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The technician that will a__sist the dr. will first give you a detailed ultrasound (measuring the size of the baby's bones, organs and skull, etc)and most likely be able to tell you the baby's gender, if you ask. The dr. themselves (as far as I know from experience) will be the ones performing the actual amnio procedure. There is a needle, I'm sure you know that. The whole time the needle is in your abdomen, it will be monitored on the ultrasound screen, so it will not go near your baby. It wasn't fun and I spotted a little the next day which was scary (but not unusual) but I can say that the rhogam shot (for being rh negative) I got in my fanny at the end of the amnio hurt more than the amnio needle. I am just curious, is your age the only reason the doc wants you to have the amnio? I was 39 when I got pregnant and I swear, they made me feel a bit of pressure to get mine. But it does lay you mind at ease when they tell you everything is just fine a week or so later. I hope this helped a little bit and let us know how it goes...

Hi Bridget. Yes the doctor told me that it was because of my age and at my last two doctors visits both the doctor and the nurse pract_tioner kind of pressured me into having it done. I have weighed the pros and cons and I will have it done. Just curious... did you get a shot of novocaine prior to having that long amnio needle stuck in your abdomen? I was informed that I may need to take to bedrest for a day after the test. Is this common? Did you leak any amniotic fluid after the test? I did read that a little spotting is not unusual but albeit scary. It's super hard not to constantly think about it especially since I have like a whole week of doing nothing but waiting for this darn test and thinking about it! I sincerely thank you for your comforting words and just knowing that I'm not alone surely does help.

I didn't get any novocaine for that needle but for some reason I don't remember it be "super" painful, maybe because I was just so nervous. I was going to go to to work the next day and then the dr I think said to take a day or 2 off and since it was on a Wednesday, I just stayed home til Monday. Try to take the next day just to not do much, rent a movie or chill out with a book. I didn't leak any fluid afterwards, just the spotting about 24 hours afterwards and they said it was probably a small blood vessel somewhere in there that burst--sounds bad but not uncommon and not a biggie.Your blood volume in your body goes up by 50% when you are pregnant, isn't that wild? You probably know the drill--bright red (more than a small amount)is more serious than brown or pinkish. Do you have someone going with you? My husband went with me and I think his knuckles were bruised, I squeezed his hand so hard. I remember someone telling me not to watch and I was thinking "Are you crazy, I want to track that thing till you're done and it's OUT!" It only lasted maybe a minute(probably less), to extract the fluid, the buildup was what I think makes it nerve-wracking. And I found out we were having a boy, which I personally had guessed 3 days after I found out I was pregnant. I guess other people too and I KNOW it sounds weird but I haven't been wrong for the last 6 or 7 babies, including mine and my sister's. Keep us updated, I'm sure you'll be fine.

Hi there. I am turning 39 next month and just had my 4th. I am curious as to why he is recommending one? Did you prenatal bloodwork come back as a positive screen? I had mine come back at 1/46 for Downs and I didn't have an amnio as they come with risk of miscarriage. Don't feel pressured by dr to have an amnio, they do come with a risk factor. Good luck.

All of my prenatal blood work came back good... they didn't tell me any different other than the fact that they would go ahead and schedule my amnio for me. Which I was a little surprised, pressured and just kinda shocked and that was it.... the doctor left the room. So last night I did some more research on the risks of miscarriage and the information I found say the risk is about 1 in 200. Those odds are pretty scary for me. Everyone is telling me that they will do a 30 min u/s scan prior to the needle. If this is true couldn't they see during the u/s if there are any visible markers for downs syndrome? If there are none visible to the u/s technician can't I just say that I don't want the amnio performed? Is this a wise choice? I'm still kinda confused and I don't want to risk losing my baby if there are no clear indications that there is indeed something wrong. Thank you ladies for all of your support.

The technician won't be allowed to tell you anything like whether there are any markers. It's so frustrating but they usually won't say much but are apparently allowed to tell you the gender, because mine did. The doc came in after the 30 minute US with me and so maybe that would be the time to ask him but he may also say the results have to be sent to a lab for a___lysis. If you would not plan to terminate the pregnancy, I might just skip the amnio if the doc doesn't have ANY reason other than your age. Since the day hasn't arrived yet, call your doc and have him call you back so you can ask him all you want to ask him. Have a list of questions ready for him, like why do you think this procedure is so critical, did you see any indications of genetic disorders or is it just my age? Also, 22 weeks is a bit late for an amnio, most are done between 15 and 20. Ask about any risks for doing it at this time in your pregnancy.I sense that you feel pressure to have it done, I remember how that felt. It was my first pregnancy and I think I let them make the decision for me in a way, though I probably would have had it sone, I did feel railroaded a bit. Give the doc a call. I felt a bit nervous doing that at first but after a while I loosened up a bit. I didn't call him every day but if I had a question that friends,family or the internet couldn't answer, like a personal one about me and my baby in particular, I went right ahead and called him. I would just remind myself that I (and the other patients) pay his salary so he should be happy to help.

