Did you get genetic testing done?

Question

My husband and I said from the start we didn’t want genetic testing done. We’d love our child no matter what and wouldn’t get an abortion. Also, we heard those tests can be false and cause more worrying throughout pregnancy. Our doctor has said baby is healthy at each appt. But Looking back I kinda regret not getting the testing done and I keep worrying something will be wrong with our baby. If we would’ve gotten testing done, and found out, we would’ve had time to prepare ourselves and do some research.

Answer

I have a pretty strong opinion about this that’s partly informed by my experience as a special needs mom. I will preface this all by saying that this is my opinion and I support women making their own decisions about genetic testing. I do wish that OB providers were better at counseling patients about the limitations of testing but that’s a different discussion. 
Prenatal genetic testing is fairly limited. It only tests for certain chromosomal abnormalities and possibly some of the more common microdeletions in the case of some tests. It’s not a catch all that will “tell you if your baby is alright”. 
With my first daughter we did NIPT mostly because I hadn’t really done my research to decide if it was really what we wanted to do. NIPT was totally normal. Turns out my daughter has a very rare genetic mutation that causes microcephaly and brain abnormalities. She has significant developmental delays and some medical issues (mostly growth problems and has a g-tube to allow us to get enough nutrition for her). She’s also the funniest, sweetest, goofiest baby I know. She’s amazing. 
This time we decided before getting pregnant that we did not want any prenatal genetic testing other than the regular 20 week anatomy scan. We absolutely 100% would not terminate a pregnancy no matter what the potential diagnosis. And again, NIPT is fairly limited in what it can actually diagnose. 
In my personal experience that there is no “preparing” for a child with special needs. The reality is you just can’t know until you do it. Plus most genetic conditions have such a wide variation in severity that the same condition could lead to a child that is severely affected or minimally affected. And there’s no way to know that in advance. You just have to wait and see.  
Getting the news that your child has a medical or developmental or genetic condition is frankly devastating. It was hard enough to get that news when our daughter was several months old. Getting that devastating news at 12 or 13 weeks before we’d even had a chance to meet our child and learn to love her as a child and not a diagnosis was simply not something we wanted. If we have another child with special needs (which is not terribly likely, my daughter’s condition was a spontaneous mutation so we shouldn’t be at higher risk of having another child with the same condition) we will welcome her into our family with open arms just like we did with our daughter. And in the meantime I’ll enjoy my pregnancy without worrying about things I cannot change and honestly wouldn’t change even if I could. I wouldn’t change anything about who my daughter is and I wouldn’t change anything about this little baby growing inside me even if it turns out he or she has a genetic condition too.

Answer

I’m all for genetic testing as it goes beyond anything that can be seen on an ultrasound. While the doctor is saying baby looks healthy they cannot account for chromosomal abnormalities or any genetic conditions the baby is predisposed to by us parents. & if anything were to arise that would affect my child’s quality of life I would want to know, same for if they have any illness that would require immediate medical attention etc.

Answer

It’s more accurate than any ultrasound. It’s dna. They become more accurate the bigger fetal fraction that is collected. If you’re worried, have it done!you have plenty of time to prepare if anything is wrong

Answer

Yes got all testing because even tho we would love the baby no matter what it’s always best to be prepared and realistic about the situation

Answer

My hubby and I are the same. We did not get any testing with any of our babies. I mean if there were something wrong there's nothing we can do until baby is born. I've had a couple docs try and push it but I don't want it done. Its a personal choice I think.

Answer

We opted not to do it and at my 22 week ultrasound he got a marker for Down syndrome and they said we could do testing at my next ultrasound 32 weeks if we choose to

Answer

My husband and I chose to have it done at 10 weeks. Fast forward to our 20 week ultrasound we found some abnormalities with our son. The specialist asked us if we did genetic testing at all and was relieved when we said we did because otherwise he was going to suggest we do an amniocentesis. Overall my husband and I were happy that we chose to do it instead of potentially opting in on a way more invasive procedure.

Answer

We got all the bloodwork done, and both felt very comfortable that if anything came back off after further testing, we would terminate. The ultrasound also looked fine, and we are very glad we didn't have to make that decision.

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My friend did one and they told her there was significant problems with the baby. She fretted and worried her whole pregnancy and in the end, her baby was perfectly healthy. I think it causes unnecessary stress, especially if there’s a margin for error or they can’t tell how extensive things are. I think it would of freaked me out more getting the tests and hearing there’s a “possibility” of something.

Answer

We got it, we would have terminated a fetus if it was severely damaged.

Did you get genetic testing done?

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