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2nd Trimester
Fetal Brain Cyst
So I went for an ultrasound at 20 weeks and they found a fetal brain cyst. They called me in to do some "re-imaging" but didnt tell me why. When I went for the re-imaging they said they had to look at the heart again and the intestines, which they said all looked fine and sent me home. When I went for my monthly dr's appt I asked her if she knew any further details and she said they found a brain cyst. I was so upset because I had no idea and was caught off guard, and even though she said she wasn't worried I can't help but be. I have talked to several people and dr's who say this is common and not to worry, but I still am. I'm trying not to, but this being my first pregnancy its hard. I also read an article possibly linking the cysts to autism, and as a special education teacher this is another concern that I have. Has anyone else dealt with this? Or know if there is a connection with these cysts and autism? I know the other genetic disorders they can be associated with, and was cleared of those. This whole thing just makes me nervous.
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Re: Fetal Brain Cyst
I would be very nervous too. I wish I had some advice or knowlege on the issue.
I will keep you in my T&P.
Do you know what kind of cyst it was? I ask because they told me my baby has a choroid plexus cyst in his/her brain. The ultrasound guy was very reassuring and said that this particular cyst is not in a part of the brain that has anything to do with neurological function- this part of the brain makes the cerebral fluid for the rest of it. He said the cyst itself is nothing to worry about (and in fact, his own son had one and is now 14 years old and doing just fine). The concern with this particular cyst is that it can be a marker for Trisomy 18, although my guy said that he feels the cyst is "guilty by association" rather than causal. Which is to say that though they see the cyst in babies that have Trisomy 18, they also see it in perfectly healthy babies as well. He also said that Trisomy 18 is such a severe condition that chances are that if my baby had it, we would also see other things as well such as heart problems, cleft palate, clubbed feet and clenched fists, which he said he did not see.
So it seems to me from what he said that everything still looks okay. They're going to have me back at 28 weeks to make sure the baby is growing on schedule (another marker for Trisomy 18- teeny tiny babies). As for worrying.......well, I would vastly prefer that they had NOT found this, but since the doctor doesn't seem overly concerned there doesn't seem to be a reason for me to be. I am a little concerned, and I do think about it, but based on my intital screening and bloodwork they're still not recommending an amnio.
Again, I don't know if this is what they found on yours, but I hope this might be helpful. (Btw, I have specifically NOT googled that term- I don't want to freak myself out).
My little one had one too. The doctor immediately told me about it and said he wasn't the slightest bit concerned. He said I didn't even need to come back in the rechecked. My OB however wanted me to have another scan done just to be sure, although she said she wasn't concerned about it either. I didn't argue because it means I'll get to see her again. I go in next week to have it checked again. Try not to worry, although I know it can be scary. I am just relying on what the doctors told me.
Good luck with yours!
I was told a few weeks ago that my little guy has one on the left side of his brain. My family doc who i was orignally seeing for care was not concerned at all. I switched to an OB for additional reasons too and they are sending me to a Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist. They say they routinely do this when this type of cyst is found. They did not seem worried at all about it. Though i still worry and you will too until you know for sure.
Question for those of you who have had children with this type of cyst, did they tell you how big the cyst was? I only ask because they told me that my little boys was 5mm. I'm just trying to see what the ranges are?
If it's a choroid plexus cyst you're talking about...
My baby girl has 1 choroid plexus cyst on her brain. We have no other markers of Trisomy 18. I took the news very hard, and was horribly depressed for a while. It took me a few weeks to feel better mentally. I did a lot of researching online for "choroid plexus cyst"- even though people told me not to. Do you know what I found? That it actually made me feel BETTER. The reason is that I could not find a single "horror story" where a baby had choroid plexus cysts (and no other markers) and turned out to have one of those disorders - they were all healthy. I work in the field of autism research, and trust me...your baby has no higher chance of having autism than any other.
I highly recommend this site I found which has a message board where you can read all about people whose babies had choroid plexus cysts and were born 100% healthy: https://choroidplexuscyst.org/forum/
Bottom line? Don't worry. I know you're thinking that's impossible....I thought it was too. But I am the world's biggest worrier, and I was able to get to that point. Most doctors will tell you that these cysts are even starting to be considered a normal part of brain development. I met with a genetic counselor because I was so worried. She told me that my chances of our baby having T18 (or any other chromosomal disorder) is 1 in 10,000. She basically told me that we have absolutely no reason at all to worry about this. There's been so many bump mommies posting about their babies' newly-discovered CPC's lately...we should all form a club, and in a few months when our babies are born we can share pictures of their beautiful healthy faces.
They told us that they are actually finding in autopsy's of people who have passed of natural causes that over 50% of people had choroid plexus cysts as a fetus.