Advanced Maternal Age

Ok so being old and pregnant is not fun. I honestly don't feel THAT old, but I guess when it comes to having babies 35 is OLD.

At my first OB appointment at 5 weeks, I was labeled as AMA.... advanced maternal age. I guess that is the nice way to say you are OLD! The doctors immediately told me about all the gentetic testing that can be done since I am AMA. I decided that I would do all the testing possible to determine if my baby was healthy. I really just wanted to be prepared in case something was genetically wrong. I of course wouldn't terminate the pregnancy under any circumstances, but I wanted to know that all was ok.

So last week I did the nuchal translucency test which is a screen for trisomy 13, 18 and 21 (Down's Syndrome) as well as major congenital heart defects. An ultrasound is done to measure the amount of the fat in the baby's neck. Babies with trisomies have poor lymphatic systems and the fat in the neck doesn't drain as it should. Our baby's number was 1.9, the ultrasound tech said anything under 3.0 is good. This number is then sent, along with blood work (similar to a babies PKU test), to the lab for further testing.

I received a call this morning that my test was in the normal range. I breathed a sigh of relief. This doesn't guarantee me a genetically perfect baby, but it does reduce the risk or chances of having a baby with problems. My next test will be the AFP (alpha fetoprotein screen) at 16 weeks. This screen is for spina bifida and anencephaly as well as the trisomies. After that I will have my routine ultrasound at 18-20 weeks and then we will be done with all the "old lady" testing. Whew!