scared, 5mm nuchal fold result

[saralou212]

Hi this is my first time posting but I really needed to talk to other people who maybe are or have been in the same situation as me.

We went for what I thought was my 12 week scan, as with all first time parents it was so exciting to see our baby on the screen. Until the sonographer went very quiet. She found I was only just gone ten weeks but the baby had a 5mm nuchal fold.
She has scared the hell out me, we were told by her it was very bad and there was a big problem with our baby, we were ushered into a quiet room and left there for half an hour.
eventually we were asked to come back for a second scan which is this friday.
to
To say im scared is an understatement.
Please has anyone been through anything similar?

Hi ive not got a experience of this but didn't want to read and run. Im sure that the nuchal measurement has to be taken from 11 weeks 4 days for it to be accurate hopefully the fact that your only 10 weeks has given a falsely high result. I dont think a lot of people regularly look in this forum you will probably get more responses if you repost in the pregnancy forum, good luck

Agree with the post above - at our hospital you have to be at least 11+2 to get what is deemed an accurate measurement. I know from recent experience its heartbreaking news though . Hope everything works out for you x

Yes, they are doing the right thing in asking you to come back for another scan. Depending on what they find they may offer you a cvs, where they take a small sample of your placenta to test the baby's chromosomes. I guess the big question you and your DH have to decide is do you want to go back for more tests? And don't forget you can always find somewhere to give you a second opinion if you fel you need it. Anyway, I hope it's all a false alarm and I wish all the best.

Sorry to hear you're going through such a stressful time, are you absolutely sure of your dates though?

The difference in measurements between 10 and 12 weeks can hugely vary the result, so it seems odd that opinions are being given to you so early. Don't google and tide it out until your next scan & I hope everything will be ok x

*ride not tide

At ten weeks this nuchal measurement is thickend BUT we have brought people back for a rescan and it has reduced in size; Not always but there are a few cases. In our hospital the fetal med dr will not rescan for a thickened nuchal until the fetus measures at least 45mm from crown to rump.
Don't forget that a thickened nuchal is not always an indicator of downs it is also a marker for other issues and sometimes just one of those things that they never discover why it is thickened.
Wait till your next scan and see what it measures then.

Thanks everyone I really appreciate the replys, im hoping and praying that the measurement has reduced on friday although I know its not likely.
Its hard to stay positive when you read so many sad stories from other women in the same situation. I know my age doesnt help either, im 34 and this puts me as high risk without any problems.
I dont think we would be as scared if the first scan was handled with a bit more sensitivity.
Thanks again I will re post and let you how friday went, its nice to be able to talk to others :-)

Saralou, I will be thinking of you this week.

I once had the worst possible news at a 20 week scan (baby deceased) and they also put us in one of those awful bloody rooms by ourselves for half an hour....I have absolutely no idea why they do this, I think it is because they have no clue that half an hour in there feels like 2 weeks. It is a really tough thing to go through, particularly I think for first time parents. for you.

Have they done/will they do blood tests to give you a combined result with your nuchal measurement?

Hopefully the scan on Friday will be much more positive for you. If there is still concern after this scan, have you heard about 'harmony' testing?- it is like a cvs but without the risk of MC as it is non-invasive. That might be a good option for you to get some certainty about the baby. I haven't linked to a specific place as I have no idea in the country where you are, but if you google it places will come up.

Hi armadale, thanks so much for your reply. Im so sorry for your loss I hope your ok.
They should be taking blood and a new scan this friday but im not hopeful. Apparently its rare for the measurement to go down :-(

ive heard good and bad accounts from women after a result like mine so I have fingers and toes crossed.
It just makes it worse when the nurses seem so insensitive.
I'll look into the harmony testing in my area (derbyshire)because I know I will rrequire further testing but really didn't want the cvs or amino unless it was a last resort.
thanks again for the reply I'll repost on friday.

Hi Saralou I have been going through this since the 5th March i had opted out of the downs test and I went for my scan and like u everything was fine then she went quiet and had somebody else come and look and we was also put in another room at the back so nobody could see us, our measurement was 6.1 they explained that it meant there was an 80 percent chance our baby would have a chromosome abnormality or genetic disorder they basically told us to think about ending our pregnancy but I didn't want to do that until I knew what it could be plus there was 20 percent it could be ok and I clung to that they advised me to have a cvs and booked me in with another hospital for the next morning, when I got there the consultant was lovely but he informed us that the baby also had a cystic hygroma and that it's not good after a failed attempt at the cvs because the baby was in the way he told me I'd have to come back in a week to give my womb time to grow, I had the test last wed, it wasn't pleasant it was quite painful but was over quick and although I was told I'd have cramping for day or 2 I was absolutely fine I had no pain what so ever, I got my results on Friday and they are all clear for downs, turners, Patau and Edwards syndrome and i am having a baby girl I'm not quite out the woods as now I have to have an In depth heart scan at 16 weeks as they have said it could be a heart defect now but I'm feeling more hopeful and optimistic, it's just all the waiting I can't cope with but I'm so glad I had the cvs and I would do it again if I had to, good luck with everything my fingers are crossed and I will look out for your post xx

Its so nice to hear from someone in the same boat as me thankyou. Im really glad you had good results from your cvs. I think its terrible that a nurse or doctor can be so quick to suggest a termination when good results can come in the end. It was even suggested that I would miscarry before my next scan but so far fingers crossed baby bean has been fine.
I think I feel worse because we didnt have a clue what to expect with it being our first.
I will post and let you know how it goes on friday.
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Thanks again for replying I hope everything continues to go well for you :-)

Hi Sarahlou, just wanted to tell you I will be thinking about you today. Good luck x

Hi everyone, thought id update you all on how friday went. I dont think I have ever been so scared in all my life as I was sitting waiting to be called.
I explained what had happened in my first test and luckily the lady that we saw this time was really sensitive towards us and very helpful.
I discovered bean is awkward at this early age, after the third time lucky trying to get a reading off bean we got one of 3.4mm. Although this is still quite high, apparently its within the normal range now and the specialist didnt need to see me.
We were told bean has a good strong heartbeat and looks pretty healthy, so im slightly relieved but im a bit nervous about getting the dreaded letter with the combined results on.
Were not out the woods yet but we feel good enough to tell people the news this week.
I want to say a huge thankyou to everyone who took thetime to reply and share their experiences with me.
I will be posting again when I know my results from the combined.
I hope everything goes well for those of you with problems. Keep positive x x

Just seen this thread. Glad your news is more positive - fingers crossed for your full results x

Fingers crossed for good results for you x