nuchal fluid 3.5....sick with worry

[July20132014]

am 37 and we went for our 12 week scan on Wednesday (this would be our 3rd baby) and our consultant spent ages scanning me which was a red flag...our nuchal fluid reading was 3.5 (3 is the 'normal' cutoff) which has raised concers with him. My bloods were done and are being sent to the UK to get more information re possible outcome. The results will be in next wendnesday or thursday morning. My husband and i are just in shock i guess, its all i can think about and i am so terrified and the waiting is awful...every hour seems to be dragging. Of course i was straight on to Dr. Google the minute i got home and there have been a lot of positive outcomes with a reading of 3.5. I would love to hear from other ladies out there who have had a similar reading and how all turned out. Also i live in Ireland. Its very helpful to have this forum to express my fears...my head is consumed with this and its all I'm thinking about.

[coastergirl]

Hey,

I'm no expert, just wanted to say that I thought the cut-off was 3mm too. At my 12 week scan my measurement was 2.9 so when I got home I double-checked and it seems the cut-off here (UK) is 3.5mm, so you are still in that limit. Of course the full test results will tell you more, but try not to worry too much (easy to say, I know).

[Lovetobrowse]

I was just about to say the same. My measurement was 3.3mm and after much googling and anxiety on my part I was told by a hospital consultant that 3.5mm is the normal cut off for requiring further scans on this measurement alone. It has been 3mm in the past but apparently recent evidence shows that so so few people in the bracket of 3mm to 3.5mm were found to need special attention, unless the combined test result put them in a high risk category. Try not to worry about this alone. I was a worrier and in the end my doctor did refer me for more detailed heart scans at 16 weeks but everything was fine. I hope this helps to reassure you a little.

[HeadFirstintheBiscuitTin]

I was in your position 4 years ago - pregnant with 3rd baby (age 34) and with a nuchal measurement of 3.5mm. I'm in the UK and was told that nuchal measurements of 3.5mm and above warranted further tests and anything below was considered 'normal'.

My blood test results brought the risk down slightly but I was still considered high risk so I had a cvs which came back clear. I then had detailed heart scans at 16 weeks (a high nuchal measurement can also be an indicator of heart defects) this too was clear and the rest of my pregnancy went smoothly. That baby is now a very happy, healthy 3 year-old

I hope all goes well for you, I remember what a horrible time it was waiting and worrying