personally, I would not do the amnio or CVS ... the risks I have been told of amnio and CVS are between .5% to 1% chance of miscarriage - if that's correct, there would be a greater risk of harming a healthy baby than there would be of correctly detecting an abnormality.
so personally, that is not a risk I would be willing to take.
my views however are most likely tainted by the fact that even if there was a 100% chance that my baby had downs, I would still continue with the pregnancy - so the benefit of successful testing would just be about knowing sooner.
if I was considering a termination, then my views about the risks and benefits might be quite different.
keep thinking, chatting, mulling it over with your man etc. this is a big decision, and it's important to think through all the pros and cons, rather than letting anyone rush you either way.
hugs and support are available though, whatever you choose.
Gosh what a stress . Personally I find 1:350 good odds!
If you think about your class at school, probably 25 people, then that is 14 classrooms full of pregnant women with those odds and on average only one would have a child with downs. Another way to think of it is the odds of running into a random stranger who shares your birthday. Sometimes we find it hard to wrap our minds around odds when they are presented as numbers.
I can understand why the Ob has caused you stress, and why those procedures would cause anxiety too. I don't know the answer for you but hoping for the best. I hope no one judges you if you decide you would terminate based on a CVS or Amnio finding.
Thank you ladies for your advice and opinions, they all do help me greatly. I haven't even had a chance to tell DH yet as he is working with a difficult client today and I really don't want to discuss something like this over the phone. He knows we need to talk about the results tonight but that's about it.
Personally I wish I had just have had a scan and stayed clueless about any risk, but seeing as I can't do that I guess it's down to research and discussion between me DH and my OB. I am tending to think that I would rather see what they say at the 20 week scan and then make a final decision if there is any concerns at that scan. The OB didn't like that option but phooey to him, I think it's the only one I am going to be comfortable with.
Oh well guess I better go do some research so I have some facts I can offer DH tonight. Just once I wish I could do things the easy way.
I had a 1:200 risk with DS. No-one offered an amnio. They did know however from before the testing that it wouldn't have changed my mind.
You can ask for an earlier scan than 20 weeks (16 usually) to check for soft markers if you're still unsure.
i would definitely do some more research & don't feel pressured into doing either a CVS or amnio.
fwiw, this time i had a 1:291 risk of DS. the scan was pretty good & it was the bloods that pushed the result (just) into high risk. the dr who did the scan was very good at explaining everything to me & said the most important thing was not to panic as the results weren't really that bad. i spoke further with my GP & he was very consistent with what the Dr had told me. i chose to have a CVS because that is just me - i HAD to know and i would have been very uncomfortable waiting to find out. my DP thought it was a little crazy given that the risk of miscarriage was actually higher from having the procedure than the risk of DS (something else to consider).
when we went in for the CVS the doctor said to me that 'we're pretty sure everything is ok but you're here just be 100% sure?' which summed it up beautifully for me - that is what i needed to do to be comfortable. ETA: i rested for the rest of the day after the CVS & took it pretty easy for 24 hours. i was perfectly fine (so far & it was a little over 10 weeks ago now i think) & didn't have spotting or any bleeding etc.
i think it's very wrong for anyone to be making you feel pressured into having a procedure that comes with its own risks (although apparently largely dependent as well on the person actually doing the procedure).
do whatever you & your DH feel is the right choice for you.
For DS1 I had a 1 in 350 risk and I was only 27. I didn't even consider an amnio as I know for sure I would not terminate and i didn't want to risk a miscarriage.
A friend ha a 1 in 10 risk of Downs and other conditions. They had also a cleft palate. The OB wanted her to do a Amnio as it would make his job and the paed's job easier if they knew what they were going to be dealing with when the baby was born. My friend said tough and didn't get the CVS.
A friend from mothers group chose to do a CVS and she started leaking fluid (despite it being performed by the best specialist for this procedure in our city). She said she lost her tummy and was on bed rest for a week. The pregnancy is continuing so far and the CVS was clear. I just can't imagine her grief if she'd lost her baby.
I just rang the OB that did the scan and calculated the risk etc and I am not even in the increased risk catagory, now I am even more confused as to why I would even be offered the options. I think I will call the hospital OB clinic on Monday and speak to someone with all our questions. I know they have genetic councillers we can see too if need be.
Thanks again everyone, your support is really appreciated.
hugs and support are available though, whatever you choose.
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. Personally I find 1:350 good odds! 
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