I'm a little late answering this, but I'm with the person that asked you, would you terminate if you found out? I'm nearly 37, my youngest child 12 3/4, and surprise! I'm nearly 13 weeks pregnant and single. I looked heavily into amnio... what I found is this, the chances of loosing your baby at my age is 1/200 from amnio, the odds of finding a problem are 1/400!!! That means I would be more likely to miscarry from having amnio then finding a problem! in addition to that, my doctors off wouldn't help me if I got bad news and wanted to terminate... meaning they would make you find an abortion clinic and go that route? You have to make up your own mind, and make an informed choice on what works best for you and what you're comfortable with... best of luck to you!!! Either way I hope it is a wonderful, healthy pregnancy and baby! (I don't mean to come across as harsh, I just want to be honest)

hi disko love - i'm 23 weeks at 41, and I had an amnio at 15 weeks that came back all good. I'd also had all the bloodwork/nuchal measurement done, it too had come back all good. the thing is that all that bloodwork tests for/gives you odds for is downs, but not some of the more extreme problems that can be fatal to the fetus. in any event, as i've already had one m/c, i was very concerned about the risks with amnio but after researching the matter carefully, it was an obvious choice for me. first off, that 1/200 statistic is about 20 years old and comes from the era before they did ultrasound guided amnios. second, if you have it done somewhere where they do a lot of them, they can probably give you their specific statistics, which are usally closer to 1/1000 (the latest research actually says that the number used instead of the 1/200 stat should be 1/1200). i could go on, but mostly i just hope that you'll ask for your doctors stats and find that the risk is much less than these numbers flying around on the internet. that said, 22 weeks seems late to me for your doctor to be just generally suggesting an amnio - why didn't they suggest it much earlier (most often btw 16-18 weeks)... were there markers or something during your anatomy scan? anyway, i really hope everything turns out beautifully for you - if almost always does, so take a deep breath and try not to stress too much. best best for the rest of your pg!

Thats why I didn't do the amnio, I asked for a level 2 scan first and they saw no markers indicating DS, so I thought why risk my baby. Don't feel pressured or do anything you are unsure of. Ask for a level 2 anatomy scan and then you can take it from there. good luck in your decsion making.

First off... Renae - No one ever asked me if I would terminate the pregnancy if the test showed positive for downs syndrome and I feel that that is a really personal question especially at this point in my already frazzled mind. But, I do appreciate your honesty. Bridget - Thank you for all of your information and I am going to take your advice and call my doctor first thing Monday morning and see what he has to say about this whole thing. So, many thanks... and you are right we do pay their salary! lol Hi hcw - Yeah I think that you are right about the odds and I will be sure to ask as many questions as I can think of which is alot right now! I know that my appointment is with a specialist at the hospital but I will certainly ask what the risks are. I thought that 22 weeks.. I will actually be 23 weeks when I have the test done .. I thought it was a little late in the pregnancy to be having it done as well. But then I have a friend who is having one done in a few weeks to make sure the lungs are developed in her baby and she is 27 weeks pregnant. They say that the risk of miscarrying is lower in the second and third trimesters. I don't really know if this is correct but everywhere I have looked say that it is lower. Has anyone ever heard that before? I really don't know why they didn't offer me the amnio earlier. I'm puzzled. I have only had one u/s and that was at 17 weeks and no one said anything to me about any markers or anything like that. I'm wondering if it is only because of my age??? I'm thinking I will call my doctor on Monday and ask for a level 2 scan and perhaps that will help me make the correct decision. Thank you all for your support.

I would have to disagree with hcw...sorry and no disrespect intended but those stats of 1/200 are not out of date. I came from a high risk fetal medicine clinic and those stats are very real.

hi lovemy3... Yesterday I spoke with the u/s technician at the perinatologist office and she told me that the risks of miscarriage are alot lower than the original 1 in 200 ... but I'm sure that it varies between each case as each mother and baby are quite different in the risk categtory.