Experiences with echogenic bowel? update on page 2

thaisac1 · December 2015

My world came crashing down last night when I found missed calls on my phone and messages from my doctor's office saying that they needed to discuss the results of my anatomy ultrasound and I needed referrals for level 2 ultrasound, bloodwork and genetics counseling.

I couldn't sleep last night going through every possible disastrous scenario in my head. It was the worse night of my life (except for the multiple baby kicks I received , which felt so good).

This morning I spoke to the doctor and she said there was an isolated finding of echogenic bowel. Everything else was normal with the baby. My IPS screen gave me a 1:62,000 risk of Down's.

Doctor recommended bloodwork for some infections that may be associated with this (cmv, toxo , parvo) as well as level 2 US and genetics counselor.

From all possible scenarios I had in my head this is definitely not the worse, although I'm still aprehensive as you can imagine.

Does any one have personal or family /friends experience with this?

I just want my baby to be healthy! I love him so much!

imrachellea · December 2015

This is almost textbook what happened with me with my DD. At my anatomy scan, they thought they may have seen an echogenic bowel and I was sent to a perinatologist for a Level 2 ultrasound. Now at that scan, the doctor stated he did not see the echogenic bowel that they may have seen on the original scan. However, he did order me to have extra monitoring and I had bi weekly fetal non-stress tests and extra ultrasounds, all of which she passed with flying colors. Then, upon delivery, she pooped on the floor immediately upon delivery, and I thought that was just her way of say FU at the originally potential diagnosis. The good news is that the echnogenic bowel is probably the softest of markers, and if all else looks good the likelihood is little man is just fine. You will probably have extra monitoring, and I was induced on my due date as policy of my doctor, but for us it all turned out well. But I know what it is like to get that phone call. The worst part was when the nurse called she simply said "Hi I'm calling to schedule your Level 2 high risk ultrasound!" And I hadn't even been told that I needed a high risk ultrasound or what they had "found" originally that needed to be look at further. I was in tears and it was miserable but I got a lot of reassurance at the perinatologist. Prayers for you guys and I definitely think the odds are your favor here!

K&Elizabeth · December 2015

They found the same exact thing with my first- echogenic bowel and nothing else. Echogenic bowel can be a soft marker for Down syndrome. Given that my younger brother has Down syndrome, we were definitely worried. My level 2 ultrasound went fine and they didn't find any fluid or obstructions that would require surgery. As far as abnormalities go, echogenic bowels are pretty mild and the overwhelming majority of babies with them are born healthy and in no need of treatment. Like pp said, If the bowel was the only thing they found, I'm sure little Luca is going to be perfect. He already has parents willing to go to the ends of the earth for the opportunity to be his parent. I think he's off to a great start

if you have any other questions, feel free to send me a PM and we can chat!

thaisac1 · December 2015

imrachellea said:
This is almost textbook what happened with me with my DD. At my anatomy scan, they thought they may have seen an echogenic bowel and I was sent to a perinatologist for a Level 2 ultrasound. Now at that scan, the doctor stated he did not see the echogenic bowel that they may have seen on the original scan. However, he did order me to have extra monitoring and I had bi weekly fetal non-stress tests and extra ultrasounds, all of which she passed with flying colors. Then, upon delivery, she pooped on the floor immediately upon delivery, and I thought that was just her way of say FU at the originally potential diagnosis. The good news is that the echnogenic bowel is probably the softest of markers, and if all else looks good the likelihood is little man is just fine. You will probably have extra monitoring, and I was induced on my due date as policy of my doctor, but for us it all turned out well. But I know what it is like to get that phone call. The worst part was when the nurse called she simply said "Hi I'm calling to schedule your Level 2 high risk ultrasound!" And I hadn't even been told that I needed a high risk ultrasound or what they had "found" originally that needed to be look at further. I was in tears and it was miserable but I got a lot of reassurance at the perinatologist. Prayers for you guys and I definitely think the odds are your favor here!

