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Antenatal tests

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Original poster

2 vessels in umbilical cord not 3

30 replies

Newfamily2014 · 22/10/2015 17:09

Just had my 20 week fetal anomaly scan. All fine and ten she told me there are only two vessels in the umbilical cord not three.
Ultrasonographer wasn't worried and said I would get another scan at 30weeks to ensure baby growing well.
I've don't the worst thing and googled it. Seems it's treated totally differently in America. Far more tests. Can be associated with lots of conditions.
Has anyone else any experience of this?
Very worried

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Lancelottie · 22/10/2015 17:15

Yes I do, and she's just cycled off to get some shopping .

We were told (umpteen years back) that it's one of those things that used to be spotted at birth when they had a good look at a child with other, obvious problems, but that it was being picked up more and more in the 'normal' population now because of better scans.

DD has no 'conditions' beyond normal teenage stroppiness and being rather taller than average.

PotteringAlong · 22/10/2015 17:17

And don't even compare America to here! They get more scans etc because medicine in the USA is a business and they're so scared of being sued! It doesn't mean they do that because it's the best treatment

MrsLeighHalfpenny · 22/10/2015 17:27

Agree with pottering - hospitals in U.S. are paid for all the treatment, scans etc they provide, which is why they do so many.
At least here you know that if you're referred for treatment you must really need it!

KittyandTeal · 22/10/2015 19:56

I think it can be a marker for some issues along side lots of other things. One of the things they looked at with dd2, who had Edwards, was only 2 vessels. However, it's not a marker in its own so I imagine they're telling you not to worry as everything else has been checked and is fine.

Original poster

Newfamily2014 · 22/10/2015 21:20

Thanks everyone for your reassuring messages.

lancielottie lovely to hear your daughter is well.

kitty yes the 12 and 20 week scan were perfect other than the vessels which I think is very reassuring.

Google is such a scare :-(

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Original poster

Newfamily2014 · 22/10/2015 21:33

kittyandteal when was the Edwards syndrome picked up? I presume there was more than just the two vessels?

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DarlingClem · 23/10/2015 14:09

Will you be having a follow up appointment to discuss the scan and the umbilical cord with an actual dr rather than just the sonographer? It can be a marker for a genetic condition or a baby can have it and be totally fine but they'll worry about growth restriction. We lost our daughter a couple years ago and were not told until her autopsy that she had a single umbilical artery. When I looked back and read other scan reports it had been noted but nobody ever brought it up with me as an issue so I had never noticed it as a 'negative' in the report. For her pregnancy I had gone through the Australian public system and I am positive that if we had gone privately that a dr would have followed it up with more tests, it probably wouldn't have changed the outcome for us but would have meant we were more prepared on that awful day. She did have a two more 'markers' that were picked up in her autopsy so it was not just the umbilical cord alone. Knowing what I know now, for peace of mind, I would try and be seen by an OB that specializes in fetal medicine, whether there is one you can see at the hospital you are booked in at or if it's possible for a one-off private consultation I think it would be worth it so you don't spend the next 10 weeks worrying. Can you go to your GP and try and get a referral?

KittyandTeal · 23/10/2015 17:03

New I really wouldn't worry.

I had odd hormone results at 12 week scan, but was considered low risk. An apology was picked up at 20 weeks scan and she was diagnosed at 21 weeks (ish) after an amnio. When she was born at 22 weeks she was measuring 3 weeks behind. She was always 5th centipede or lower on scan measurements (I had a few extra scans because of the hormone results)

I would be astonished if you'd got through both 12 and 20 weeks scans perfectly and then to find out something major was wrong.

I'm really sorry if I've worried you, my post was meant to comfort you in a round about way.

KittyandTeal · 23/10/2015 17:04

Anomaly not apology!

KittyandTeal · 23/10/2015 17:04

And centile. Fuck sake auto correct

DarlingClem · 23/10/2015 17:58

I don't want to worry you either and sorry if I have. I am just of the mind now that I'd rather speak to a specialist and have peace of mind then feel I have to suck it up and wait. But I am American...

On the thought that America only does more tests for more money...in the states (and anywhere you choose to go private, so here and Australia as well) you choose an OB to manage your pregnancy and they decide whether to send you for more scans and tests, they make no extra money by choosing to send you for more scans or blood work as those are done out of their office.

Good luck and I hope a dr has touched base with you to at least explain why they don't find it a worry.

pinkisthenewpink · 23/10/2015 18:29

I had one with my first DC. Picked up at 12 week scan. I had other markers so they monitored me a bit more closely with monthly scans. All was well and he's currently glued to minecraft!

Two vessel cords are considered a variant of normal these days. So seeing a 2vc on its own is not considered to be a problem. It's only when there are other markers together with a 2vc then they would suggest any further tests or extra monitoring (markers or blood test results indicative of a chromosomal issue, or low fluid or poor growth) it's just a 2vc, which it sounds like as otherwise they would say, then it's probably just a variant of normal and nothing to worry about!

pinkisthenewpink · 23/10/2015 18:36

Oh and my markers were bad blood work results (1 in 50 risk), and poor growth (lowest centiles) and low amniotic fluid found at 12 weeks. And the 2vc.

KittyandTeal · 23/10/2015 18:47

Pink has explained it much better than me but that's basically what I was trying to say :)

Original poster

Newfamily2014 · 23/10/2015 21:18

Ladies, what absolutely lovely messages from you all, thank you so much.

