bright bowels

[redkaybee]

Hi I have just had my 20 week scan and baby has got bright bowels - as bright as bone. I am 41 as is my partner - our first long awaited baby. I did not have amnio or cvs - the risk of downs was 1:51 due to my age, 1:68 was normal - I thought the odds were not bad and didn't feel the need for an amnio - there were no other markers at that point. Everything else about the scan was normal. We are now being screened for cystic fibrosis and I have had a virology test. I have been told this increases the risk of downs. I now feel so sad and stressed about the pregnancy. I feel bad that I did not have the amnio, as I would have a definite answer at this point about any chromosomal abnormality, but I was very protective and did not want to do anything invasive to the baby - I wouldn't even agree to internal scans.
I had never even heard of this before - and am confused, upset and feel as though all the joy has been taken from me.
Does anyone have any stories on bright bowels - as bright as bone - and what happened?

Hi
I cant help with your specific problem but I can feel some of your pain - at our 20 week scan our baby had dilated bowels - at 22weeks these as significantly worse and we are going to see a specialist in another 2 weeks. CF is not so much a risk for us as intestinal obstruction - it may be that a section of gut hasnt formed at all and our child will need major surgery on the day he is born. The main stress at the moment is not knowing. And also the fact that up until these scan I had honestly never been happier in my life and was so excited about the baby and now like you I feel all the joy has gone. From reading about your problem with bright bowels on the internet it seems that there is still a chance of the baby being perfectly normal though abviously waiting for that child to appear is going to be tough. I hope it all works out for you and the baby.

My DS had bright bowels and a very swollen kidney in our 20 week scan. As my pregnancy progressed more areas in the bowel were showing as brighter.

I was induced as was told DS needed surgery the day he was born and it turned out that the short intestine and the large intestine had not joined. He was a very sick boy for a long time but has pulled through and is now a 7.5 year old. It was a long haul but so worth it. We spent nearly 10 months in hospital and during this time it was discovered both DH and I are carriers of CF and it was decided that the gut problems DS had/still has were down to the CF.

I hope you are as well as can be and you have a happy baby .

I was going to type "Try not to worry" but realised I was being a fool. I wanted to hurt people who said that to me!

Potas All the best to you as well x

We had bright bowel (I think it's called echogenic) on the 20 week scan with ds1. We had genetic tests for cystic fibrosis and CMV which were negative. Repeat scans over the subsequent months showed the area getting smaller and eventually it disappeared. Theory was that I might have had a small bleed that the baby had ingested. My son is now 2 and perfectly healthy. Wishing you all the best, it was a very worrying time x

Hi! I've been there. It was called echogenic bowel and scared us to death (as did Google!). He also had a foci (?) in the heart. We were both tested to see if we carried CF and also had a range of blood tests for toxoplasmosis and lots of other stuff. They all came back clear and we basically faced a waiting game for the rest of the pregnancy. We decided against amnio but did go privately to see a consultant in fetal medicine who took some additional measurements and reassured us slightly. The brightness of the bowel faded slightly as the pregnancy went on but was still visable at 34 weeks - we had numerous scans for other reasons. It did take the enjoyment out of the pregnancy however - he is absolutely fine. We were told that it can be caused by a bleed from the pregnancy that the baby has swallowed. I'd had bleeding early on but nothing around the scan time so who knows?? I'm not going to type try not to worry for the same reasons as above! I hope that everything works out well for you and baby. If you want to know anything else about our experiences, just ask.

Hi there, DD1 also showed Echogenic bowel (also bright as bone) on her 20 week scan. We had blood tests for infections (inc CMV) and genetics testing for Cystic Fibrosis. We declined an Amnio but had consultant scans where they looked more closely at Nucal fold, heart etc... I know exactly how you feel about the joy being taken out of the pregnancy for you. For me, as each test came back clear I felt more hopeful and actually developed a feeling of what will be will be. I was determined to enjoy my much wanted pregnancy, and in the end I did. My daughter was born without any problems and is now a happy and healthy 3 year old.
Just out of interest, are you a slim lady? I am (when not 35/40) a slim gal! My Consultant made a passing comment that he saw Echogenic bowel much more in thinner ladies and wondered if there was a connection as the image is clearer. Total off the cuff comment but I do wonder....
Hope it all works out for you. xx

Hi Kipplin - yes I am pretty skinny - always have been. I don't seem to have gained anything except my bump in this pregnancy. The responses on here help - I am just finding it a hard time - I feel like I have been naive and should have done the amnio but I know I can't go back. I pray my tests will come back clear - but it is the waiting that is so hard. I am considering looking for a second opinion at the fetal medicine centre, and maybe have the tests re-done and hope they will come back quicker. Anything to get a clearer picture right now would help. There is nothing else wrong - only my age and a lower protein in my blood which seemed trivial at the time. How to stay positive is the tough thing, and I dont want to be upset as the baby will feel it to.
Thanks to everyone for their support.
xx