Pregnant and 38 - Goodyear,AZ

Not every single test is required or necessary. It's up to you to do research on every single test and decide what you will and will not accept. Contrary to popular belief, age alone is not a factor to make a pregnancy "normal" or "high-risk." Search out different areas of thinking, both allopathic and alternative, such as midwifery, to make an informed decision.

Hi Jaimee,

I was pregant when I was 40 and delivered healthy and wonderful little girl when I was 41. I did some of the tests due to my age plus I had had a miscarriage before. However, I didn't do any of the tests that were invasive such as an amniosenthesis. There is a very low risk of miscarriage with this test and regardless of the findings it wouldn't have changed my mind about my child.

I did the advanced ultrasounds and blood work but again, I never did anything invasive and have absolutely no regrets at how I handled my pregnancy.

Good luck and congrats!!!!

L.

Try looking up Midwife or Doula up in your phone book and see if you can get some second opinions. For those who are going the hospital route a good Doula is a must. A Doula is someone knowledgeable about the process who is there to protect your interests and help you get the experience you want. Sometimes Doctors are so focused on not getting sued that they loose sight of our best interests along the way. Having a Doula with a hospital birth is like having an attorney when going to court. They represent your interests whatever you decide those are.

Speaking as a midwife, the only tests that are required by the state are the ones run on the initial blood work. The ones for all kinds of genetic problems are absolutely optional. I have cared for my share of women who are mid-30's to mid-40's. Statistically speaking, they have not had any more problems actually manifest than younger women.

Do your research and learn about how low the likelihood of a problem actually is. Pregnancies in the mid to late-30's are still quite low risk. I try to help women frame it as the likelihood that nothing will go wrong. If something has a 5% risk, I point out that there's a 95% chance that nothing will be wrong, which are pretty high odds of everything being fine.

Remember - it's up to YOU!! Don't be pressured into unnecessary tests. Remember that most tests (amnios, etc.) won't change a pregnancy outcome - they just let you know about abnormalities. If you are already committed to loving your baby regardless, those tests are pointless and often carry added risk of miscarriage. If your doc gives you grief, change docs! Or try a midwife - they don't push tests as much as most doctors do. But regardless, just do your own research and decide what you're comfortable with. Good luck!

Congrats on your pregnancy! I too am over 35 and had a surprise pregnancy (I was using contraception and nursing my 11 month old at the time)and understand the pressure for extra testing. Basically, you will be offered a Nuchal Translucency Screening Ultrasound at 11-14 weeks to screen for Downs Syndrome. I'm very pro-life so I opted out of that one. If you do have the test and it indicates a risk for Down's you will need to decide whether to do a more extensive ultrasound (looking for other abnormalities to confirm diagnosis) and /or an amniocentesis (this has a small but significant risk for miscarriage or preterm birth). You will also be offered a Triple Screen (this one is a blood test) between 14-21 weeks. This one also tests for Down's, Trisomy 13 and 18. If results are negative you can be somewhat reassured, if they are positive and indicate a high risk for any of the three, the Dr. will recommend a high level ultrasound and amniocentesis. I skipped this one too on all my 3 pregnancies due to the fact that if my babies have one of these problems there is nothing to change it and I would never consider abortion as an option. My 2nd baby had markers for Down's Syndrome on the 20 week ultrasound, but at birth we were reassured that he indeed did not have Downs or any other problems. He's now almost 18 months and completely healthy and normal. Sometimes tests can be wrong (the Triple Screen has a high false positive rate meaning it often indicates a problem when there is none) and cause a lot of needless anxiety while other times they can be helpful in planning the rest of your prenatal care.
Again, congrats on your pregnancy. You are not too old to have a healthy child, but the risks are greater for problems. I've been a midwife for 10 years and have seen many women over 35 have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies. However, with your known health condition (the antibodies your body has formed against the baby's platelets) you need a very vigilant and competent Dr to monitor your pregnancy. Best wishes! R., Certified Nurse Midwife since 1999 and SAHM since 2005.

