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Keep rested liddlemama and let us know your results asap. I'm sure they will be just perfect. take care of yourself and get all healed up! Midwest..so its you and I waiting it out! What is your due date? My section is Jan 31st. ately it hadn't been weighing on my mind too much, but today it just seems to be there. My next scan is Nov 20th and they will again look for anything out of the norm. So far all scans are good but my bloodwork was just horrid. How are you all doing?

Thanks Midwest! I have good news, your thoughts must have been luck, the FISH test came back negative- all the chromosomes are normal. I am so relieved- the news came back so quick, she told me it would be Monday, here it is the next day. It was the best phone call ever. The complete results won't be in for another week or more but I am confident that it will be the same. So a postive quad , an EIF and my baby is free of any trisomy. I know (like everyone else has said) it is hard not to worry but don't worry too much. I hope my positive outcome helps a little. I will be sure to come back on and post my story on this and other boards. Thank you so much everyone and I am thinking of everyone still waiting and worrying. XOXOXOXO

Thanks lovemy3, I guess we were posting at the same time. lol I will be checking in on you guys. Like I said earlier, when I looked at the lab results my numbers were off by so little and the software increased my risk so dramatically it was ridiculous the genetic counselor said they can change daily. Anyway, best of luck- this page definitley has some.

I've been told there are a lot of false positive with a triple screen test. Does anyone have any hard data as to what is the percentage of false positives? Also what are some of the factors that cause the false positives?

Hi IPO. I took the test the first time, an IPS blood serum screen. The first result was 1/22 for ds, then I noticed they had my weight wrong and that is part of the formula. They corrected that and refigured the data and came back with 1/46. Then with no markers on scans they out me at 1/70. I read that with old serum tests used called the MSS, or triple screen, the false rate was 7%. Now they use Quad screen or IPS and it is 1-2%. Much more accurate they say but I still have heard of many false positives. My dr specializes in plaventas and sees many women get back positive screenings, not to have ds, but rather placental issues. thats what I 'm hoping for! Really though even with blood at 1/46 then with a good scan moved up to 1/70 thqats only between 1-2% chance of HAVING ds. Still at 98% NOT to have ds. I still worry like crazy though about it.

CONGRATS on the FISH results! I'm positive the final outcome will be just like the FISH! Thats great!

I've been lurking on this website since July of this year when I was told that my AFP results indicated that I had a 1/154 chance of having a baby with DS. When I had my level II sonogram at 19 weeks with the perinatologist, they told me they saw an EIF and that it was a soft marker. Although he left my chances at 1/154 and did not request further monitoring, it really stressed me out. I found peace with the idea because I didn't want to have the amnio, but I started to stress out again right before my due date. I'm happy to report that my son was born on Wednesday, November 7th perfectly healthy - no heart problems and no DS. I understand the confusion and fear that all of you are going through as there is no real good information about the accuracy of AFP or the correlation of EIF and DS. All the reports I read were really scary (they had really high risks), but when I found forums like this one, I found that many people go through this only to have a child with no chromosomal abnormalities. Anyhoo, I just wanted to share my good news with all of you in hopes that it helps someone stress a little less.

Thanks deborah for your update and congrats! I am 1/46 screen and no markers as of yet at 27 weeks for ds but feel like I'm losing it as I get closer to my date with worry. I am pregnant with my 4th and am 38 yrs old. Thanks for the encouragement!

Here is what I just found. This is a study that was done in Israel in 1997. Obstet Gynecol 1997 Jun;89(6):945-8 Prenatal ultrasonographic diagnosis of fetal heart echogenic foci: no correlation with Down syndrome. Achiron R, Lipitz S, Gabbay U, Yagel S. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether karyotype is indicated when fetal heart echogenic foci are encountered on prenatal sonogram. METHODS: Pregnant women who presented at two large district hospitals in Israel that treat 7200 gravidas per year, and in whom fetal heart echogenic foci were diagnosed, were studied prospectively. Identified cases had detailed prenatal and postnatal echocardiographic examinations, and pregnancy outcome was a__sessed. RESULTS: During 18 months, 2214 low-risk pregnant women were examined sonographically, and 163 (7.4%) cases of fetal heart echogenic foci were detected at the first transv____al sonography at 13-16 weeks' gestation. On a repeat scan at 20-22 weeks' gestation, 59.5% of the foci could not be identified, leaving only 66 (3%) cases for postnatal evaluation. Left ventricle-right ventricle ratio for location of the fetal heart echogenic foci was 3:1; 4.9% of all cases had bilateral findings. The karyotypes of 16 fetuses were normal and no additional abnormalities were found. The remaining 50 cases were normal in appearance at delivery without any features that suggested trisomy 21. A review of the English language literature revealed that six of 489 cases with fetal heart echogenic foci (1.2%) had trisomy 21. However, statistical a___lysis of a hypothetical sample that produced these six cases revealed that the calculated risk of trisomy 21 in a fetus with fetal heart echogenic foci is about 0.002%. The take away is the the risk with an EF is only .002%. Also, please note the name of the study (...No correlation...). Finally, this study was done 10 years ago - when U/S technology wasn't as advanced as it is now. Back then they probably didn't identify as many EF and even then the risk was that small.

