Baby has Bright Bowels

bonez1219

I had my 21 week ultrasound yesterday & the Dr.said that the baby has bright bowels. In the 1st trimester I tested in the less then 1 out of 10,000% for Down's but this has now put me to 1 out of 1500 which is still pretty low. Im caucasian & DH is african american so Im hoping this rules us out from cystic fibrosis but I have to wait a week for the test results to come back. Doc keeps mentioning an amnio but the risk of miscarriage has me freaked out. I really feel in my heart that everything is ok-but cant help but think of the "what if". Has anyone else had to deal with this? & if so, what was the end result? Thanks!

speckledfrog

My situation wasn't exactly the same.  Our NT results came back at a higher risk for Down Syndrome (1 in 87) so I did have an amnio done to know for sure.  The test that I had done has a cut off for normal at 1 in 270.  I don't think I would do an amnio for 1 in 1500.  I was concerned about the risk of miscarriage, but they are pretty safe and by using the ultrasound the doctor can be sure to not harm the fetus.  I took it easy for the rest of the day and felt fine the next day.

cinderella4282

1 in 1500 are still really good odds . . . The thing to remember is that at 20 weeks your LO is still developing. Most of the time, things they see in this u/s resolve themselves by the third trimester, especially if it is a solitary marker and nothing else is present.

USCgirl

Everyone is different, and it is a personal decision. For me, I would only do an amnio if the possible illness/issue would require special attention immediately at birth (like having some sort of specially trained person/team at the birth). If that is not the case, then I would not do an amnio. The risk of miscarriage would scare me too much. Good luck! 

 

CBMang23

This exact thing happened to me during our a/s last week. My results for 1st and 2nd trimester screening were in the normal range. His bowel had a bright spot on it. The doctor sent me to a high risk specialist because they have more advanced ultrasounds. The bright spots didn't end up showing up on the 2nd ultrasound and they said almost everytime they see someone for this it is just a shadow. My dr also said that if you have no other markers for downs this just changes the chances, like your doctor said. I was a nervous wreck but my mind is clear now perhaps you can ask your doctor to see a high risk doctor with a more advanced machine. Good Luck to you

jmspor

bonez1219:

I had my 21 week ultrasound yesterday & the Dr.said that the baby has bright bowels. In the 1st trimester I tested in the less then 1 out of 10,000% for Down's but this has now put me to 1 out of 1500 which is still pretty low. Im caucasian & DH is african american so Im hoping this rules us out from cystic fibrosis but I have to wait a week for the test results to come back. Doc keeps mentioning an amnio but the risk of miscarriage has me freaked out. I really feel in my heart that everything is ok-but cant help but think of the "what if". Has anyone else had to deal with this? & if so, what was the end result? Thanks!

 

I had this same issue show up at my anatomy scan and was extremely upset for a while there about all the what ifs and reading the research.  My results for sequential screening were all normal low risk and my CF test was negative, we had my husband tested and his was negative (more for my own peice of mind for the rare mutations they can't test for, since both of us would have to have been carriers) I was also tested for CMV which came back negative as well.  I knew the amnio was not something I would opt for and my doctor was not recommending given this was an isolated finding and all my other tests were normal.  I did convince myself the odds really were in my favor that everything was fine.  At a follow up cervix check 2 weeks after my anatomy scan the doc showed me the film and also commented that is was questionable whether is really met the definition of echoghenic b/c it did not look as bright as bone and was very mild.  I had an ultrasound last week(growth scan) and the doc said all was clear.    From everything I read during my initial freak out period, is does appear that this is very subjective finding.    I think the odds are definitely in your favor that all is good with your little one...Best of Luck

RachNRich

I go the same news at my A/S 6 weeks ago---except with much more unfavorable odds. We we told that the baby had an echogenic bowel, which took the risk of DS from 1 in 12,000 to 1 in 100. It also was a soft marker for Cysitic Fibrosis. We waiting until today for a follow-up scan, and, although we haven't gotten to talk to my MFM at length about it yet, the doctor at the scan said it looked as if it had improved. That was one helluva long wait!

I don't normally encourage Googling, but this was very helpful for me to do just to learn more about it. Lots of women get this news and have posted on different discussion boards about their outcomes.

We didn't want to bother with an amnio because of the risks, also. So, it will be a worrisome wait for you, but chances are everything will turn out to be just fine! Sending lots of good thoughts your way; I know how difficult this can be!