Did a scan leave you worried/confused/angry/upset? (Sorry long but I'm a bit beside myself ATM)

[emkana]

I already started a thread on this yesterday, but I need to get some more experiences because it's driving me crazy!!!

At my 21 week scan some sort of "problem" was detected - some measurement in the brain was "the upper side of normal" and the femur measured the equivalent of 20 weeks while the head measured the equivalent of 22 weeks. The thing is, the sonographer didn't explain to me at all what the significance of these findings were, she just let us wait while she spoke to the consultant, then called me back in, measured again and said that she would phone the lab to get the result of my blood test for Down's, and if that was normal the consultant said "it" (again not explaining what was behind all this) would be okay. I knew my blood tests were not considered high risk, so I went away reassured. The sonographer said she would phone after speaking to the lab, but I was out the rest of the day so missed the call. Next morning I rang the scan department - the sonographer was not there that day, but the receptionist told me that I should come in for a rescan in 10 days' time. It was only now that I really started to worry, because I couldn't understand what this was about and why this decision was made when I knew that my blood tests had come back okay. So I went on the internet to only realize then that a short femur is a soft marker for Down's, and that some things that they measurre in the head can also be soft markers - but I have no idea what these measurements were that the sonographer described as the upper side of normal. So now I am very very worried and very upset and also angry that the sonographer didn't explain things properly to me, that she made the decision for a rescan when she had told me a normal blood test would mean that everything was okay without explaining her change of mind, and I'm going absolutely crazy with this and isn't it just typical that it's the weekend so I can't do anything about it until Monday??????

I can comment on markers for downs im afraid as i have no experience but on my 19 wk scan with ds2 his head circ was measuring 20 wk and his femur length was measuring 18 wks, and he is fine i was scanned with both babies all the way from 30 wks plus due to OC and the head/abdo/femur measurements were never the same. Im not going to tell you not to worry as its human nature but you are right it is thye weekend and there is nothing you can do until monday, so relax a little and im sure there will be others along with their advice and experiece too take care

Oh emkana. How scary. We had a "kidney problem" detected by a scan with one of my twins when i was pregnant and the news was delivered in a very unhelpful way and what you describe sounds ever so similar to how i felt. All was well for us and I hope it will be for you. So so so sorry you're going through this though and wanted to send you all my sympathy.

Is your midwife contactable over the weekend, could she give you some advice?

Please try not to worry - there are several markers they look for, for downs, I thought one of the main ones was a mising nose bone - so imagine baby is ok here. I was told my baby had the stomach size well beyond her gestation - think they all grow differently and none of us are text book - so try not to worry - I know thats easier said than done.

unfortunately the midwife is a bit useless at the best of times.

A short femur is also a soft marker for having short legs!

That's what my (very small) rational part tells me, but dh and me are both quite tall so I'm thinking would the baby have short legs?

DH and I are both reasonably tall. I have long legs and a short body, he has short legs and a long body. Our DSs are one of each Not one long leg, one short leg - one child has little legs, one has long ones!

Yes, of course you'll worry but all babies are different and they don't grow uniformly. The measurements were still considered normal. If they've booked a rescan, it's probably just to check that everything's grown 10 days worth or so.

agree about short baby i am 5' 6 my xp (ds's dad) is 5'11 and ds1 who is 3 is 3ft 3 yet ds2 19 months is only 2'3 he is tiny bless

hi emkana - not the same but i had 3 different midwives give me 3 different measurements all saying baby was measuring bigger than my dates or had too much amniotic fluid (the measurement taken towards the end of pregnancy when they use the tape measure from pubic bone to top of uterus i think). they all said different reasons why plus was referred for another scan which was to be 2 weeks away. i got in a real state and the more i worried the more i worried about what my stress was doing to the baby so i had to get rather fiesty and assertive which i find very difficult and i asked to speak to the head midwife and she saw me straight away, she managed to get me another scan the same day and i also changed midwives. if you find this awkward speak to the reception and ask when head midwife is on duty or get a message specifically to her to phone you or find out if she is on duty at the hospital and phone there? this is your right and your pregnancy, take care xx

These measurements are based on averages, aren't they? So any child whose proportions are other than average will throw up odd readings. My kids all had big heads so all their scans (prehistoric ones, between 81 and 92) said that I was more pg than I actually was, which mucked up EDDs and consequent CS dates, but that was all. I don't think they measured the femur in those day so there was none of this interpretation panic.

Of course you will worry until you have it explained but as sobernow said, do your best to keep calm.

Thank you all for answering. I'll just have to try and stay calm
It's just so annoying because it's hanging like a cloud over me.

