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Echogenic bowel & other problems

MamaGooGooMamaGooGoo member
in High-Risk Pregnancy
Just copying and pasting my post from J'16 to see if any one can help out here...A few weeks back I posted about my marginal placenta previa and polyhydramnios (too much amniotic fluid). Today I went for a follow up ultrasound at 24 weeks to check the fluid level and see if my placenta has moved. Fluid is the same, still high, and the placenta has barely moved up half a centimeter. On top of those worries that have consumed my mind for the past several weeks, I was also told the baby has an echogenic bowel, which means part of his intestines appear white like bone, which they shouldn't. There are a number of things that can cause this... Cystic fibrosis, Down's syndrome, trisomy 18/21 (doing more tests on those, but initially was very low risk and no other markers have been found), an infection like toxoplasmosis, or an intestinal blockage. Some of the time it's nothing and clears up on its own. Of course I started crying uncontrollably when the doctor told me this today. I just can't take any more worrying and I know it's not good for the baby. With my first pregnancy 2 years ago I had no issues whatsoever. I like to be fully I formed so of course I looked up more info on this when I got home-- some was reassuring and some was definitely not (fetal death in severe cases). With my placenta and fluid issues I'm already at risk for preterm labor, placental abruption, cord prolapse, plus other things, and now this.... The good news is that my baby appears to have a grade one diagnosis, which is "very mild," as the doctor put it. Has anyone else gone through this before? What was the outcome?
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Re: Echogenic bowel & other problems

  • andreachristine81andreachristine81 member
    I have gone through a very similar situation. I was terrified, couldn't stop crying and was worried sick. My issues were my placenta was shaped "funny", my baby was measuring too small, he had echogenic bowels and something wasn't right with his heart. I had an echo cardiogram the next day, an amino and more bloodwork done four days later... My amino came back NORMAL. My bloodwork came back normal. And yes, echogenic bowels can occur for so many reasons, rarely it is something to be concerned about. So you have a better chance of having a healthy baby than not, statistically :)!!! Easier said than done not to worry so much... I would ask for a follow up ultrasound in two weeks for peace of mind. It is more likely than not the the echogenic bowels wk resolve themselves ;). Best of luck mama!!
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  • marrissamcmarrissamc member
    Im a first time mom; I had my 19 week ultrasound, and found out that we are having a baby girl! The doctor said he also discovered a soft marker on the bowel(echogenic bowel). He said it could a warning sign for more things but he didn't see any other markers... he also said that the baby could of possibly swallowed some blood as well. (I got pregnant with iud so after removal I had alittle bleeding). We did some test, and now I'm playing the waiting game.. How did things end up going for you?
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  • BabyBoyH2016BabyBoyH2016 member
    I went through a very similar situation. I was so upset when they told me that my baby had echogrnic bowels and automatically thought it was something much worse than it was. It turned out to be nothing! I had an amino and further testing to rule things out and he's just fine. I don't know if the will help to ease your mind, but you are far more likely to have a perfectly healthy baby than not :). Keep us posted!
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