Thank you for sharing your story and for your prayers! I'm hoping this is just another loop in the rollercoaster of this pregnancy, and that this naughty little boy just likes to play tricks on us.

I couldn't sleep last night between crying, worrying and reading.... I can't wait to get this evaluation done.

thaisac1 · December 2015

K&Elizabeth said:
They found the same exact thing with my first- echogenic bowel and nothing else. Echogenic bowel can be a soft marker for Down syndrome. Given that my younger brother has Down syndrome, we were definitely worried. My level 2 ultrasound went fine and they didn't find any fluid or obstructions that would require surgery. As far as abnormalities go, echogenic bowels are pretty mild and the overwhelming majority of babies with them are born healthy and in no need of treatment. Like pp said, If the bowel was the only thing they found, I'm sure little Luca is going to be perfect. He already has parents willing to go to the ends of the earth for the opportunity to be his parent. I think he's off to a great start if you have any other questions, feel free to send me a PM and we can chat!

Thank you for this. Your experiences give me comfort.

allaire314 · December 2015

No words of wisdom from me, but hoping for the best with your Level 2! I can't even imagine how you feel, but hopefully it all works out like PPs... How long do you have to wait for the next scan??

JadaBlue · December 2015

No experience, just sending positive wishes, strength, and hugs your way.

thaisac1 · December 2015

Not sure yet, have to wait for their phone call.

erind228 · December 2015

No experience, but wanted to send you my thoughts and prayers.

spatter1 · December 2015

No experience but thinking of you and sending lots of positive thoughts and hugs your way! The waiting/uncertainty is definitely very difficult.

sprocketsngadgets · December 2015

Positive thoughts and creepy internet hugs! Hopefully you're able to get the scan soon and everything is ok

thaisac1 · December 2015

Geneticist appointment will be on Thursday and level 2 ultrasound on Monday. Please be healthy little baby boy!!!

elasticheart13 · December 2015

thaisac1 said:
Geneticist appointment will be on Thursday and level 2 ultrasound on Monday. Please be healthy little baby boy!!!

I really hope and pray this little one is healthy and fine, keeping you in my thoughts

MrsZko · December 2015

I'm so sorry you received news like that. I know how nerveracking this must all be. My very good friend just went through this recently....Her daughter did indeed end up having an echogenic bowel obstruction, but no other issues, no downs, etc. What ensued for the rest of her pregnancy was being much more closely followed, with weekly NT scans, and measurements of the fluid in her uterus. When the baby has this condition, they cannot swallow and expel amniotic fluid so she did have an amnio to reduce the the amniotic fluid once. She did have issues with early labor, but once her fluid was down, it resolved itself. She thinks the extra fluid and weight probably brought on contractions. She was induced at 37 weeks, and her baby girl had surgery 2 days later. She was a rockstar and was out of the hospital a couple of weeks later (I want to say 17 days total). She is a thriving 7 month old, who recently started eating solids. Every test she had done afterwards were great, although she did spit up a lot, which they think was a lactose issue, not because of the EB necessarily.

I think I had seen you are in Ottawa....I am also, and if you'd like to talk more about it, PM me. I can also put you in touch with my friend, if ever baby boy does have the EB and you find your way on the same road as she did about a year ago.

MrsCayEye · December 2015

FX for you, I'm glad you were able to get things scheduled relatively quickly and you'll have answers soon.

AmadorRose · December 2015

I'm so glad that you are able to get in so quickly for further testing. From what I've read, likelihood of something being seriously wrong isn't all that high. Please keep us posted and I will keep my fingers crossed for you!

geminioftwo · December 2015

Praying for you and your family!

BrittnyS10 · December 2015

I hope you get much better news at your next scan. I'm sorry you have to go through this stress. Im praying that your baby boy will turn out even more perfect than you could have ever imagined.

pinottoparenthood · December 2015

Really hope everything is okay!!!

