Echogenic Focus on Ultrasound at 26 weeks....worried

Hi, I'm 26 wks preg, due May 22 w/a girl, my 1st.Because of health insurance issues, I missed the time frame to take an AFP. I am 27, 28 in June.I wasn't too worried about missing the AFP because of my age, but on the U/S the radiologist found a light spot he called an echogenic focus. He said there is a 1% chance it could indicate Down's. My age group he said usually has a 1/1000 chance and this brings me to 1/500. He was very nice & reassuring but they also found a tiny more fluid in her rt kidney(5ml vs.the normal 4), but he said this is probably nothing. He never said the 2 were related, but I've been looking online(bad idea I know) and I saw a few posts on other forums where ladies were told BOTH of these are what are called soft signs for Down's. The only way I can know for sure now is to do an amnio.But the radiologist said the risks for that is more (about 1/200) vs. the other.

Cont....

[Maymommy79]

Sorry not enough room above...here's the rest....

BTW the heart thing could just be calcium deposits and he said about 99% of the time that is what it is. I have a history of kidney stones (calcium deposits), about 3-4 times in the last 4 yrs, I wonder if this is somehow related? Maybe the way my body absorbs, or doesn't, calcium. He said everything else looks great, the growth etc...which is really what they look at to indicate a problem and all her features are wonderful(ie. no PHYSICAL features that could indicate Down's, such as small facial features, flat head etc...). I will love her no matter what, I  just need to know what ya'll think? I know you aren't experts, but anyone else ever have this happen? Please share.
P.S. I go back in April for another ultrasound(the kidney thing usually resolves itself)to double check everything.

[Maymommy79]

Thanks immortal and girly for the quick responses. Immortal I think I have heard that about aborsption of calcium in pregnancy as well. I already didn't absorb it very well, due to all my kidney stone incidences, though I haven't had one in this pregnancy, in the past. Immortal I used to work at a lab and saw AFP results on a regular basis, I also saw very young ladies with positive results(ie. 20 or 21, one even a teenager). Girly how far along were you when you got the amnio? Right now I'm going to opt out of the amnio, since it won't really change anything and the risk seems higher for that then the risk for Down's, at least for now. Perhaps when I'm further along I'll change my mind. Thanks again.

[girlybuff]

Mu daughter had an echogenic bowel which is a marker for cystic fibrosis... I had an amnio done and all was fine.  Sometimes echogenic just means there is some blood in there, wherever it is and they can't really explain it much.
Good luck!  

[ImmortalOne]

Dear May, I heard it somewhere and it might not be true, however when pregnant our bodies don't absorb Calcium the way it should which is why we get kidney stones more often in pregnancy.  

As for the Down's, and not to scare you, however the percentages can be as low as possible and the mother's age means that the baby should not have it by minimal standards, but it is more than possible.  I know of 2 mothers who had their children before their 21st birthdays and those babies have Down's or a form of Down's (and I am amazed how wonderful these mothers are about being parents and look up to them for inspiration).  If you do have a child with Down's, there are always resources to fall on.  

The only way you are going to set your mind at ease is the Amino, and the later they do it the better I suppose because of the risk of early labor.  I know for my surgery Saturday we had a very small window for things to be "okay" and even then things are not garaunteed.  Get the Amino done and rest assured for yourself if nothing else.  I also have heard the test you missed is often inaccurate with more false "positives" than negatives.

Take care of yourself and keep us informed.  I wish you the best for a healthy baby.

[ImmortalOne]

May, I can totally understand you not wanting to risk things (I am having surgery this Saturday, and I will be 13 weeks Monday).  I will have you in my thoughts and prayers.  Let us know how everything progresses.  btw, did you get to learn if you are having a boy or girl?

[lilcountriegal]

I am 35.  I had a 20 week ultrasound and they found abnormal nuchal thickening and a gap between teh great toe and the second toe, both of which are markers for Downs.  (I believe the abnormal nuchal thickening is one of the largest markers).  I had a normal quad screen prior to the ultrasound.  That brought my odds down to 1:150 (without the normal quad screen, it would have been 1:15).  The odds of my son having Downs were greater than the odds of something happening during the amnio (1:200).  We elected to have the amnio.  

Its a very uncomfortable experience and the wait for the results (6 weeks) is excrutiating.  I'm glad we did.  That 6 weeks of "not knowing" was pure torture for my husband and myself... I couldnt imagine going the rest of my pregnancy with that feeling.  Thankfully, the results came back normal.  

Each person is different... each experience is different.  Is it THAT important for you to know?  Will the not knowing kill you?  weigh every option before you decide... whichever you choose, good luck with it.

[ImmortalOne]

Rose is a beautiful name.  Take care of yourself and that baby, you'll be in my thoughts and prayers for a healthy and safe pregnancy.

[girlybuff]

I was about 24 weeks when I had the amnio.  Honestly, the risk for the amnio is really small.  But you have to decide beforehand if you would do anything if the results came back negative. I didn't want to hav a child with a horribly painful disease like CF so I had made my decision but I was lucky enough to not have to deal with that.
Theyhad seen it all along but thought it would go away on its own, and it didn't.
It's a personal choice but more often than not, even with amnios, the results come out good.
    

[Maymommy79]

Yes...a girl Immortal. Her name is Rose. No middle name, yet. That's hubby's job...lol. Rose was my grandma's name, plus I like it.

[Maymommy79]

How come I can't see the last 3 comments on here???? UGh!

[cf28]

I am so sorry for everyone going through this.  I am 29 y/o and went in for my ultrasound to find one bright spot on the babys heart.  We were then sent to a level 2 u/s with a maternal specialist.  Talk about freaking out my OB didn't really explain what this was so most of my research was done on line.  They did not find any other markers on my level 2 but we opted for the amnio.  We need to find out.  We have discussed termniated if the child has ds.  This has been the worst wait ever.  I did not do the quad screening so i don't know what my risks were.  I have one healthy child and thought this would be the same.  I get the amnio results back in a couple days i hope they are good we are praying.