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I am 35 and I am in my 11th week. I had a miscarriage in April, given that and my age I am "high risk". My doctors office called me today to set up an appointment with a different doctor to do a pap test. This isn't the regular pap smear test--I asked. I don't know if it was a nurse or his secretary, but she didn't know what exactly the test was for, just that it was for high risk pregnancies. It isn't to check for downs syndrome, that test is later. Does this ring a bell for anyone? I've been trying to get information online. I know I can just call my doctor's office tomorrow, but I found this forum so I thought I would ask. thanks

Theres no one checking ID's at the gate.

Would all of you just stop your nattering! You all sound so juvenile. This site is for older women who are pregnant or who are thinking of getting pregnant. I don’t see why so many of you have a problem with this!

Congrats to all you Ladies expecting! This is my second pregnancy. My son will turn 13 at the end of August. (just a bit of an age gap) With all the information available online does any one else feel overwhelmed with the potential complications being over 35?

hi i am 39 and pregnant with my third. i am very afraid ,however, i do not want an amino. i just want to be able to enjoy this pregnancy.

Mother 777 Have you had other tests to rule out any problems. With my first I had amino performed due to complications. My son was born with too much fluid around his brain... he is perfectly healthy now. This time I will have amnio just because of my age. 3 weeks of waiting is soooooooo hard but I don't think I could enjoy my pregnancy unless I knew everything was ok.

louisa: no i did not have any of the tests done yet. however, my doctor is sending me to genetic counseling. did you have an animo with your son that was born with fluid around his brain. and was you over 35 at the time of your pregnancy?

Mother777 With my son I had amino testing done at six months due to the doctors concerns with ultrasound results. I was 23 at the time. This time I'm 36 and will be 37 at the time of delivery (Due date Feb, 23 2005

Louisa - did you stay off of your feet for more than 24 hours after your amnio? I am 35 was scheduled to have an amnio last friday, however, the docs determined that two of the membranes on the top of my uterus at not yet fused in order to ensure an absolutely safe "tap" - so they pushed it 10 days and now I will be at 19 weeks!! That seems so late! But, this doc is a maternal/perinatal specialist and appears to be excellent so I am listening to what he has to say. . He has also told me that based on the ultrasounds it appears that everything is going perfectly well with development. However, I am one of those people who wants complete a__surance - but then again - when he tells me the ultrasound looks good, I if wonder, maybe I shouldn't even do the amnio. I guess I'm just looking for women who have had amnio experiences - can you tell me about yours?

My Amnio with my son was performed at six months, that's when a concerned was detected on the ultrasound. To be quite honest I don't remember if I was told to stay off my feet for 24 hours. (13 yrs ago) what I remember the most was the team of nurses that held me in position when the needle was inserted and trying to freeze my body so not to move an inch. The needle felt no different than having your blood taken. Like yourself I need to be rea__sured that everything is ok. Being in a high risk group is hard to deal with. Once the results are back I know I'll be able to relax and really enjoy my pregnancy. Yesterday I heard my childs heart beating in the doctors office.... still just as amazing as with my first. One thing my doctor mention was that my uterus was larger than it's supposed to be for my duration. My dates are correct, my first ultrasound was at 6wks 5 days, this is considered very accurrate. Has anyone else experienced this?

louisa: yes the doctor told me that my uterus is higher than it is suppose to be. at one of my visit he asked me if i had fibrois. this week he said it was probably because i had a c-section before. anyway, i may do the amino. first, i want to see the results from the type 2 sonogram in sept which, i will be five months. i took the feta-alpha test. which did not help. it showed that i was at a increased rate of having a baby with down-syndome because of my age compare to a 27 year old. i thought that test was suppose to tell you if the baby had brain or spinal damage.

Mother 777 My doctor asked if I had fibrois too, but nothing should up on the first ultrasound. When I check out some websites some suggestions were wrong dates, twins, fibrois and one even mentined a full bladder. Which at the time of examination could of been me, my bladder always seems full these days.. I'm sure you can relate Did you experience any pain while the doctor check out your uterus? I had pain on my right side . The amino test can be scary, waiting the three weeks for the results can seem like it would take forever. It's great to have this site where you can support each other through the different stages of your pregnancy.

louisa: when the doctor examine me the top part hurt somewhat. i can feel the baby moving on some days quite often. i am really thinking hard about the amino. can the level 2 u/s tell if there is any birth defects. when is your due date?

Mother 777 This is a defination of a type 2 Ultrasound I found online. The answer is that a Level Two Ultrasound is really no different that any other ultrasound, it simply looks more thoroughly. Instead of a superficial "look" at the fetus, a Level Two ultrasound looks specifically for any suspected problems or areas of concern. The term really only means a longer and more in-depth ultrasound, sometimes referred to as a "targeted" ultrasound. My due date is February 23, 2006

Mother 777, I had the Level II U/S done last friday and what Louisa says is correct - it is a fairly detailed scan where the docs measure fetal development. During mine, the doc measured the skull, the femur, the distance between the eyes, and a few other things (which I can't remember!). It took about a half an hour. Based on those measurements, he was able to say that everything appeared to be normal and lowered my risk of DS or spina bifida to half of what it was before. With that said, however, there is still no guarantee that these defects do not exist because the measurements cannot tell everything, they can only give a risk determination. Likewise, the blood tests will also only provide a probability rating. This is why I am so torn! My age is up which automatically increases the risks, I also have the fibroid tumors and had a placental abruption last month. Additionally, the pregnancy was a surprise and I was on medication at the time of conception. SO. . .I remain worried and want certainty and at the same time, think, well. . .so far everything looks good, why risk it. And then I go back to the other side again! I am scheduled for the amnio this monday, and I feel like maybe I should just do it for peace of mind. . .sigh. The more I research and I do on the amnio, the less risky it seems. But. . .who knows!