NachosAndPeaches · December 2015

Just posting to give hugs. I'm so glad other moms in the group had experience and hope their stories calmed your nerves.

jonesl12 · December 2015

Just saw this. I'm hoping everything turns out ok. It's really hard not to worry but it could turn out to be nothing at all. I'm anxiously waiting for my level 2 ultrasound as well. Not fun

kalanieileen · December 2015

Sorry to hear this, thoughts and prayers your way.

jasmineahenderson · December 2015

In the same boat. Just got the call yesterday. Good luck and I hope the results are positive!

rebelone · December 2015

Prayers that everything will be okay!

mumistheword · December 2015

Nothing to weigh in on the subject but giving you hugs and lots of love! I'll keep you in my thoughts and I hope that you'll keep us updated. Wishing you the best!

thaisac1 · December 2015

jasmineahenderson said:

In the same boat. Just got the call yesterday. Good luck and I hope the results are positive!

Sorry to hear this! How are you holding up? What is the workup your doctor proposed?

Andie41 · December 2015

I was actually just lurking around here to see if anyone else was going through this. While we didn't see an echogenic bowel, the US tech noted chroroid plexus cysts and an echogenic cardiac focus. (They're all in the soft marker category) The doctor told me not to worry, they see it all the time. All other measurements on the US looked completely normal. I have spent hours (sadly, I've wasted most of this week!) researching EIF and CPC on the internet.

In the absence of any other markers (missing nasal bone, shortened bone length, increased NT measurements, etc) these markers seem to be insignificant. I have not read ANY stories of women who's LOs have had these soft markers only and ended up with Down or other abnormalities.

I am waiting to get a call to schedule a Level II ultrasound but trying to stay positive in the meantime. I hope you can too! I'm sure our LOs are fine

thaisac1 · December 2015

Andie41 said:
I was actually just lurking around here to see if anyone else was going through this. While we didn't see an echogenic bowel, the US tech noted chroroid plexus cysts and an echogenic cardiac focus. (They're all in the soft marker category) The doctor told me not to worry, they see it all the time. All other measurements on the US looked completely normal. I have spent hours (sadly, I've wasted most of this week!) researching EIF and CPC on the internet.

In the absence of any other markers (missing nasal bone, shortened bone length, increased NT measurements, etc) these markers seem to be insignificant. I have not read ANY stories of women who's LOs have had these soft markers only and ended up with Down or other abnormalities.

I am waiting to get a call to schedule a Level II ultrasound but trying to stay positive in the meantime. I hope you can too! I'm sure our LOs are fine

Sorry this happened to you, too. The stress is unreal! I'm also staying positive. I know the odds are in our favor. But can't wait for my ultrasound on Monday to clear this up!!! And I see a geneticist tomorrow morning, let's see what their experience is.

erind228 · December 2015

@Andie41, my son had an EIF on his ultrasound, I wasted almost the entire second half of my pregnancy in worry about it. I know it's easier said than done, but try not too worry too much. I am sure everything is just fine. He is a thriving almost 4 year old now.

allaire314 · December 2015

I don't know any better one way or the other, but I feel like I would want the Level 2 Ultrasound before talking to a geneticist... I feel like all the "what if" scenarios that I'm sure will come up with the geneticist would make me worry more... just to (hopefully) have them debunked by the ultrasound. There might be a perfectly good reason for it to be set up this way that I just don't know about. Makes me even more anxious for out A/S tomorrow... Stay strong ladies!! Hoping for good outcomes for all of you.

thaisac1 · December 2015

allaire314 said:
I don't know any better one way or the other, but I feel like I would want the Level 2 Ultrasound before talking to a geneticist... I feel like all the "what if" scenarios that I'm sure will come up with the geneticist would make me worry more... just to (hopefully) have them debunked by the ultrasound. There might be a perfectly good reason for it to be set up this way that I just don't know about. Makes me even more anxious for out A/S tomorrow... Stay strong ladies!! Hoping for good outcomes for all of you.