Hi emkana, sorry you are having a hard time. Scanning is hardly an exact science. I know because dd was obsessively scanned in utero from 13 weeks to birth because my dd was off on so many measurements I had to have a CVS. Even when dd turned out to the chromosomally norma1, one consultant went so far as to say they could not rule out genetic abnormality because she was so small and there were structural issues with various major organs. So I do sympathise with the dark cloud - esp when in dd's case the colour and shape changed with each scan.

All I can say is go for the re-scan. Length of femur is notoriously difficult to measure because the accuracy depends on the angle of the leg is lying. And even then, soft markers are just soft markers. They might mean something, but often they do not and just cause a lot of worry. You are very very far off from any definite problem, which is probably why the sonographer could not be clear.

After her heart op (which was the only good thing which came out of the scans), dd is absolutely lovely and normal, just little - like me!

Exactly

I have some sympathy for your mw's view, sobernow. But despite the absolutely shocking stress the scans caused my dh and I, the one good thing that came out of it was that it saved my dd's life before her heart condition caused irreparable damage to her other organs. There was nothing obvious to indicate dd had a hole-in-her-heart. Paradoxically, the hole was so big there was no murmur because the blood was just sloshing through back-and-forth. So yes, it is a mixed blessing but for the genuine congenital problems they do detect, it is worth it IMO. Bear in mind that if a problem is detected antenatally, it becomes the mdwife's duty to support the mother. If detected postnatally, it has nothing to with the mw and would make her job significantly easier. Yes, I too would like to go back to the days before email!

So true . Modern medicine is blunt tool. It is designed to detect the few cases where they are problems but using inexact science. It is NOT designed to holistically support the vast majority of normal cases which routinely fall on the wrong side of those diagnostic tools. There are parents who refuse scans on principle, for your mw's reason.

Thanks again to all of you for posting. Feel a bit calmer today. Can't wait for tomorrow morning so I can speak to the sonographer and clarify things a bit.

Both my babies had large heads and short femurs, and both times the sonographer was rude and insensitive - once I had an early scan at 10 weeks because I had had a bleed, and when I asked for a photo the sonographer said "lets not tempt fate - I'd go home and pray if I were you". Another time when I asked whether the head measurement was normal the woman said "just be grateful it's got a head"

I'm so sorry you've had this horrible experience, and I'm not surprised you're worried. It is much, much, much more likely that your baby is perfectly normal. I know how hard it is to focs on that though. I'm sure you know that looking things up on the internet, (while inevitable if you are an intelligent person who is being treated like a chump by health "professionals") is a sure way of seeing the worst case scenario and being frightened to death. I've been there more than once

Let us know how it goes.

at Meanoldmummy's sonographer !!

We had LOTS of worrying/confusing/upsetting scans during my pregnancy with dd. Our problems were growth ones but not DS related.

We always were too worried at the time to ask the right questions and would come out and think of all the things we should have asked. Am sure you have thought about this but we used to sit down before a follow up appointment and write down all the questions we wanted to ask, so maybe do this before the call tomorrow. We found if we didn't, I would end up getting upset and forget what we were going to ask etc...

All turned out ok here - good luck - let us know what happens.

I had worrying scans with both my dds. dd1 they detected a very serious heart defect ( operable and repairable BUT serious non the less) We had to wait over a week for a referral to Kings for fetal cardiac scans which confirmed the heart defect. We were also told that this heart defect was a hard marker for down syndrome. We were offered an amnio and refused mainly cause we would not have done anything with the information. They then gave us a number of very detailed anomaly scans which really did not show up any physical markers - except that dd1 was on the small side of ds at that time. She was born with down syndrome.

Dd2 they picked up a spot of calcification in the heart - a soft marker for down syndrome. We were a little concerned but not scared - only cause we knew what we were dealing with in terms of down syndrome. However - dd2 was a big baby with an even bigger head!! Her head measured off the charts - and still does despite her growth slowing.... she is quite a ditty thing with a big head - must run in the family somewhere.

Sorry you are having this worry BUT soft markers are just that SOFT markers..... dd1's heart defect was a hard marker - in other words had she been born without ds - they would have been very surprised.

Our sonographer here in Aus told us that with increasing technology things are being picked up on ultrasounds that would not have originally been picked up and causing parents a lot of worry when it in fact turns out to be nothing.

Our dd1 was never very co operative for scans and I know in comparing the two very detailed anomaly scans we had done at kings where they measured everything the measurements are out a bit. In fact with our 20 week scan I had to have two as dd1 would not turn over so they could check out some of the internal organs etc.

I am sorry the sonographer worried you but it can be hard to get accurate measurements of babes in the womb given their movement, angles etc.

Sorry I realise I have rambled....

Hi Emkana. I answered on your other thread too. Is this your first baby? Do you have something else to compare with? My 3 babies had such a difference between femur length and the other measurements. The screening test had been fine. None had DS. Very worrying and I've told myself that if we ever have another I wouldn't worry again, just how ours are.