"advanced maternal age"

[jazzmom]

Sigh. I don't FEEL old. So why does this term bother me? I'm 38. Isn't the trend to have kids later in life--in your 30's--anyway? So with that said. my OB asked me at my appt today if I was going to do any of the tests for Down's or other possible chromosonal defects. I truly don't know. I'm leaning toward no (didn't do them with my other pregnancies) but I also feel I should do some research again, just to be informed. It is reassuring that my OB said she was also 38 when her son was born and while she had the tests done, looking back she doesn't know that she'd do them again. What do you think about these tests? Are you having them done? Why or why not? On the plus side, baby's heartbeat was strong today!

[Julbella78]

I too am considered AMA. Yuck! I'm 34 but will be crossing the 35 mark before I deliver. I had the prenatal screenings already. I had blood drawn on 2/4, then my finger pricked on 2/8, followed by an ultrasound on 2/20. They looked for signs of Downs and Trisomy 18 & 13. My results came back great and no need for further testing. I was warned though that they have a high rate of false positives. Our decision was so that we could be prepared. It had nothing to do with wanting to terminate if there was an issue. Good luck!

[mla]

I'm 37, and I did the testing with both DS1 and the twins. I figured that it would be better to be prepared if anything were wrong than not. I likely wouldn't have terminated due to Downs, but I sure as heck would have wanted to know before the babies were born if that was something I'd have been facing. And if it were something worse? I'd want to know so that I could terminate, as I don't think I could carry a non-viable pregnancy to term, but of course, that's something that everyone needs to decide for themselves.

[Pangie]

I am not considered AMA, but I do not get the tests done. Didn't want to read and not post!

[TeamJOJO]

I personally dislike that term VERY much. I know it just a precautionary term but if you look at how they bill it to insurance it is a geriatric code they use!!! As far as the tests are concerned I did not do them with any of my pregnancies. Just a personal preference. Although, I did think about this time around just for prepardness. That way if something was wrong you could prepare yourself. It is really what you feel the most comfortable with.

[tanyachap]

Popping in but there are new blood tests that are very reliable and non invasive. Do your research. The old tests gave only probabilities and the diagnostic tests were accurate but invasive. The new non invasive tests have extremely high accuracy. Good luck

[jazzmom]

I've been reading a bit and I'm thinking I won't have the tests done. I can see getting a "risky" result (which may not even be accurate) and then either worrying the rest of the pregnancy about what might be or worrying about having further, more invasive tests done. I would not terminate the pg and while it makes total sense to be prepared for a major medical situation, with some of the possible results (e.g., Down syndrome) there really isn't much to prepare for, at least initially, I don't think.

[KC's wifey]

Popping in, hope thats ok. My cousin and I were just talking about this a few weeks ago. She is 37 and just had her first and wants to start TTC right away again. The doctors really made the whole age thing sound scary to her. Anyway, she was saying they did get the tests done, not only to prepare mentally, but emotionally. They said that if their baby were to be born with an abnormality, they wanted some time alone to go through the grieving process. That might not sound PC, but it is very normal to go through a period of grief after finding out something like that. They decided they would like some time to get through that privately before dealing with the reactions of family and friends. They felt it would be too overwhelming to deal with all of it at once if they waited until the baby was born. I can understand that perspective.

[jazzmom]

Popping in, hope thats ok. My cousin and I were just talking about this a few weeks ago. She is 37 and just had her first and wants to start TTC right away again. The doctors really made the whole age thing sound scary to her. Anyway, she was saying they did get the tests done, not only to prepare mentally, but emotionally. They said that if their baby were to be born with an abnormality, they wanted some time alone to go through the grieving process. That might not sound PC, but it is very normal to go through a period of grief after finding out something like that. They decided they would like some time to get through that privately before dealing with the reactions of family and friends. They felt it would be too overwhelming to deal with all of it at once if they waited until the baby was born. I can understand that perspective.

Thanks for popping in! I def. want everyone's perspective who would like to share. I can understand your cousin's view/reasoning for having tests done as well. I also agree that doctors really do make you feel aware of your age! When I was pg with DD2 I had more than one nurse tell me, "Well! At least you'll deliver before you are 35!" (I was 34.) It drove me nuts. My OB had her last child at age 38 so I at least feel a little camaraderie there since she's been through this being and "older" mother. Sheesh. Still hate that term. Truly I feel like I did in my 20's!!

