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Original poster

Short femur and humerus

75 replies

Laurabella · 13/01/2022 12:49

Hi all , just had our anatomy scan today. Im 23 weeks, we have been told his femur and humerus are on the short side (they didn't go into percentages) . Her first thought was chromosomal issue however I had NIPT bloods (harmony) done at 12 weeks and that came back a low possibility. I didn't feel very reassured and they have referred me to foetal medicine to see a consultant. This is not for two weeks and that wait is going to be awful. Has anyone else had a similar experience and it turned out to be ok?? Everything else structurally on his scan was fine, mixure of confused and worried for two first time parents. Thanks in advance

OP posts:
Lifeisnteasy · 13/01/2022 19:25

Bumping for you! Did they say what centile the bones are on?

Original poster
Laurabella · 13/01/2022 19:51

Nope nothing about anything like that , just they want the consultant to see me. To be honest I feel they handled it completely wrong. When they left the room I could see 21 weeks beside femur and humerus. I'm currently 23 weeks, sorry first time mam so all of this is completely new

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Whitelight22 · 13/01/2022 19:59

Did they give you a print out of your scan report or a graph?

Riddlediddle · 13/01/2022 20:07

Yep I had this. At my 20 week scan they took me straight to foetal medicine for a scan due to the femur measurements being below 1% but his head and stomach measurements being in the 90th centile. We had to wait until birth to really find out but it turned out my boy just has short legs and a big belly and head! Really hope for the same outcome for you OP

Original poster
Laurabella · 13/01/2022 20:13

@Whitelight22

Did they give you a print out of your scan report or a graph?
Nope absolutely nothing , I think I just went in to shock couldn't even get any words out. I just left really confused and upset. So this two week wait is going to feel like a lifetime
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Loopyloulou007 · 13/01/2022 20:13

I was told all sorts when I was pregnant with my first. All what you were told. Was up the hospital for all sorts of scans, heart readings, consultant appointments etc, scared the bloody life out of me to be honest. I gave birth to a healthy baby girl and she was all well proportioned and nothing was wrong with her. Ring up your midwife and ask her to explain and get your mind straight. Sometime they just make you worry, when there is nothing to be worried about.

Original poster
Laurabella · 13/01/2022 20:15

@Riddlediddle

Yep I had this. At my 20 week scan they took me straight to foetal medicine for a scan due to the femur measurements being below 1% but his head and stomach measurements being in the 90th centile. We had to wait until birth to really find out but it turned out my boy just has short legs and a big belly and head! Really hope for the same outcome for you OP
Fingers crossed for something like this , I need to wait two weeks to see Foetal medicine
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tigerpants800 · 13/01/2022 20:31

With us, they spotted 2 potentially serious things that turned out to be nothing. I had many scans, it was terrifying. I hope it's just extra vigilance for you, which I was told is often the case.

gogohm · 13/01/2022 20:45

I had this, and a two vessel cord - lots of tests, consultation with genetic expert, worrying ... all was fine, but she was short at birth and as an adult 5'2

Original poster
Laurabella · 13/01/2022 20:49

@tigerpants800

With us, they spotted 2 potentially serious things that turned out to be nothing. I had many scans, it was terrifying. I hope it's just extra vigilance for you, which I was told is often the case.
Thank you ☺️
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Original poster
Laurabella · 13/01/2022 20:51

@Loopyloulou007

I was told all sorts when I was pregnant with my first. All what you were told. Was up the hospital for all sorts of scans, heart readings, consultant appointments etc, scared the bloody life out of me to be honest. I gave birth to a healthy baby girl and she was all well proportioned and nothing was wrong with her. Ring up your midwife and ask her to explain and get your mind straight. Sometime they just make you worry, when there is nothing to be worried about.
I'll try get through to someone tomorrow, thank you
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SkyeJ90 · 17/01/2022 09:55

I had the same with my baby, her femur was always short, below the 3rd percentile from 20 weeks. Head and abdominal were around 40.
I also had a NIPT test and it came back fine, went to fetal medicine who checked everything and said that it’s likely just a small baby - they were great and really put me at ease so hopefully they do the same for you.
I had growth scans every 2 weeks and her femur always grew but stayed below the 3rd percentile.
The outcome for me was a small baby, born at 37 weeks she was 4lbs8. She’s nearly 7 month old now and she is still petite but growing perfectly fine.
I am short myself 5ft2 and my husband is 5ft8 so she was never going to be a tall baby.

Original poster
Laurabella · 17/01/2022 10:19

@SkyeJ90

I had the same with my baby, her femur was always short, below the 3rd percentile from 20 weeks. Head and abdominal were around 40. I also had a NIPT test and it came back fine, went to fetal medicine who checked everything and said that it’s likely just a small baby - they were great and really put me at ease so hopefully they do the same for you. I had growth scans every 2 weeks and her femur always grew but stayed below the 3rd percentile. The outcome for me was a small baby, born at 37 weeks she was 4lbs8. She’s nearly 7 month old now and she is still petite but growing perfectly fine. I am short myself 5ft2 and my husband is 5ft8 so she was never going to be a tall baby.
Thank you, I'm really hoping all is ok as everything else on his scan was measuring perfect. Just feeling a bit helpless at the moment but trying to be positive 🤞 great to here the positive outcomes
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freshflowers2 · 17/01/2022 10:28

Hello, I'm going through the same at the moment but a few weeks ahead of you. Head and abdomen are around 50th percentile but femur is very short, dropped off the chart.

