Pregnancy Info HOME

Hi ladies!! I'm new to this site & forum. I am 38, healthy and expecting twins in 5/11. I was just told that one of the twins has an EIF. I did the 1st trimester blood test/us; everything was fine. My risk for DS is 1:2600, but now with EIF, it is 1:850. I'm stricken with worry, anxiety & despair. What are your thoughts? Thanks!!!

Hi tnv0001 - I too am expecting twins - in about 6 weeks. I had the same results from my ultrasound: one twin had an EIF. I elected not to do the blood test in the first trimester (I had heard they aren't that accurate for twins - usually increasing the odds unnecessarily) but did have the first trimester US, and that came back clean. Surprisingly, my doctors told me that due to my age (I'm 36), and the fact that I'm having twins, the EIF put my risk for DS at 1:100. I opted not to do the amnio because of the increased risk due to being pregnant with twins. It was a tough call, and I struggled with it for weeks. But I have to say - this website has been awesome for me. So many women have the same thing happen to them, and everything always seems to work out for the best. Of all of the soft markers to be seen, this appears to be the least predictive of genetic problems. I know it's difficult right now, but just try to relax, focus on having a healthy and stress-free pregnancy, and I'm sure everything will be just fine. And I'll be sure to let you know how things turn out for me in a few weeks!

TwinMama2B....I wish I replied to this sooner. I was pregnant with twins (b/g) and my boy twin had and EIF and originally 1 dilated kidney - eventually 2 dilated kidneys that continued to dilate through the pregnancy. Due to my age, the EIF and other markers my odds were greater than 1:100. It was a horrible time and I opted for the amnio. That alone was stressful and I think it is great that you had the courage NOT to do the amnio - a twin pregnancy is tough enough as it is. Anyway, all came back normal even though age, twins, other markers all factored in made my odds a bit worse. Today my twins are 3 y/o and doing great!! You are quite right - the EIF is hardly indicative of a problem in and of itself!! U/s see so much these days that it can be quite scary. Good luck to you (and all the Moms to be reading this) - I wish I had been able to enjoy my twin pregnancy for the miracle it was - instead of having all these markers swirl around my head for the remaining weeks!

Thank you, TwinMama2B!! It's def hard not to worry!! We all just want our children to be healthy. I am a complete mess; I can't seem to function like a normal person. I hope & pray that u r correct abt this being the least predictive marker. I've read thru the pages of this thread, and everyone had great results & healthy babies. Good luck to you, and I will keep u in my prayers!

tnv0001 - Hang in there... actually your odds are quite good still! One of the high risk ob/gyns I went to after my amnio gave me a scenario that she likened the spot on the heart too... and I liked it and thought about it often while I was pregnant. She said the little white spot on the heart was almost like sugar in a cup of coffee.... That it's in a little clump till things get shaken up a bit. Just like once the baby grows and gets active and the heart stronger to sort of break that little deposit up. Of course, it sounded much better when it came out of her mouth, but it was something I could relate to and picture and it was comforting.

KrisD-what your Dr said was rea__suring & comforting. EIF is a calcium deposit. Does it also mean a hole in the heart too? Is EIF a heart defect? Also, if EIF is a soft marker for DS then what it is a strong marker? I'm still trying to learn what I can. Thank you for your time to reply.

I did hear that it was a hole in the heart - but the only way it was ever referred to during my pregnancy was as a calcium deposit or spot on the heart... so I am really not sure what to think about that. When I went for more u/s in the coming weeks, some of the more serious markers they looked for were lack of a nose plate and shorter limbs - and I even believe something with the space between the large and 2nd toes. I have also heard of a spot in the brain and in the intestine (and also the dilated kidneys that my son had) but I don't even think those are considered strong markers anymore... Anyway, my son technically had 3 soft markers... but the doctor did tell me that, although scary, they would more likely see a number of other tell-tale signs on the Level II u/s. I'm so not an expert on this... only what I learned by going through it over 3 years ago!! And I do know that sitting up on our computer reading (other than this thread of course!) only made me more nervous!!

