Anatomy Scan - kidneys

turcs · November 2017

My doctors office just called advising that they could not locate the babies kidneys on my anatomy scan (19 weeks).
They are sending me for a follow up US but at this point I have don't have any other details. I know this could end up from one extreme to the other but just wondering if any mommas have gone through this -
or are going through this?

sparklingdiamond · November 2017

I don't have any experience with this, but my u/s tech said the kidneys can be one of the hardest things to find because they are so small. So hopefully the baby was just in a weird position and they will be able to see them on the follow up! Thinking of you!

okayrunner · November 2017

No experience, but fx everything is okay!

sarelizr · November 2017

No experience, but in all honesty, the kidneys didn’t look like anything in my u/s... could depend on positioning and any number of factors. Fx that they will be visible at your next appt!!

Mattel · November 2017

I don’t have experience with this but sending thoughts and prayers that they see them at your f/u!

ngolimento · November 2017

I'm sorry you are going through so much uncertainty. FX that the followup shows them easily!

mountainsmama · November 2017

Sorry to hear you are going through this! I don't have any experience with this, other than that at my A/S, I remember the kidneys looked like tiny little specks, so they definitely can be hard to see. Hopefully it was the position of the baby or user error on the part of the tech. They didn't mention anything to you during the scan?

sjn00 · November 2017

I dont have any experience other then being born with only 1 kidney. Many thoughts and prayers that a follow up scan provides more answers!

Im not a dr, but if everything else looked okay, fluid wise, etc. I would suspect things are okay? I *think* the babies are using their kidneys at this point, so I would think something more would be off if it was the kidneys, I could be completely wrong though!!

sassygirl51486 · November 2017

sjn00 said:

I dont have any experience other then being born with only 1 kidney. Many thoughts and prayers that a follow up scan provides more answers!

Im not a dr, but if everything else looked okay, fluid wise, etc. I would suspect things are okay? I *think* the babies are using their kidneys at this point, so I would think something more would be off if it was the kidneys, I could be completely wrong though!!

I agree, if it were an issue with the kidneys there would either be an abundance of amniotic fluid because the baby's not filtering it out properly or something would be evident in regards to kidney function (Or lack thereof)

btm013 · November 2017

I don’t have experience but am sending you good thoughts and prayers your way!! Please keep us posted!

mcb2016 · November 2017

Thinking of you and hope you get answers quickly.

g_amoss · November 2017

@turcs - no experience, but wishing you well!

ngolimento · November 2017

sjn00 said:

I dont have any experience other then being born with only 1 kidney. Many thoughts and prayers that a follow up scan provides more answers!

Im not a dr, but if everything else looked okay, fluid wise, etc. I would suspect things are okay? I *think* the babies are using their kidneys at this point, so I would think something more would be off if it was the kidneys, I could be completely wrong though!!

I got curious about secondary symptoms, and did some digging on the subject. Apparently the real danger is that fetuses without kidneys don't produce enough amniotic fluid (yes that means a good portion of the fluid is pee. Gross). So they don't have enough room to develop. There are a couple of interesting articles about babies being successfully born after the addition of artificial amniotic fluid. It is amazing what science can do.

sjn00 · November 2017

@ngolimento that is interesting and along the same lines of what I was thinking. Hopefully the fluid is good and the kidneys were just hiding or cloudy because of gas and weren't easily visable.

beach_mama · November 2017

When are they bringing you back?

I see lot's of positive words above and want to echo them: fx everything is ok and the kidneys were just missed on the scan.

whatabout2ndbreakfast · November 2017

No experience but hoping that everything is ok! I had a friend whose baby had tiny kidneys so echoing above that maybe they are difficult to find especially if bub was wiggling around.

turcs · November 2017

@mountainsmama No unfortunately where I live the ultrasound techs are not allowed by law to say anything at the scan. It all comes from the doctor after.

@beach_mama not sure, my doctors receptionist called and just advised they were rescheduling me because they couldn't find the kidneys. I tried to ask questions but she said she had no other information and that they would call me shortly with an appointment.

Because I haven't spoken to a doctor I really have no idea at this point, which is always the worst. I do have a regular monthly appointment on Monday so I'm planning on asking about the amniotic fluid then. If the kidneys are missing the problem is they don't produce enough amniotc fluid which restricts lung growth and typically is fatal, they also could just be too small to see, in the wrong spot (pelvic kidneys) and sometimes blend in with intestines on the US, so they are just harder to see.

I know chances are they were just hiding somewhere, but I just never like being in the unknown. Luckily my DS is keeping me busy, busy, busy.

Thank you for all the well wishes. I will keep you posted on anything.

irenejean · November 2017

I hope everything is okay and that they can find the kidneys at a follow-up visit!

tooraloorah · November 2017

Hope your doctor has some answers on Monday and that everything is ok with baby!

rmmorris · December 2017

@turcs sending well wishes! Wondering vs knowing is the worst. You could call and ask to talk to the nurse to get a better idea if they didn’t get a good image vs it appears like they’re not there.

julzy · December 2017

No experience with this but sending good thoughts your way! My scan wasn’t complete either because baby wasn’t cooperating. FX that it was just the angle or something!

codingchildhood · December 2017

I have no experience, but I hope they're able to find the kidneys at your follow up! It can be so hard to get all the images/measurements needed just due to how the baby is positioned and whether they can get them to move around while doing the scan.