I was terrified but went to fetal medicine for a more detailed scan and the consultant said this is very common. In her clinic that day there were 3 mums with the same issue. I've also had NIPT (low risk) and she just said look babies come in all shapes and sizes, don't worry!

Crazycatlady83 · 17/01/2022 10:37

I went through the same. All measurements were on the 50th but he measured very small on the femur. As the pregnancy progressed he measured small. We spoke to foetal medicine who were very reassuring and said the most likely explanation is he just has short legs.

Indeed he was born small and still has small legs now at 6 months! He is on the 9th centile but is doing great, eats like a horse!

We were told the link between chromosome abnormalities and short leg measurements is actually just a soft marker and (having googled the crap out of it) isn't massively researched. All the info I could find was mainly US based.

I hope you get some answers and good news soon.

LifeIsBusy · 17/01/2022 10:43

We got referred to fetal medicine for a different issue, a whole team of people completed additional scans and examined me wee guy like mad.

I worried the entire time (diagnosed with congenital issue) and it's all I focused on the entire pregnancy. So whatever the outcome, I suggest you focus on your baby and not what ever they do or don't find as you'll love and care for your baby regardless.

Original poster
Laurabella · 17/01/2022 10:44

Thank you both, to be honest they really scared me. No technical information ie what he was measuring and where he should be. No other possible explanations, just handled completely wrong. By the sounds of all your experiences fetal medicine will be more reassuring 🤞

OP posts:
LifeIsBusy · 17/01/2022 10:46

My post never went up 😔

Original poster
Laurabella · 17/01/2022 10:55

@LifeIsBusy

We got referred to fetal medicine for a different issue, a whole team of people completed additional scans and examined me wee guy like mad.

I worried the entire time (diagnosed with congenital issue) and it's all I focused on the entire pregnancy. So whatever the outcome, I suggest you focus on your baby and not what ever they do or don't find as you'll love and care for your baby regardless.

Thank you, very true ❤️
OP posts:
Crazycatlady83 · 17/01/2022 11:05

@Laurabella

Thank you both, to be honest they really scared me. No technical information ie what he was measuring and where he should be. No other possible explanations, just handled completely wrong. By the sounds of all your experiences fetal medicine will be more reassuring 🤞
Have you spoken to your midwife? I spoke to mine and she got the senior sonogragher to call me because I was so worried (before our appt with FM) and he reviewed the scan, answered some immediate questions and was very reassuring. Is this something you can do for some immediate answers?
Original poster
Laurabella · 17/01/2022 11:16

I did call the ultrasound dept last week and left a voicemail. They are super short staffed at the moment so have not heard back yet. I don't have a designated midwife , are you in the UK? Must be different here in Ireland

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A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 · 17/01/2022 11:32

I'm almost 38 weeks and had a similar issue which I made a thread about - just posting the link here because I got some really helpful replies www.mumsnet.com/Talk/pregnancy/4405672-growth-scans-low-femur-length

I still haven't had my baby yet, but they've said it's unlikely to be skeletal dysplasia because the measurements would be very far behind and not just a couple of weeks. Hope your FMU appointment puts your mind at rest. They'll examine the bones in detail for straightness, the skeletal physiology, the shape of the skull and the width of the rib cage. They said it's unlikely short long bones in isolation would point to a major issue.

Original poster
Laurabella · 17/01/2022 13:49

@A1b2c3d4e5f6g7

I'm almost 38 weeks and had a similar issue which I made a thread about - just posting the link here because I got some really helpful replies www.mumsnet.com/Talk/pregnancy/4405672-growth-scans-low-femur-length

I still haven't had my baby yet, but they've said it's unlikely to be skeletal dysplasia because the measurements would be very far behind and not just a couple of weeks. Hope your FMU appointment puts your mind at rest. They'll examine the bones in detail for straightness, the skeletal physiology, the shape of the skull and the width of the rib cage. They said it's unlikely short long bones in isolation would point to a major issue.

Thank you 💞 I'll have a read through your thread now. I just got a call from the consultant in fetal medicine and she had moved my appointment to this Wednesday instead of next week. She was very nice so fingers crossed 🤞
OP posts:
freshflowers2 · 17/01/2022 14:49

@A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 I read your thread a couple of times during some looonnngg sleepless nights over Christmas. Along with numerous scientific studies about skeletal dysplasia.. pregnancy is such a worrying time.

Wishing you lots of luck with the (imminent?) new arrival!

user1471523870 · 17/01/2022 15:00

Mine had short legs too in all scans. Generally speaking he was a small baby but legs resulted way shorter in proportion.
I am tiny myself at 5'2 and in my other half's family there are also not very tall relatives. And my baby was the smaller twin, so lots of reasons I gave myself for it.
He was born premature at 32 weeks as his placenta was not working properly, but no genetic or other issues. And his legs were just in proportion with his tiny body:).
At 3 he's still on the small side, but catching up!