Anyone had amniocentesis when pregnant with twins?

missk_2

Hello
I've been advised to have an amnio for my twins after I had the nuchal translucency test. I'm concerned to say the least! I was hoping to find the experiences of others who have been in a similar situation and could tell me about their amnio experience.

Did all go well, were there any complications, etc.
Thanks

gorgeous_gwen

Hiya

I was pregnant with just the one but I had an amnio with DS. It was quite nerve wracking but the actual process was pretty straightforward. I did find it painful though and in retrospect I wouldn't have it done again given the odds I was presented with, and because of the risk of miscarriage being higher than the odds I was given of there being something wrong.

There's loads of stuff on the net about it, have a good Google. I can't remember any in particular but if I do I'll post back!

missk_2

Thanks for the response. It's good to hear from people who have been through a similar thing.
Thanks again.

arthur_dent_2

The thing to ask yourself is would/will the result of the test change how you feel about having your twins. In my case although I only had one at a time I decided not to bother with the amnio because I was having the baby regardless.

pookienoodle

Hi,
cannot give you any advice myself but why not try this website as it has a message board.
good luck.
http://www.tamba.org.uk/message-board.php

ronnie84_2

Hi i dont know if this will help you at all but as already said by 'arthur dent' would the result change your mind about having the babies? We have two beautiful, healthy children and with both didnt even have the blood test to see if we were high or low risk as if it came out high i wouldnt have the amnio and i would continue with the pregnancy. You need to decide if it would be an issue if there were any problems with your little darlings.

Unfortunatly on a little negative note just because children are born able bodied or 'normal' doesnt mean to say (god forbid) that something awful wouldnt happen and they would then become disabled or have problems that is why me and my husband decided to have children when we felt we were in a mental and physical in a position to care for children with special need.

Good luck with your decision im sure you will work out what is right for you xxx

MERFE

I had an amnio when I was pregnant with DD, it is a very big needle but luckily that isnt something that bothers me, OH nearly passed out though. We had a 1 in 75 chance for downs and I dont know what I'd have done if the result was not good, but we were quite young and shocked with the chance so wanted to know. Now I'm older I'd have the child either way but I'd still have the amnio just so that I could be prepared and I wouldnt go into it lightly I've recently had a miscarriage and would never want to go through that again but I would need to know if there was something wrong so that I knew what to expect. This is just my opinion and everyone is different, you have to do what is right for you.

gorgeous_gwen

arthur_dent wrote: »

The thing to ask yourself is would/will the result of the test change how you feel about having your twins. In my case although I only had one at a time I decided not to bother with the amnio because I was having the baby regardless.

This is something I have heard people say, and in my case I didn't have the amnio to straightforwardly see whether baby had any disability or not on a basis of whether to have the baby or not. In my mind, I needed to know so I could prepare (as much as you can) for if baby did have problems, contact relevant organisations, find out what support was local to me - I've worked with young people with Down's and spina bifida and know a little about the support organisations out there so it made sense if that were the situation to be as armed with information and potential support if it would be needed.

penguin83

I had an amnio with my daughter - it wasnt that bad but it was uncomfortable. Like gwen the results wouldnt have made a difference re continuing the pregnancy but I needed to know for myself either way. I wasnt aware of the increased risk of miscarriage though (they told me that afterwards!) so I dont know if that would have affected my decision. x x

As others have said do what is right for you x x

Floxxie

I've never gone down the blood test route and so would never have an amnio. The risk of miscarriage was a no go and the fact that I wouldn't abort based on the results.

Even if a child is physically fine, this test cannot tell how they will develop mentally.
I'm just grateful for any child I get!

Floxxie

Toto

I had a CVS test at 11 weeks because I carry a genetic condition. The CVS is more painful than an amnio because they have to remove a bit of the placenta, it wasn't much fun at all

All I can say is weigh up the pros and cons for you, regardless of other people's opinions, it isn't a test to go into lightly because of the risks, but not knowing if there is a problem is equally as bad because of the stress you put yourself under.

Good luck, i really do understand what a worry it all is. But, I had a 50/50 chance of having another handicapped child and it turned out well for us so if we can do it with our odds, anything is possible.