Feel free to ask me any questions you'd like... I would have loved to have talked with someone when I was going through it!! I was so affected by it, that here I am all these years later still checking this thread!! :o) I'm still b__wn away by the fact that my little guy had 3 markers! And the way the news was delivered to me that day, the perinatologist pretty much was confident that the twin did have Downs - I started to hyperventilate and got sent up to labor and delivery! We ended up switching practices after that where my Dr gave me frequent Level II u/s and spent a lot of time talking to me about EIFs!

What scares me is if a woman [35 y/o & has isolated EIF then it is not an indicator of DS. But it is an indicator if you are older than 35, which I am. I am so nervous & scared that I'm thinking abt amnio.

Isn't that crazy? I mean, if you were 34 it wouldn't be considered that way? Sounds ludicrous... but, I think it is probably just b/c older woman ARE more likely to have a baby with Downs... But, like I said, just try to find solace in the fact that there would likely have been other, stronger markers present. Did you have a level II ultrasound?

And did you say your odds were 1:850? That is still a .001% chance... think about it - that is very very small. Although, the #s meant nothing to me - I mean attaching an arbitrary number to my growing baby?? I just tried to concentrate on the fact that everything else looked good. As I am sure is the case with you!!! Try try try not to let this overrun your pregnancy... It did mine and that was terrible! Even after the amnio I focused on it. I had a c-section and it was the first thing out of my mouth when they delivered the babies and I still studied them after they were handed to me.

tnv0001 - I waivered on the amnio for about a week. In the end, the only reason I opted not to do it was because I am having twins which put my risks of having a miscarriage from amnio at about the same as having a baby with DS. Also - for me, having the amnio was just about knowing, one way or another. I wasn't going to reduce either way because again I would have been risking both babies' lives. Everyone's situation is different. If you are completely stressed out and worrying to the point where you are miserable, then I think you should consider the amnio. You'll get results back fairly quickly, and they are over 99% accurate. And most hospitals have a 1:300 to 1:500 chance of miscarriage with an amnio, which is pretty low.

I felt a bit "talked into" having the amnio, but I am glad I did, I guess. My odds of having a baby with Downs was greater than my risk with having the miscarriage. It was a bit nerve-wracking - as they had to inject one sac with blue dye first so that they would be sure they got the two different samples. And to tell you the truth, I still continued to stress after the amnio results - I guess b/c my twin's kidneys kept dilating further. Preliminary results were back after a few days but final results took two weeks. Have you had a Level II ultrasound? I am sure if you had a Level II ultrasound and someone went over all your babies' measurements with you and talked about the soft marker, you would feel worlds better!! I lived for my Level II ultrasounds!!

Thank you TwinMama & KrisD for your responses. I have a lot to consider. KrisD---yes I have had a level 2 US that's where the peri found it. He said he didn't find anything else aise from EIF. He was very brief explaining what he found, and I was completely overwhelmed & dumbfounded that I didn't know what to ask. He wouldn't say either way abt going forward w/the amnio. he just left my room while dictating on his recorder. I was confused & anxious when I left there. Since then, I've been on the net researching. Everything I've read says that EIF is linked to DS, but then on message boards, women are saying that it's a weak marker. It's hard for me to discount EIF. My concern is that I'm 38 with a twin w/EIF. The only blood test I did was in the 1st trimester. Do i Need to do more during the 2nd? Peri didn't say anything else. Thanks for reading & responding!

I think you should call the office and explain that you are nervous, that you have a high risk pregnancy and you would like to talk about the finding further. I mean, this is all about you and the babies and it doesn't hurt to ask. I think anyone would understand that. Stress won't help your pregnancy... as I got further along in the twin pregnancy it was hard to keep those babies inside of me and I ended up on hospital bedrest!! It's not easy being pregnant with twins - and you need to do what is best for you and the babies and try to put your worries to rest!! I wish I could ease your mind... I can't tell you how many times an ultrasound tech - even all the nurses when I had to stay in the hospital - told me that they see the EIF ALL the time!!

Thank you KrisD---I will have to talk to the peri again. However, he is off this week for the holidays!!!Ugh. I will call and talk to his nurse, regardless.