Hi I too was 38 when I had my now 2 yr old daughter... who by the way is also my perfect and adorable child... Ultrasounds can help alot with some of the tests... I had to go to Perinatal specialists during my pregnancy to have my ultrasounds done just to be safe... I did not do any tests that were not the norm Blood draws for Diabetes etc... I did not want to know if she was going to be born with a disease because I would love her either way and still want her... It is up to you... what do you and your husband want to do? Only you two can make the choice as to how much you want to know before he/she is here... good luck and CONGRATULATIONS ON BABY #5!!

Jamie,
I am now only 29 and prego w/ #6. I have lost 2 of my daughters to stillbirth, 19 1/2 weeks and 39 1/2 weeks, so I am now considered high risk. Of course every test you have done during your pregnancy is your choice, but after having gone through what I have, I just don't leave anything uncovered. I choose to get the full spectrum of testing done, with one exception... amniocentesis, for me that risk is not worth it. The idea behind it is that what ever is going to happen may happen regardless, but on the chance that there was something that I or the Dr.'s could have done to help my baby, that's the only control I have and I couldn't live with the guilt if I hadn't done EVERYTHING possible. I except the outcome of my daughters, but because I know there was absolutely nothing more that I could have done to prevent it. And with the gift that modern medicine is today, I try to use it to my advantage. I hope this is helpful to you. Good luck, and any choice that you make will always be the right choice for you!

Hi Jaimee,
Congratulations!
I had my 1st son at 36, and my 2nd at 38.

There's a new-since-2004 test for Downs Syndrome where they don't take placental fluid, just an ultrasound and finger-prick, and it's something like 80% accurate (If you show a positive, they'd want to do more tests). I had the test for both my children, and it was a breeze.

Personally, I liked all the extra ultrasounds, because I loved seeing my babies; I also had an AWESOME Perinatologist. It was ALL worth it to me, and I'm thankful for both of my beautiful boys.

Good luck.
T

Hi Jaimee,

Yes, over 35 is considered high risk and most if not all of the tests are necessary and helpful for the doctor. Being over 35 increases your risk for miscarriage as well as genetic abnormalities (esp. Down's syndrome), this isn't meant to frighten you but these are the reasons for extra testing. As I'm sure you already know, lots of moms over 35 have healthy babies all the time, but these tests help to ensure a complication free pregnancy, and a healthy mom and baby. Hope this helps.

I had my second baby at 35, and my third baby when I was 38. My doc was not at all concerned, b/c I was very healthy otherwise. I did the non invasive tests, such as the bloodwork and glucose tests, but did not do amnio. That is really invasive and there's a very small chance you could lose the baby (like 1-2% I think). However, that % was too high a risk for me personally. Plus, no matter what they found, we would have kept the baby anyway. I believe that as long as your blood pressure stays at a good rate, they can always find the heartbeat, and the ultrasounds look good, that you can very safely avoid tests that would be invasive and even somewhat dangerous to you and/or the baby. Best of luck! Congrats!
Oh, and you are NOT too old! :)

Jaimee,
First, congrats on baby #5! I agree with other comments that it is up to you, however, it sounds like this is not a straight-forward pregnancy due to your underlying antibody issue. I am 41 and had my kids at 39 and 41. I am perfectly healthy and my physician treated me based on my health and not necessarily age. That being said, I still did every test out there except amnio. I did the nuchal translucency test (I think it's called the quad 4 screen) and several level III ultrasounds but never did anything invasive. I had a fair amount of bloodwork done because I had 2 miscarriages prior to conceiving. I understand your concern if they are asking you to do invasive testing like amnio but if you have insurance, why not? My decision was based on the fact that I have some close friends whose babies have Downs Syndrome and all of them said they were glad they found out at 20 weeks so that they could prepare (none of them were older than 38 by the way).

I think you may want to talk to your physician and ask them to further explain the testing and why they want each one ordered. Perhaps more information would help you make a decision as each test presents itself. Definitely take charge of your body and decision-making but I would be mindful to not allow fear of the unknown to replace good, common sense. I think it may not necessarily be your age alone but the combination of age with the antibody issue. At any rate, don't hesitate to ask your doc more questions. Good luck!

