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20 week anatomy scan showed SUA (single umbilical artery), a bit scared

trypeacetrypeace member
in High-Risk Pregnancy
so went in for my 20 week anatomy scan and thought all would be well. My previous two pregnancies had no issues (though they are now 14 and 11 so my mind was a bit care free when I had them in my early twenties). Dr said all else looked fine except they couldn't measure brain because she wasn't cooperating. So now I have to get a fetal echo next week. I feel like I'm not allowed to be happy anymore because I might jinx things. Hubby is Jewish and said to stop buying stuff as Jewish people believe it's bad luck. Dr said it could mean a risk for cardiac issues or renal issues, possibly downs. Lots to worry about, would appreciate hearing from anyone else in same boat or who used to be
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Re: 20 week anatomy scan showed SUA (single umbilical artery), a bit scared

  • kaylaevinkkaylaevink member
    I was diagnosed with SUA at my 20 week scan now 33 wks and everything is fine. I do 2x a week nst scans since 29 weeks and We have a scheduled c section for a week early but with the SUA they said he could possibly come earlier bc sometimes they stop
    Growing and it is better for them outside of the womb. But so far so good he's strong and healthy
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  • mac-n-cheesymac-n-cheesy member
    I found out about my little girl's SUA @ 13w during our NT scan. As you've said, they let you know that it can be associated with chromosomal abnormalities, heart or kidney defects, or just "isolated." Mine is an isolated case meaning the cord issue is the only abnormality. I have had 5 US's so far and a fetal echo which have all come back normal with the exception of the cord abnormality.
    My OB was initially worried about growth since I started out quite underweight and have gained just over 10lbs and am nearly 31w now. He anatomy scan @ 19w showed she was in the 33rd percentile, the growth scan @ 26w showed she was in the 42nd percentile and I have another growth scan this Wednesday. So far it looks like her cord is doing the job even without the second artery and while I'll still be monitored for IUGR until I deliver so far things look good.
    I also have weekly NST's that started @ 28w and LO was actually exhibiting heart accelerations with movement (15 X 15's) at the very first one and this isn't supposed to be seen until 32 weeks!
    Did have a scare last week when they did my last NST @ exactly 30w and I was contracting every 1-3 minutes for 3 hours until they could get them to stop with Nifedipine. My doctor said this was completely unrelated to the SUA.
    I know it's very scary; especially after initially finding out and having to wait for more testing to see if it's isolated or not. Try and stay positive and know that the majority of babies with this cord abnormality are born healthy. Also, there are a few threads related to this that have some comforting information and stories if you use the search function on this board (high risk).
    @trypeace I hope everything is okay with your LO and that your SUA is isolated as well.
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  • jennlo11203jennlo11203 member
    We found out at our 20 week scan that baby girl has sua and possible cysts on one kidney. We went for a second opinion at Columbia hospital and it was confirmed that baby has one normal kidney and one pelvis kidney with cysts. We had the heart checked and everything looked great. The sua can either affect the kidney, heart or chromosomes, as stated above. In my case it affected the kidney. I go for scans every two weeks. The last scan showed that the cysts were pretty much gone but the kidney is still in the pelvis area. We will not know if the kidney is a working kidney until baby is born. In either case she can have a perfectly normal life with one kidney but may need surgery later in life. And it is something that will have to be monitored. Also, babies growth was slow so I now have to go back every two weeks for growth scans. Today is my first one so hoping baby is growing. It's stressful just try to hang in there and try not to google cause it can make you even more stressed. Good luck.
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  • mac-n-cheesymac-n-cheesy member
    Good luck with the growth scan @jennlo11203
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  • jennlo11203jennlo11203 member
    lynem29 said:

