Amnio advice?

[Sally Nevermind]

Has anyone ever had the amnio test? I am going in a few hours to have this test. I got a call this morning that my blood tests had come back with a 1 in 44 chance for a down syndrome baby. From what I can gather these results are very high. I am so nervous because there are risks involved but for me the risks are outweighed by the need to know so I can prepare myself and my life for the changes that will be coming in the future, if I am to be a mom to a down syndrome child. I am also afraid to do too much research on the web about it as there are a lot of horror stories that will just make me panic lol :)
If anyone has ever had this test and has any advice for me I would really appreciate anything at all :)
Thanks!
Sally

[MrsPinecone]

It's a major anticlimax after all of the worry people put into it. I can't say anything about your results, but the actual procedure took less than 60 seconds, both times that I had it.

You may have some cramping afterward (I did once, but not the other). My doc told me to pop a couple of Advil. Hang out on the couch for the rest of the day, and you'll be good to go in the morning. I drove myself home both times.

[DebK1013]

I had the exact same thing happen to me. That test reads false positive quite often. Everything was fine.

[tmsmalley]

You're probably already there but I had amnio both times. It is typicallly just a little pin prick in the tummy and you're done. Then you take it easy for a couple of days. The risks are actually much lower than they appear since methods are MUCH better now than in the early days of amnios.

Also, rest assured that 1:44 is not a score. They are just odds. So, if you double that and round off, it is approximately 2:100. That means that 98% (give or take) everything is just fine. They come up with this number through a combination of factors including your age. If you're over 35, you're almost guaranteed to get a "high" score just by being pregnant, so don't let it freak you out.

Hang in there, waiting for the results is hard but once you have them, most of the worry goes away.

Tess

[redemption_song]

You are probably already there, but my amnio was much later in pregnancy (37 weeks, for lung maturity) and was slightly more complicated by the fact that the placenta was anterior and the needle had to go through the placenta. Even then, it wasn't a huge deal. Those tests are notorious for false positives, I hope the amnio is able to put your mind at ease.

[JOURDYSMOM]

hope it went well...take tylenol for any pain not advil...advil is not acceptable during pregnancy {{{HUGS}}}

[Sally Nevermind]

Thanks so much everyone :)
Everything went well and it was a lot easier than I thought it would be :) As usual the fear of something is a lot worse than the actual thing itself. Now just for the waiting!
I really appreciate the support!

Sally

[MrsPinecone]

hope it went well...take tylenol for any pain not advil...advil is not acceptable during pregnancy {{{HUGS}}}

Advil was recommended by my fetal-maternal med specialist who did the procedure.

It just isn't to be used in the third trimester.