I had my first baby at 35 and my second at 36, both via C-section. I was blessed to start with a doctor who was very thorough but very sensitive to patient preferences. She explained the various tests recommended for "high risk pregnancies due to age" and asked what I wanted to do. I did have to sign forms saying I understood testing options and was opting out or in for each. I chose to only have the ultrasound and the blood test done, and they listened a little more closely to the baby's heart each time to be safe as well. No complications, and my daughters are perfectly healthy! I actually liked the extra ultrasound, because I got to see my daughter sooner than I might otherwise have.

Late in my second pregnancy, I was struggling but the baby seemed to be fine. My new doctor (change due to location) recommended I go in for an ultrasound and heart monitor once a week to make sure baby was fine. She was, and is now! My new doctor never pressured me for tests I wasn't comfortable with, and never gav me a hard time about my age or how close my daughters were.

I recommend that you take precautions, but only what you are comfortable with. I also recommend that if you are that uncomfortable with your doctor, that you consider switching. I switched at seven months during my first pregnancy (for location reasons) and everything worked just fine. Good luck!

I was 33 when I had my son and let me tell you they wanted a whole bunch of tests because of my age. I only let them do a few. There is this one that they test the placental fluid to see if there is Down's Syndrome and can cause a mascarriage- I didn't do it. THey can look at the fluid to baby ratio on an ultrasound to determine that. I have a healthy 3-1/2 year old boy. They want all these tests that are not really necessary and dangerous. My advice is to do your own research before doing anything.

I had my son when I was 36 and my daughter when I was 38. I had NO extra test, No extra ultrasounds, didn't see a specialist. I did my prenatal care for both pregnancies with a midwife. A midwife delivered my son who was born very healthy with no complications. With my daughter the midwife sent my to an OB/GYN only because she was breech and if she stayed breech she was going to have to be born via C-section. She did in fact never turn and was a C-section that the OB that works with my midwife delivered via C-section, but that was not because of my age.

I would really press your doctor to find out what all the extra tests are for, and then go do your own homework to decided if you want to do the tests or not. Some people are more comfortable with all the test, others aren't it really is up to you. It is really important that you do what you feel comfortable with not what you feel pressured into doing.

I had to go through the same when I was pregnant with my daughter. First they offer you a amnio test to determine if the baby has downs or not. This is purely elective. I chose not to have it done, because there is an extremly small chance of mischaring. There is a blood test that can also be done in conjunction with ultrasound to determine whether or not your chances for downs are increased. Downs is the primary thing they look for in moms over 35 because your chances increase with age. They also did fetal heart testing, because babies with downs also have heart issues at times. I also had to go in weekly to see a perinatologist because of my age. They would give me ultra sounds and make sure baby was moving like she was suppose to . I also had a glucose test to check for gestational diabetis (all moms regardless of age are given this).

After all was said and done I gave birth to a very healthy and happy baby girl.

Enjoy your pregnancy and if you have any questions feel free to get ahold of me.

M.

Hi Jaimee,
I would try to press the doctors much stronger on defining what is "necessary". In my opinion any test that would indicate a health condition on YOUR part that could endanger the child is necessary. So if they do a glucose tolerance test, or anything like that, I would consider it necessary. However, if you are not interested in knowing what the odds are of your child having any particular kind of chromosomal abnormality, then those tests are not necessary.

I suspect that doctors want to say this is necessary for two reasons. One, they might get a kickback from the lab that performs the tests; two: they like to contribute to medical knowledge through medical statistics.

They indeed can tell a lot from the ultrasounds (which are of course wonderful), so just don't get the other tests done, if you don't want to. However, if cost and worrying are not an issue, then please know that all the tests done in the first round (ie if the tests don't indicate something) simply involve drawing blood. Nothing dangerous to the baby, just to your sleeping well at night until you get the results.

Being over 35 does NOT automatically make you high risk. This drives me nuts, as a Midwife. I have attended women that were well over 35 before. If you were healthy enough to get pregnant, sustain your pregnancy, and are making sure you eat nutritiously then you are doing just as well as a 25 year old.

It is up to YOU, and YOU alone to decide which tests you do and do not want. Stand up for your rights to choose this.

Best Wishes!