    Good luck with the growth scan @jennlo11203


    Thank you! Good luck to you as well. :)
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  • trypeacetrypeace member
    @lynem29 thank you for the encouragement. I had a level 2 ultrasound done again with perinatologist and a fetal echo, he said in U.S. Baby looks good. Feral echo looked good. Only difference was baby was an ounce less then last week US but she was also measuring 5 days ahead. At last US she only measured 2 days ahead. I hope she grows to a normal size. I read some babies being born at 32 weeks because of IUGR and weighing only 2.5 pounds. It can really play with your head all these numbers! @jennlo11203 I hope your baby is doing well. Please let me know how you do as you progress. With all the advances in medicine I'm sure she will lead a normal life even if she has the pelvic kidney. It is something you do not need to worry about now before she's in your arms. It is easier once they are born to handle any health scares because you have more control once they are born (at least I felt that way) thank you all for all the support!!!
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  • mac-n-cheesymac-n-cheesy member
    Last growth scan LO was measuring in the 45th percentile which is awesome. So far I've lucked out on the having very few complications that can come with having an SUA.
    Had two more trips to L&D with contractions lasting as long and coming as frequent as they do in active labor but no cervical changes. All stopped by meds after 3-4 hours. My doctor can't say either way if it's in any way related to the cord issue but he does think she will make an early arrival if things continue to follow this pattern.
    Wishing all the other moms with SUA cords a healthy pregnancy and babies that stay cooking and growing for as long as possible.
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  • rxredheadrxredhead member
    They found my LO had a SUA at our anatomy scan too. We did NIPT and it showed no sign of trisomies and everything has been going along fine. They also diagnosed her with IUGR at the same scan and I've had twice weekly NST/BPP, frequent growth ultrasounds, and weekly Dopplers for cord flow. So far she's growing just fine, following her curve (I'm 31 weeks now), and just expected to be an extremely small baby. I think she was just meant to be small (my older girl was tiny too, 5 lbs 9 oz at 37w5d) and the SUA is making her growth slightly more restricted. But in and of itself, the SUA isn't a big deal and the doctors are pretty good about keeping an eye on it. I was a total mess after my first scan though, I've chilled out over 11 weeks
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  • gemini2005gemini2005 member
    My DS was diagnosed with this at our 20 week scan. I had extra ultrasounds to check growth and weekly NST towards 30 weeks. Everything turned out fine. When he was born he was 8 lb 4 oz. and healthy. They did an ultrasound on his kidneys and they were the same size and perfect (that was a concern with SUA I guess). He is 4 years old now and completely normal and robust. Hope everything goes okay with you- it's pretty common actually!
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  • brizer21brizer21 member
    I had SUA with DD and during one of her growth scans they could not find her right kidney... They eventually found it in the pelvic area and we were ordered to have an ultrasound done when she was born to see if it was functioning. I had growth scans to check on her which they stopped at 34 weeks because she was measuring okay, but my water ended up breaking at 35 weeks anyway. She was born at 5lbs 8oz and no issues. Her ultrasound showed fully functioning kidneys, it's just important to know that one is in the front. Best of luck to all of you!
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  • NicolewinsbingoNicolewinsbingo member
    My son had sua, & a dilated kidney, and an echogenic focus on his heart. All three are soft markers for Down syndrome. The kidney resolved on its own and the other two things are not really indicators of anything in particular, they can just be associated with downs or other conditions. My son was born completely healthy a year and a half ago.
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  • mac-n-cheesymac-n-cheesy member
    Well I've made it to 37+1 with an SUA baby. She is currently on he cusp of IUGR at the 12th percentile and thus will likely come by induction next week. I've made it really far though without significant growth issues (appeared at 34-35 weeks) so I'm just thankful for that. Besides my own body falling apart, my LO is fighting to very very very slowly grow and I'm just thankful for that--as well as the SUA being isolated. I thought I was kind of in the clear in the beginning of October but a lot has gone downhill since then. I still feel I'm proof that SUA is certainly scary but that it IS possible to avoid major issues the majority or all of your pregnancy.
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