Short nasal bone? Seeking advice

Rach0510 · September 2014

I had my 20 week ultrasound today, this was also my first ultrasound because we chose not to do the pre screening for abnormalities. The doctor said everything was perfectly normal except for one thing and that was that the babies nasal bone was shorter then it should be for 20 weeks.

What really scared us was that she said this was usually an indicator of babies with Down syndrome. She couldn't give us much more hope then "it doesn't always mean he or she will have Down syndrome" and "everything is *probably* okay". With this being my first pregnancy that scared me half to death and I can't stop thinking that something must be wrong. We are doing another ultrasound in 6 weeks, however now worrying is killing me.

Just wondering if anyone has ever had anything similar and everything turned out okay? Any words of advice?

Bat_Ish_Crazy · September 2014

I'm lurking here this evening.

The doctors raised DS as a possibility during my pregnancy as well. The only marker she had was short long bones. She does not have DS.

She does have a collagen disorder that makes her bones grow a bit differently. There is no way they could have diagnosed her condition prenatally. Many people with this condition go their whole lives without ever knowing, actually.

It could be DS. It could be something else entirely. It could be nothing. It's impossible not to worry once you get the idea in your head, but try not to worry too much.

Rach0510 · September 2014

The short nasal bone was the only marker. She said that the heart, brain, femur length, spine and neck all looked great as well as the fingers and toes length apart. The only test she offered was the QUAD screening test which she said is usually offered at 12 weeks, and we chose not to do at the time. She said it will only give us a number like 1:100 or 1:500 or 1:100 but it will give an idea of probability.

The numbers that really scared me was she said this is only seen in 1% of healthy babies but is seen in 50% of babies with Down syndrome. We weren't really happy with the lack of info she gave us, but it's also our fault for not asking more questions I suppose. We did choose to go ahead and do the QUAD screening but she said results wouldn't be in til next week. I just keep looking at the ultrasound pictures and comparing them to pictures online and I'm just driving myself crazy.

We will of course love this baby no matter what, it's just not knowing that's becoming really stressful. I just wish I had a better idea of a number. Like are we still 90% likely to have a healthy baby or do we have a 50% chance of having a baby with Down syndrome. The doctor just didn't really give us much hope or anything to hold on to while we wait.

I attached one of the pictures, you can clearly see the nasal bone present but it is a little small. I don't know how under developed it is, or if it will always be small or could possible just be growing slower. Again, things I should have asked our doctor. Thanks for your advise and kind words, it truly does help.

Junebug060609 · September 2014

If you are as stressed out as you sound, I'd ask about the cell free DNA testing. They are non-invasive (just a blood draw) and give pretty reliable results.

PipSqueak0313 · September 2014

I had the MaterniT21 test and my insurance company balked at paying it but they did pay it in the end.....we would have only had a $200-250 charge if insurance did not pay.

ppants · September 2014

I don't have any experience, but don't be too hard on yourself about not asking more questions during the ultrasound. It's a lot of info to take in and can be very overwhelming. ((hugs))

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