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I am debating skipping my amnio appointment and just waiting for my u/s at 18 weeks. I am just afraid of getting an "all clear" at the u/s only to find out later that the baby has issues.
Has anyone had an u/s that showed a healthy baby, only to find out later that the baby wasn't healthy after all??
If you are concerned about chromosomal abnormalities such as Down Syndrome then an ultrasound will only give you a risk screening while the amnio can actually diagnose a problem. So you may receive a higher risk on U/S and then be offered to go on and have an amino which can either rule out or diagnose the problem.
Regarding other health issues such as heart defects, cleft palate/lip etc.. U/S can often pick up these things but they are by no means a sure thing. I'm a midwife and we still see babies born with problems undiagnosed during pregnancy. While medical advancements have made it easier for us to relax a bit during pregnancy I think it's important to understand that a clear u/s is not a definitive answer.
Fortunately the majority of babies ARE born completely healthy u/s or not and those born with undiagnosed problems can usually be successfully treated.
Good luck in your decision.
Thanks Ruby. I am just terrified that the amnio will cause me to miscarry and I don't want to have it done. I am hoping the u/s will set my mind at ease if everything is okay there, but I don't want false hope.
I completely understand re risk of miscarriage with the amino. Why don't you wait for u/s results and go from there.
Personally I would only consider an amnio if I received high risk u/s results, but i understand it can be a difficult descision to make.
My 12 wk u/s was good. I hope that means all will be well at the anatomy scan.
FX everything goes OK and you don't have to do the amnio :luck:
Thanks, Z. I really don't want to do it. :(
When my blood tests and ultrasound came back good with DS3, I decided against the amnio. I thought the risk wasn't worth it. I think if everything looks good you can skip it.
Well, it's not something that can be picked up by amnio but I got the all clear with ds1 at my 20 week scan and he was born with heart disease which was only discovered when he was 2 days old. Ultrasound scans can only detect around 50% of cases where there is a problem so it's by no means foolproof. But the chance of something going wrong after an amnio is greater than your chance of having a baby with a genetic disease.
have a read here: Anomaly scan (20 weeks)
Quote:
Some conditions are easier to spot than others; some are hard to see at all. Most of the conditions on the list are very rare. Here's the list of conditions, and the percentage chance of your sonographer seeing each one, if your baby has it:
Absence of the top of the head (anencephaly): 98 per cent
Cleft lip: 75 per cent
Defect of the abdominal wall (exomphalos): 80 per cent
Defect of the abdominal wall (gastroschisis): 98 per cent
Missing or very short limbs: 90 per cent
Defect of the spinal cord (spina bifida): 90 per cent
Major kidney problems (missing or abnormal kidneys): 84 per cent
Hole in the muscle separating chest and abdomen (diaphragmatic hernia): 60 per cent
Excess fluid within the brain (hydrocephalus): 60 per cent
Edwards' syndrome or Patau's syndrome (chromosomal abnormalities): 95 per cent
Major heart problems (defects of chambers, valves or vessels): 50 per cent
Some conditions, including heart defects and bowel obstructions, may not be seen until later in your pregnancy. Having your anomoly scan will most likely rule out all these conditions, as the vast majority of babies are born healthy.
Personally DH and I could never abort even if the baby had a life-limiting condition, so we decided not to have any further testing as it wouldn't change anything for us but could give additional worry