It does make sense but i just want this resolved ASAP... They offered me a genetics appointment in 2 days and hey, I'm in Canada, if they offer me a super quick appointment I'm taking it!
It will be helpful anyways to at least learn the very basics and their impressions... And to get the Panorama test rolling asap as it takes 2 weeks to get the results.

thaisac1 · December 2015

Hi everyone! An update after meeting wit the genetic counselor today. She was extremely helpful and very optimistic. I won't bother you with the details but she assured us that the far majority of babies with an isolated finding of echogenic Bowel turn out to be perfectly normal. There are many rare possibilities, but the highest possibility os for Down's syndrome. The finding of echogenic bowel increases the risk of Down's by 6 fold. However, because my prenatal screening tests already have me an exceedingly low risk of downs (1 in 62,000), even if you increase that by 6 fold we are still left with a very low risk of 1 in 10,300. So the odds are definitely in our favor.

Despite the good odds I'm doing the panorama test today, and my husband and I are being checked for carrier status of cystic fibrosis alele. My infectious workup is pending and we have level 2 ultrasound on monday.

Thanks for your positive vibes. Praying for ongoing good news!

AmadorRose · December 2015

That's awesome @thaisac1 ! I hope your weekend goes fast and the panarama results are super speedy!

thaisac1 · December 2015

AmadorRose said:
That's awesome @thaisac1 ! I hope your weekend goes fast and the panarama results are super speedy!

We are going to my husband 's home town tomorrow to visit family so I think that will help the weekend go by quicker!

elasticheart13 · December 2015

thaisac1 said:

That's awesome @thaisac1 ! I hope your weekend goes fast and the panarama results are super speedy!
We are going to my husband 's home town tomorrow to visit family so I think that will help the weekend go by quicker!

That sounds like great news! And great idea to spend time with family to make time go by faster, I hope everything will turn out just fine

thaisac1 · December 2015

elasticheart13 said:

thaisac1 said:

AmadorRose said:
That's awesome @thaisac1 ! I hope your weekend goes fast and the panarama results are super speedy!
We are going to my husband 's home town tomorrow to visit family so I think that will help the weekend go by quicker!

That sounds like great news! And great idea to spend time with family to make time go by faster, I hope everything will turn out just fine

elasticheart13 said:

thaisac1 said:

AmadorRose said:
That's awesome @thaisac1 ! I hope your weekend goes fast and the panarama results are super speedy!
We are going to my husband 's home town tomorrow to visit family so I think that will help the weekend go by quicker!

That sounds like great news! And great idea to spend time with family to make time go by faster, I hope everything will turn out just fine

We had booked this trip a couple of months ago to see them before the holidays, since we will go to Brasil for the holidays. We were supposed to fly back on Monday, but with the ultrasound being scheduled for Monday we move our return flights for Sunday night. It will be a quick visit but it wil be great! Can't wait to see all my nephews/nieces and show everyone my mini bump.

allaire314 · December 2015

Oh very hopeful news! Hopefully the weekend goes by quickly until your results and US!

Andie41 · December 2015

That's all great news!

I finally got a call from the scheduler today and I have to wait until January 5th to get the next ultrasound done! I am not a happy mama right now. I don't expect same day service, but 5 weeks?! That's ridiculous.

thaisac1 · December 2015

Andie41 said:
That's all great news!

I finally got a call from the scheduler today and I have to wait until January 5th to get the next ultrasound done! I am not a happy mama right now. I don't expect same day service, but 5 weeks?! That's ridiculous.

Really??? Can your doc put a rush on it?

On a side note, this reminds me people love to bash the Canadian public health system for its long waiting lists, but I got my genetics appointment in 2 days and level 2 echo in 5 days; not to mention all tests including panorama test and genetic tests for cystic fibrosis all covered by the government. Having lived in Brasil, US and Canada, I really think the Canadian health system is awesome. (rave over)

geminioftwo · December 2015

thaisac1 how was your appointment?

cortney626 · December 2015

@thaisac1 Glad to hear about the good news. Hoping for more good news after your results and ultrasound!

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