Darlingclem I'm very sorry to hear that you lost your daughter, thank you for sharing your experience.
I phoned the midwife this morning and asked for a referral to an obstetrician. She wasn't particularly friendly, which I was surprised about, and kept saying that they don't normally refer such cases. I insisted and she reluctantly said she would make the referral.

kittyandteal Thank you for the reassurance. Yes I am holding onto the fact that all other aspects of the 12 and 20 week scan were perfectly normal and no sign of a small baby at the moment. My DS risk was 1:11,000 (not exactly 11,000, can't quite remember the last 3 digits!). The sonographer mentioned the 2 vessels almost as a throw away comment at the end.

pinkisthenewpink your comment about mind craft made me smile, thanks :-) Glad to hear your child is well.

I need to try and focus on the fact that at the moment I have a healthy, good sized baby growing inside of me and hopefully that will remain the case. I got very emotional about it which I'm sure a lot of people would think silly.

My plan at the moment is to wait for the obstetrician appointment, have a private growth scan in a month, followed by the NHS scan at 30 weeks so that means a scan roughly each month. I'm not sure what the NHS will plan after 30 weeks. Do you think that sounds enough?

The Harmony scan which tests for DS, Edwards and Patou syndromes costs £500 which is a bit steep for me and I'm not sure I need it. What do you all think?

Thanks again for your replies. It's meant a lot.

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KittyandTeal · 24/10/2015 08:21

Do you have the blood results from the 12 week scan?

If say it sounds lik you don't need a harmony but if you want to look at your blood results the markers are very low hcg and low papp a (look at the mom, it should be nearish 1)

Just to give you an idea my hcg was 0.2 mom and my papp a was 0.08! The lowest they've ever seen at kings.

I don't for a second think you are being silly. It is almost certainly nothing to worry about but being told something is not 100% perfect does make you worry. I remember being told dd2 was a couple if days behing on her growth (way before all the big problems) and I sobbed for days.

I think an appointment with an obs is a good idea, even if it's for them to explain exactly why they aren't worried.

lovelyleftrubbishright · 24/10/2015 08:45

Hi, just to add to the reassuring posts, I only had two vessels (found out after I was born) and I have no health problems and am currently sitting here feeding my own 6 month old!

lostlalaloopsy · 24/10/2015 09:06

My dd had this. She was born with a fairly rare condition and has health issues, but the 2 vessel cord had nothing to do with it.

DarlingClem · 24/10/2015 13:11

I don't think you're being silly at all, but after my experience I have become pretty pushy with wanting things explained to me. My experience is also that just because it is not routine for a public system to investigate something further doesn't mean that it is unnecessary to look into it more. Adding an extra scan and an OB appt to explain things more to you (ie why they're not worried) is a great plan I think. I don't think you need to worry about looking into the harmony test unless the OB and next scan tell you otherwise. Good luck

CerseiLannistersEyebrow · 24/10/2015 15:13

Edwards and Patau's would have been picked up in the scans. They have some very obvious markers. Two vessel cords can mean something or nothing, and the somethings will generally have other soft markers. So don't worry about those conditions.

MissHooliesCardigan · 25/10/2015 08:43

DS2 had this. The pregnancy was a bit of an obstacle course- there was an issue at the 12 week scan with the cord insertion and I was told there was a 1 in 4 chance of T13 or T18 and I was offered a CVS on the spot which I said yes to. I was waiting around to have it done and then the doctor called me in and said that he'd noticed I wasn't quite 12 weeks so he'd recalculated and the risk was actually 1 in 4000! I went home but decided a few days later that I wanted the CVS as the initial scan had made me so anxious and I was also worried due to my age (nearly 40). When I went for the test, they told me that the issue with the cord had resolved so my risk was low and were querying whether I still wanted the CVS. Then they spotted the SBA. I was told that it didn't necessarily mean anything but could be a marker for heart problems or chromosome abnormalities so I had the CVS which came back all clear. I had a very detailed cardiac scan at 23 weeks and regular growth scans as I was told that it can occasionally cause growth problems. He was born at full term weighing 10lbs 7oz and doesn't have any health problems.
All the doctors I spoke to were very reassuring and told me that it doesn't usually cause any problems- the extra artery is just for insurance exactly like most people can manage fine with one kidney. Good luck

MissHooliesCardigan · 25/10/2015 09:02

Sorry, SUA not SBA.

Original poster

Newfamily2014 · 28/10/2015 13:33

Thanks ladies.

kittyandteal I was only given the result for DS. Were you given the other results as routine? or did you have to ask for them? Yes that is exactly how I felt..

lovelyleftrubbishright congrats on your little one and lovely to hear that they are fine. Were the two vessels found after birth because the ultrasonographer didn't check for them? did you have to stay in hospital? did you little one have any extra tests?

Darlingclem I totally agree with you. Just because it's ok for someone else doesn't mean it's ok for me or my baby ;-) My husband and I work in the NHS and I'm sad to say that I've had to use that 'card' to encourage the midwife to make the referral.

Thanks lostlala and cerseiLannisters for the reassurance. I'm holding onto the fact that the first two scans were perfectly normal.

Thanks MissHoolies wow! 10lb 7oz! your lo certainly did well with the single vessel :-) Lovely to hear another perfect baby. I'm sure they would have offered my T13 and T18 testing if they thought likely?

I'm going to contact the antenatal clinic to see if they have received a referral for me.

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Plonkysaurus · 28/10/2015 13:46

My ds's two vessel cord was only spotted at birth and no one could explain anything about it to us. Given that he's only two this would definitely have been spotted at both scans and should have been raised with us, but that's by the by.

He's absolutely fine. We were told it can have implications for growth, and ds was smaller than everyone had predicted (7lb12 at 42 weeks) but that's all the explanation we ever had.

Original poster

Newfamily2014 · 28/10/2015 18:23

That's interesting plonkysaurus I have read that they can be sometimes hard to spot on US. Glad to hear he's doing well now :-)

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