[phonybalogna]

My husband and I are at a crossroads with this pregnancy. I am pregnant with triplets. I am 36 years old and at risk for more genetic problems than you younger moms. We want to do the CVS testing but I hear the miscarriage rate is 2 - 5%, double that of the amnio.

My question. Would you risk trying to carry 3 babies to term that may or may not be healthy or risk loosing the entire pregnancy doing the CVS? I know at some point a measure of faith has to kick in. I'm just wondering what other's have done. Oh, FYI, I had to have a cerclage just to prevent my cervix from opening with my singleton 5 years ago.

[Curlgirl503]

This is a tough one. Even though I am a young mom, I had to face the amnio question. My AFP test came back positive and I had to go for a level II u/s at 17 weeks. They found one "soft marker" for Downs, and gave me a 1% chance for having a baby with Downs. DH and I were very upset, but after some discussion, decided not to do an amnio because we didn't think it was worth the risk to the baby. Of course the situation is different because I was already 17 weeks pregnant so for us termination wasn't an option. We had our follow-up sono yesterday and everything looks perfect with our baby boy so I'm very happy with our decision not to do the amnio.

If I were in your shoes, I would probably wait to do any invasive testing. I know that there's a timeline for the CVS, but you really are barely at that cut off for someone considered to be an "older" mom. I assume the babies will be closely monitored throughout your pregnancy and your doctor would let you know if he/she thinks there may be a problem. Of course this is something only you can decide for yourself and I wish you luck.

[Yogagrrl]

I had a friend in the exact situation as you. Transferred 2 embies and had triplets (one split into identicals). She had 3 boys about 2 months early and they are all doing great. I'm not sure what she did in terms of testing. I have no advice on what you should do either. It is such a personal decision. I just wanted to say that it works out sometimes and you have been truly blessed...though you will be tired:-)

[lovingwife]

Did your doctor give you reason to believe you need the CVS? I just turned 35 and had an increased risk of trisomy 18 based on my quad screen results. My OB sent me for a level II u/s at 17 weeks (after the quad sceen) and the baby looked perfect. The peri that did the level II said that he would NOT recommend an amnio. Our risk of m/c with the amnio was higher than anything being wrong with the baby. Personally, I wouldn't do any invasive testing unless there was good reason to believe something was wrong (even then I would be hestitant). Defintely talk to your doctor and get all the information before making this kind of decision.

[Cristine]

I am 39 and I'm having a CVS in two weeks. Although my chances of having genetic abnormalities is still pretty low (1/80) my chances are still high enough that I want to know definitely that nothing is wrong.

My OB recommended a doctor who has done these for several years and has never caused a miscarriage. I think the key for those of us who have testing like this done is to find a provider who is very experienced and skilled at the procedure. Look for a provider who has very low miscarriage rates and you will be fine.

[jencat215]

here is my thoughts on the subject. if they found something wrong with one or more of the babies, would you terminate? If not, if you are determined to have the babies regardless, why risk the chance of losing one or all of the babies? If you are okay with termination and don't feel you can handle a baby with severe problems, then you should go for it. And no one will fault you if you do. It is a personal choice.

But, as my RE told me from the beginning, if I was set against termination of the pregnancy, why go through a procedure that could possibly cause a healthy pregnancy to terminate?

Good luck on your decision and we will be here to support you with whatever you do

[Cristine]

One other thing I forgot to mention earlier--my OB told me that often times the miscarriage rates you see quoted for CVS are very, very old. I don't believe 2%-5% is the current national rate. When I called to make my CVS appointment, the receptionist said the national rate is 1/200--or about one half of one percent.

[LV93]

I agree with Jencat. I will be 39 at delivery and at an early u/s the peri found a marker for Trisomy 18. I knew I would not terminate so there was no reason for me to do the CVS or amnio. It simply was not worth the risk just so I could know right now. Since that time I have had 2 level II u/s and my peri says everything looks great and the marker is now gone.

[phonybalogna]

Ladies, thank you so much for your responses. I think part of my anxiety stems from the fact that I am still so early in pregnancy and have had very little interaction with my OB ( one sonogram). I will wait a bit, talk with him and see what he recommends, pray on everything else. I will keep you posted.

[keehope]

Have you considered doing the First Trimester NT screenings and if you get flagged progressing along to CVS. My OB recommended that to me because of my history of miscarriage. She said only if the NT screening showed a significantly increased risk would she recommend I do the CVS. The NT screening is about 90% accurate.

[hopeless?]

Well said Jencat..I did not have any testing done because I knew I was going to have the babies regardless but it's a personal choice so good luck to you!

[futuremom]

I think there are other reasons to have the testing than just because you may terminate the pregnancy if something is wrong. If I were going to have a baby with some type of special needs I would want to know as early as possible so I could educate myself on the best ways to care for and teach my baby even before they arrived. Also my ob mentioned to me that some genetic abnormalities require special care at birth or very early on so it would be helplful to have a specialist on hand if necessary or change the facilities in which you are expected to deliver. I dont think having the testing means you dont want a baby that has problems, there are other reasons to do it! Just my two cents!

[phonybalogna]

Thank you for your responses. I agree about testing for preparation. We really don't know what we are going to do or how we will use the information. We are not totally for or against anything right now. I have heard of the NT test and will ask about it a precursor to CVS.

I love this board. I get so much insight and different views. It really does help me when I collectively use the info. in making a decision.

[Cristine]

My OB offered the NT/quad screen as a precursor for the
CVS test, but I am paranoid and wanted definitive information as soon as I could possibly have it. This is why I opted for the CVS and will skip the screenings.

[lovingwife]

We were offered the NT scan, quad screen and level II u/s. If there had been markers on the level II u/s, then we would've had to have made the decision about an amnio. There was never talk of a CVS and I made it clear I wasn't really in favor of doing an amnio. Every pregnancy and every doctor is different. Don't worry too much about these tests until you speak to your doctor and see what he normally suggest for patients.