cystic hygroma

[Hales]

I am 11 weeks preganant with my 2nd child and have just had my first scan which showed a cystic hygroma ( a fluid filled sack on the neck ) . The prognosis is bleak, the doc talked about possible miscarriage, feotal heart failure, hydrops ( water retention) in short, the chances that the baby will go to term are slim. I'm thinking of having a cvs test to see what chromosome disorders there are ( hi possibility of Down's , Turner's syndrome and other lesser known )

Has anyone any experience of this , or of cvs ?

The strange thing is that from the start, I have had a bad feeling about my pregnancy and haven't felt any excitement or pregnant feelings I had with my dd. Should I trust my intuition?

The whole situation is very distressing ..any comments would be welcome.

Sorry to read your news,this must be very worrying for you; must admit I don't have any personal experience of this condition but if it was me, I think I would go for the cv tests just to know as much as possible. (Have you looked at the amnio thread - it might help but might be even more distressing for you).

Good luck, hope someone else might have a bit more knowledge.

Sorry, I wanted to post last night, but didn't have any info for you, so I thought I would just let others post. However, just wanted to send my best wishes to you.

Personally I would go with CVS so you know the worst/best and can act accordingly. That way you will have the test and result very quickly. My GP had this and said it was uncomfortable but not unbearable at all. She was fine afterwards. I wish you good luck and I'm sorry for your bad news.

Hi Hales ? I?m very sorry to hear about this bad news you?ve received. Cystic Hygroma was spotted on the scan of our second child at thirteen weeks gestation. Unfortunately for us things ended badly ? Downs was diagnosed by an amnio, and we had a termination. However, it seems like your doctor is preparing you for the worst case scenario. For example, our consultant told us that the main manifestation of Turner?s syndrome is infertility, but not much more than that.

Some of the things you may want to consider are the relative risk of CVS (about 1/100 chance of miscarriage I believe) and amnio (more like 1/200), and how soon you need to know the results of the test. CVS can be done at any time, and the results are available immediately, but an amnio is usually done at 15-16 weeks. Because I had a termination after 13 weeks, I had to have labour induced and give birth, whereas a termination before 13 weeks would be done under general anaesthetic, I think.

I really hope everything works out for you and that this info is unnecessary. But I know that when we were in the position you?re in now, we were totally confused about what the diagnosis meant, and I wish the doctor had been more open with us at the time. Please let us know how you get on ? you can contact me directly through Mumsnet if you?d like. (For what it?s worth, I don?t think your lack of excitement about being pg second time round is sinister ? I?m now 30 weeks through my third pregnancy, and I find I don?t have the time or energy to get excited about it in the same way as I did first time round.)

Thanks everyone for you comments..it helps to know that I'm not the only one in this boat.

After long conversations with the head of midwifery, who has been brilliant, I am having a cvs test done on Monday in Manchester. ( of course the appointment was the same time I had booked to see the ballet....) I should get the results by the beginning of Jan and then I'll know more.

I am also having a "torch" search done on my blood to see if it could have been caused by infection. That way I'll know more and be able to make an informed decision. I'm just hoping that nature ill kick in and I will miscarry naturally. Or is that just a cop out?
I'll keep you posted.

Good luck. I'm sorry this had to happen to you over Christmas.

Hales, just seen this thread and hope the CVS went OK today. It seems like the odds are stacked against you and your baby at present. Thinking of you and hoping that maybe your situation will resolve itself naturally, as you say. Wanting as little medical intervention as possible when a pregnancy goes wrong is NOT a cop-out - it's best for you physically, for a start.
Do keep us posted.

Hales, I'm sorry to hear what's been happening to you. Hope the test was ok and you're getting some rest and tlc, x

Thanks for all the kind words!
I've been ages getting back to posting the latest...but it's good news!!!
When we got to Manchester for the cvs I had a scan and incredibly the doctor in charge of the fetal management unit said there must have been a mistake with the original scan and that it was a perfectly normal baby with no cystic hygroma!!!!

We were so stunned that we could hardly take it in! Apparantly the ultrasonographicer of the first scan mistook the bottom of the amniotic sack for a cystic hygroma! The second scan clearly showed nothing untoward on the back of the baby's neck and the doctor waited for the baby to jump up twice so it was well away from the sack and it was clear that there was nothing!

I feel so relieved and increcibly lucky because I had prepared myself to lose this baby either naturally or not and so it was amazing news.

I went to my hospital today and they said they couldn't explain it, simply human error.

My heart goes out to others who have abnormal scans and are not as lucky as me. I know how it feels to think your baby will not be normal or will die.
THANKS once again to everyone who posted a message....it made me feel better and not so alone during that terrible time.

So pleased to hear your good news, hope you can relax & enjoy the rest of your pregnancy.

Happy New Year.

Brilliant news!

Really glad to hear your news, Hales, but how awful that you had to go through all that over Christmas. Hope all goes well from now on.

Now that is just the best news to start 2003. Hales, I am SO pleased for you all!

Hales - I'm so glad all that worry turned out to be needless after all, and you can look forward to your new baby in the summer. (I'm about 33 weeks now, and I can't wait for baby to arrive & the pregnancy to be over!) Take care of yourself, R.

THANKS for all your help and concern....it really made me feel better!