Nuchal Fold

[Cperloprego]

So I am 23 weeks and having a home birth. I decided to do one ultra sound and now I wish I hadn't. They had one tech learning doing my US. Normally that doesnt bother me but each time she measured something the more experienced one was like "no do it this way". And everything is normal with my US except they are saying the nuchal fold is 7.1mm. It says due to my gestation the significance of this finding is not clear but it could mean i should have a level 2 US. I have read that this measurement means nothing after 14 weeks. And I really think baby was moving so much that they didnt get accurate readings on much! Why did they even measure this and tell me that? Fear has kicked in but I really think it's nothing and dont want to have more tests. Thoughts ladies?

 

[Alexas Mommy]

I'm so sorry you are going through this anxiety I am also highly anxious with everything the doctor tells me that they could have kept to themselves.

I have read that the nuchal measurements shouldn't be regarded this late in pregnancy so they don't hold a lot of weight. Hope you get answers soon though!

 

[Bella1185]

I’ve never even heard of measuring a nuchal fold that far along in pregnancy? Can you call your doctor and express your concerns to him/her like you have here? I don’t think continuing to be fearful, unsure and unclear of the results is healthy for you or your little one... you deserve some clear answers

 

[kneeswrites]

As far as I'm aware, the nuchal TRANSLUCENCY (NT) is the measurement that must be done before 14 weeks. The nuchal fold is a different measurement done later on after the lymphatic system starts to drain excess fluid.

I feel pretty confident about this, because if you had gotten a 7.10mm NT measurement that would be immediately putting you into what they would consider high risk for problems and would have freaked out, not said it was iffy. The average NT is like between 1-2 mm. Mine at 13w1d was 3mm and I'm still worrying about it because the doctor basically gave us a death sentence. However after lots of research I have learned these measurements can often mean nothing, or at least not always something terrible.

Google says at 20 weeks the NF is considered abnormal above 6mm. A lot of people mix up the terms which adds to the confusion in these situations so make sure in your research you are reading about second trimester nuchal fold readings. Having a high number is very scary but you'll find a lot of positive hopeful stories on the internet. I don't want you to scare yourself by comparing your NF measurement of 7 to the normal NT measurement of 1! The fact baby was active and looked healthy with no obvious problems is a great sign. Good luck! My NT scan ruined this pregnancy, regardless of ultimate outcome with this baby I don't think I would do it again.

 

[Bella1185]

^^ what she said! I definitely incorrectly use the terms interchangeably which does add to confusion

I honestly wouldn’t worry and If you still are then phone your doc and possibly arrange another scan to give you peace of mind?

 

[Sweetkat]

You could just have the panorama/ harmony test done for peace of mind. They take blood and tell you with 99.9% accuracy if the baby has any chromosomal issues (including Down's syndrome, trisomy 18 and 13). I had it done both this pregnancy and the one with my second DD as I am 38 and had a previous early miscarriage due to Down's.

I can't stand unknowns and worrying, so for me one blood test is totally worth it