Hi, my name is Leah and I've been following these postings for quite some time. I had an ultrasound done at 18weeks 5days that found bilateral echogenic foci which is one spot in each of the ventricles. I immediately went in to have the AFP which indicated that my chance for down's was 1/48,500, but with the marker was brought down to 1/13,000. On my level 2 ultrasound they found no other markers. My problem is that bilateral foci just seems so rare. Almost everyone on this post only has one spot in the left ventricle. I would almost give anything for only that marker at this point. Also, I'm concerned with false negtives on the AFP. I declined the amnio and now I'm 31 weeks. Does anyone out there have experience with a bilateral echogenic foci?

Hi Leah, At my 20 week ultrasound they found bilateral foci. I went for the level 2 about 5 weeks later and they only found one in the left ventricle. (I also showed an increased risk on my afp test)They couldn't tell me whether it was a mistake the first ultrasound or if it went away. The counselor told me that it didn't matter if there were one or two as the calculated risk would be the same, they don't treat it as two separate findings. Anyway, I had the amnio and the FiSH results said that my baby had NORMAL chromosomes. I am still waiting for the final results but they should correlate with the FiSH.

Thanks Liddlemama, my level 2 ultrasound was only done three days after my first ultrasound. At the hospital where I go they won't do any more follow-up ultrasounds. They say that the fact that the marker was found raises my risk whether they dissappear or not. Who knows? Everyone seems to have conflicting information. I wish I had done the amnio but they won't give my one now. Congratulations on your FISH results, you must be really relieved. As for me, I'll have to just wait and pray. Luckily, at my 27 week appointment I measured 30 weeks - I take that as good for growth but again who knows? I'm just tired of reading into every little sign like movement and growth. I'm also a___lyzing my ultrasound pictures like crazy like I'm going to see something they didn't - you know?

Oh, Leah, I do know what you mean. I posted a few times here. I recently had twins - both healthy and one had dilated kidneys and a foci on the heart (I got amnio, however - based on my #s). Anyhow, it got to the point where I couldn't even look at my u/s pics. It was awful how those markers ruined my pregnancy. Your numbers are GREAT! And my son's spot was on the right side (and he had the dilated kidneys as well) - it was so scary. Stress is not good for your babe, either. Try to have faith. My peri said that she didn't care if I had one spot or a dozen!? Also, her theory was that the spot is almost like sugar in a cup of coffee.... Once the baby gets bigger and stronger and starts using the heart muscle more and more it shakes things up and makes these spots disappear.... I liked that a___logy. Try to keep reminding yourself about all the healthy babies on this board!

hello Leah, I understand completly i'm 31 have 2 boys and they found the focus on my babys heart, I have done the same thing with ultrasond pics, too the point that i cant look at them anymore. my screen came back negative 1 in 1900, and i'm 28 weeks. I go for my next ultrasound last Tues of the month. It has made me so anxious. Every little sign i think there is something wrong. When i went for my ultrasound check up my mid wife is so positive and it just scares me, i cried myself to sleep last night because of the stress of just not knowing. I'm terrefied that at this next U/S they will find something else. I thought it truley be easier to handle after the screening test and the further i go along but it seems my state of mind is getting worse and this is all i can think about. It is just scarey of the unknown. anyway i just want ed to say i understand completly how you are feeling and my thoughts are with you.

hi ladies..I hear ya! I go for another appt on Tues and a scan. I have the blood results of 1/46 and no markers but am paranoid a marker will pop up and my odds even worse. It is nerveracking...we just have to hold on and ride it out. many hugs, xxo

Hello to everybody. My name is Patricia, i'm 28 years old, and i live in Germany. As this forum gave me hope throughout my pregnancy i want to share my story with you. In week 16 (End of April 2007) my Gyn did the Triple Blood Screening. It came back with a higher risk for Down Syndrome as the AFP was not in "range". Due to this result i had an appointment with an Ultra Sound specialist (Level 2) in week 18. Unfortunately he saw a White Spot on my liitle girl's heart. But he also recommended me to do NOT an amino, as this marker has become more irrelevant over the last years- so i didn't do the amino. But from this day on i was scared that my little one will have DS. I did a lot of research on the Internet, in Germany as well as in the US, and found out that this WS is really the most doubtful marker for DS. Well, to cut a long story short: on Nov. 10 i gave birth to a healthy little girl. On my mind, this WS should not be mentioned to pregnant women as long as the baby shows no other markers. I thank all of you who shared their stories here. All my best wishes for the ladies who still have to wait, Patricia