[KC's wifey]

I'll be turning 33 in March and we are considering possibly having another baby in the future. But all this talk about AMA is already freaking me out and I'm not even 35 yet! But in my head I'm thinking "Only 2 more years until you hit 35, better hurry." They really do pound that number into your head. As if the second you have your 35th birthday your body flips a switch and suddenly goes into malfunction mode.

[CamaLamaMama]

I am not of an advanced maternal age, but I chose to have the NT scan done because of a paternal family history of Downs Syndrome. I did refuse invasive testing after that. I will do any sort of non invasive testing that is offered. My NT revealed that Nathaniel had a fatal nuchal tube defect, knowing that gave me time to process and grieve before he was born, now that he has been born and has died I am still grieving but am glad I had my pregnancy to do it as well. Also, his defect put Parker at risk for problems like cerebral paulsy, spinal bifida and other things, some of which wouldn't have been present until birth. So far he appears to be fine, but knowing that I may have had more struggles ahead was good to know. I would never terminate a pregnancy regardless of the outcome, but for me knowing and being able to prepare mentally and emotionally are worth testing. I know that Nathaniel's NT defect is incredibly rare and that it's not associated with AMA, but knowing what to expect really was beneficial for me. I don't think there is a right or wrong thing to do in this situation though. I may have done other testing, like an amnio if it hadnt posed such significant risk to the babies, and would consider it with any future pregnancies. I hope whatever you do that in the end it was the right decision for you, because that's all that matters!!!

[Katy]

I had the tests done with DD at the age of 21. The results came back negative but they still took her after she was born for further tests because she showed a few of the "markers" after birth. She was perfectly fine, I think someone just panicked. So far have not even been offered the option with my new doctor but I would feel more comfortable with having the tests done. For me I just like being prepared.

[EKZZS]

Not AMA but I don't get extra tests and wouldn't if I was older either...don't see much point. Like my doc said, most major issues will be picked up on u/s and we would never terminate a pregnancy.

[jazzmom]

I am not of an advanced maternal age, but I chose to have the NT scan done because of a paternal family history of Downs Syndrome. I did refuse invasive testing after that. I will do any sort of non invasive testing that is offered. My NT revealed that Nathaniel had a fatal nuchal tube defect, knowing that gave me time to process and grieve before he was born, now that he has been born and has died I am still grieving but am glad I had my pregnancy to do it as well. Also, his defect put Parker at risk for problems like cerebral paulsy, spinal bifida and other things, some of which wouldn't have been present until birth. So far he appears to be fine, but knowing that I may have had more struggles ahead was good to know. I would never terminate a pregnancy regardless of the outcome, but for me knowing and being able to prepare mentally and emotionally are worth testing. I know that Nathaniel's NT defect is incredibly rare and that it's not associated with AMA, but knowing what to expect really was beneficial for me. I don't think there is a right or wrong thing to do in this situation though. I may have done other testing, like an amnio if it hadnt posed such significant risk to the babies, and would consider it with any future pregnancies. I hope whatever you do that in the end it was the right decision for you, because that's all that matters!!!

I'm so sorry for your loss with Nathaniel...I believe you shared that here on APA at the time? Your story sounds familiar...and just as heartbreaking as I read it again. I think that if there were family genetic issues I would def. have testing done. I could be wrong as my OB and I discusses this the other day, but is Down syndrome actually genetic? I asked her about that and she said no, that the risk has to do with older chromosomes (there's that AMA again!).

[jazzmom]

I'll be turning 33 in March and we are considering possibly having another baby in the future. But all this talk about AMA is already freaking me out and I'm not even 35 yet! But in my head I'm thinking "Only 2 more years until you hit 35, better hurry." They really do pound that number into your head. As if the second you have your 35th birthday your body flips a switch and suddenly goes into malfunction mode.

Totally...they do treat you like night and day with the age thing! I was 31 when my DD1 was born and never encountered any age comments. DD2 was when it started, and now again at my ripe old age of 38!!

[tanyachap]

Only one type of Downs is genetic, 98% of it is not, only age related; the incidence of other chromosomal abnormalities also significantly increase with age but downs syndrome is the more common one so thats what people mostly discuss. It is so individual as to decision. I did the screening tests for both kids, one came back fine and one came with high probability for down. We opted for invasive testing and it confirmed normal. Would i do it again? For sure. I need to be mentally and emotioonally prepared and make arrangements ahead of time. We were not going to terminate either way but we wanted to know. It sounds like you are in the other camp, you prefer to deal with that on the spot. Then you should not do it and worry too much.