CVS or AMNIO??Which one would you have??

[clementine]

Hi there,
I am in my first trimester (37years old) and will be having my NT test when I am 12 weeks & 5 days pregnant.
My previous pregnancy was non viable - missed mc at 9 1/2 weeks (due to trisomy 15)

My DH is really keen to have some testing - regardless of how we go on the NT scan & blood test.
So I have hundreds of questions going in my head...
cvs - what time limit in weeks you can have this done
amnio - when can you have this done??

Opinons on which is "safer" "better" "more diagnostic" - cvs or amnio

any advice would be appreciated.

I am in brisbane and keen to get recommendations on who is the best to get cvs or amnios done by.

Thanks for your help

[sam's mum]

a CVS can be done earlier than an amnio. My CVS was unsuccessful though because I have retroverted uterus and so the placenta was at the back and they couldn't quite get to it.

I went to a women's imaging place in the city. it is not far from where the AFP is. (I don't really have any other points of reference in the area sorry)

The CVS is uncomfortable, but not really painful. it stung when they were taking the needle out and that was the worst bit.

I haven't had an amnio so I can't compare the two.

good luck.

[clementine]

Thanks

Just wondering what does AFP stand for?

Clemmie

[sam's mum]

Australian Federal Police.

[moochymoo]

I requested a CVS as i wanted a more accurate test carried out than the NT test. My Ob wouldnt do it as i was considered a low risk category (i was 34 years at the time), so he wanted to do an Amnio instead - which i had done at 15 weeks. It was a bit later in the pregnancy than i wanted as we would have terminated if something was wrong and terminating at this stage would have been really unpleasant. But acording to me OB, it was a lower risk of losing the pregnancy than the CVS. I think i had to have the CVS at 12 weeks, so in the end it was only 3 weeks later anyway that i had the amnio - it gave us a very accurate idea of the babies health and was lower risk than a CVS.
The actual procedure itself was pain free for me - believe it or not - with the size of the needle i expected it to hurt but it didnt, it was very quick and my little baby (who previously bounced around my uterus on ultrasound) sat there completely still while she drew the fluid up!
I will be having an amnio again next time without a question.

[clementine]

Thanks moochymoo
I really appreciate you telling me of your experience. Congratulations on your lovely little
girl.
Clemmie

[happyhips]

Hi,

I'm not sure what their reputation is regarding amnio and cvs but So+Gi - a specialised obstetric place in South Bank Brisbane, has a good website explaining everything about amnio and cvs, whats involved and the risks etc... might be worth checking out.

Annette.

[SpottySocks]

CVS is done between 11 & 13 weeks, amnio I think from about 16 weeks. I had CVS testing done with my current pregnancy because my oldest daughter has Rett Syndrome, this is a genetic condition that occurs in girls.

CVS carries a risk of miscarriage (it is a low risk but still risky) but we wanted the results as early as possible as we had decided we would terminate if the results were positive. It took about a week to get the results back and I would have been about 14 weeks pregnant at the time. This meant I would have had a general anaesthetic and the baby terminated.

If we waited to have the amniocentisis I would have been about 17 weeks when we got the results and then my Dr advised that the way to terminate at this stage is to induce the baby - I would have had to go through labour and give birth. I have a friend who did this at 19 weeks and the baby lived for 3 hours. Living with the guilt would have been hard enough but to actually have to give birth - that was something I couldn't consider!

Another advantage for us in having the early testing was that if it were positive & we did terminate I wouldn't have been far enough along for people to know. But by 17 weeks it was getting obvious that I was pregnant and would have been hard to hide.

You have to ask yourself "why am I doing this test?" & "what will I do if it comes back positive?" If you are going to go ahead with the pregnancy regardless of the results then do you need to put the child at risk? It is a personal decision but I would really recommend you know what you are going to do with the results.

Because we already had a child with a genetic condition we received counselling through the state Genetic Councelling Services - they also covered all the costs involved. The councellor was excellent and explained all our options and how all the tests are done. If your first pregnancy miscarried due to a genetic condition you might want to follow up this option and see if your state has a similiar service.

Another thing to remember is that when they do the CVS the Dr needs to watch what he/she is doing on ultrsound. This was the hardest part for us. We thought we could cope with our decision until I was laying there looking at the baby on the screen. I was thinking , I don't think I can go through with this and at the same time my husband whispered the same thing in my ear. We hadn't allowed ourselves to think of it as a baby but when we saw the fully formed head, arms and legs at just 13 weeks it really blew our minds!!

Anyway, it is a very personal decision and you really need to get as much information before you make any decisions. Goodluck!! I know how tough it can be!

[Beeza8906]

I was only reading the other day about CVS and Amnios..
According to the article i was reading
A CVS can be done as early as 13weeks and and Amnio at 15weeks.
There is a 1 in a 100 chance of miscarriage with the CVS and a 1 in 200 chance with the amnio.

i hope this has helped..
Goodluck hope it all goes well..

[tiggles]

Hi I recently had a CVS done by Dr Frank Carmody, I was so happy with him and his manner is lovely. He is in Brisbane, just cant remember the suburb, sorry.