wrong?!

Mrs_P: thank you for your lengthy response!! You've given me a lot of info to ponder.

Like I mentioned before, I'm not even TTC yet and I still have my IUD in. I'm researching as much as I can in regards to swaying boy and even if a third bundle of joy (whatever it may be) is in the cards for us.

[minimatron]

I had a CVS with my first at 30. Personally I wouldn't do it for gender reasons only. for all of the reasons above, plus it hurts. Not the actual procedure but afterwards. My stomach muscles were so tender and although it did heal quite quickly, I remember the pain even after my daughter has turned six and I have birthed two others. I was fortunate in a sense that she was my first, but I noticed you have two children to look after so if you don't have anyone to run them around for a while after recovery will be slower and more uncomfortable.

[atomic sagebrush]

Yes, she got an infection from the CVS and the baby didn't survive. If you want to message her, let me know via PM and I will give you her name.