Spnia Bifida risk 1 in 16

I was informed through a Sequential Screen that I had a 1 in 16 chance of my baby having Spinia Bifida. I had an ultrasound yesterday at 18 weeks to further investigate and the doctor said everything looks healthy and normal but that amnio is still an option as it is MORE conprehensive and exacting with its yes/no answer. Would you get the amnio if you were me? Just looking for some non-medical opinions. Thanks!

I personally wouldnt because i would love my baby no matter how he or she came out and what disabilities he or she might have. If your the type of person that wants a concrete answer then i would say yea go for it it wouldnt hurt and you would have time to do research and know what to expect when the baby is born.

I read up quite a bit on the topic and I know they can do some surgery while the baby is still in utero so that is a big reason why it would be good to know beforehand. I know the risk of major issues from amnio is low but there is never a need for unnecessary procedures and such...just weighing my options.

I posted my reply and then read yours, which answered my first thought. Honestly, I think I would get a second opinion from a different doctor. Not finding any markers on the sonogram should have decreased the odds of the baby having spina bifida. Having a second high definition sonogram with a second opinion sure beats an amnio. 

Again- good luck! 

I think your answer is three fold-

1. If the baby has Spina Bifida, can the perinatologist do anything NOW to fix it? If being proactive now means a healthy child in the future I wouldn't hesitate in doing it. 

2&3. If the baby does have SB will it change the outcome of your pregnancy? My Sequential Screen came back high for my little guy to have Down's Syndrome (mostly because of MY age). I am a speech language pathologist and a pro-life believer. For me personally it didn't matter either way. I wasn't going to terminate the pregnancy and I have a very familial background in child development. I knew if he were born with DS what I'd need to do to get him the help he'd need immediately. Will the answer affect your decision to carry the child to term? If you choose to continue with the pregnancy do you have the research capabilities to do what needs to be done at birth if by chance the baby does indeed have SB? 

I'm surprised the doctor didn't change your odds after looking at the baby via the sonogram. I was told that the imaging changes the odds by 60%. ie- that although my numbers were higher than normal via bloodwork that because he looked perfectly normal on all the DS markers via sono that it decreased my chances exponentially by 60% of whatever the score was they gave me. (I'm sorry I can't remember the first score or the second one either). I felt very comfortable with the way the baby looked and how competent I felt my doctor was, so I chose not to pursue any other testing. Based on the second score of my screening, the chances were greater for a miscarriage from the amnio than that of the baby having Down's Syndrome.

Good luck with whatever you decide. It's not an easy answer.

Thanks everyone for your input. I just called my genetic counselor and she said the risk is now considered less than 1% and the baby was very cooperative and gave them a good look. Even if I were to go for amnio (in which they are looking for AFP) that IF the baby did have SB that was undetectable on ultrasound that there may be so little AFP in the amniotic fluid that they wouldn't be much more informed then they are now. So I feel much better now, thanks again!