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Hi Jodi34,
Well that's good news for you. Keep positive and enjoy the rest of your pregnancy. I am going for my next ultrasound on 20.6.07 which makes me 33 weeks. I will keep you all posted on the outcome. Keep positive :)

Ottig-
I can't wait to hear how your ultrasound goes on June 20th. I hope the spot will be gone. Mine wasn't at yesterdays (24 wk) visit. I don't know why but I've started to feel peace about this pregnancy. I think maybe because I feel her moving around now. I know there is life inside of me. I didn't do the amniocentisis eaither. And my blood work came back negative for DS. Just like you. I think that's a good indication of a healthy baby. I think I was at 1/800 for DS. I'm 34 yrs.old.
Amyf- keep your spirits up. I know exactly how you feel. When I first found out about the spot....i cried a lot. I will love the baby no matter what but when I thought that I may have a child with DS, it really scared me. Since then I've learned a lot about this and talked to a lot of people, (doctors included) and this Echogenic spot is so common. The doctor told me that she had been doing this for 25 yrs. and has seen this spot so many times. And only 1 time out of all of her years as a doctor, there was a problem. Just Once! I think that's really reassuring girls! Just think how we will feel when these babies are born perfect. We are going to wish we had enjoyed our pregnancies and worried less. I just know it!!!!!

Ottig - To answer your questions... No I did not have my baby early, she was actually 8 days late. Yes, I had quite a few u/s after the first one at 18 weeks. I think I had a total of 9. I was measuring very small (4-6 weeks too small) throughout my entire pregnancy so I had growth u/s to make sure she did not have IUGR (intrauterine growth retardation) which freaked me out even more b/c IUGR is common with d/s babies. My baby certainly wasn't small at birth, she was 8lbs, 13oz. I asked at every u/s if the spot was still there and I was told that they will no longer look for it b/c even if they cannot find it it does not change the chances of the baby having d/s. But I finally convinced the tech to look for it during one of the u/s just b/c I needed to know and she said she didn't see it anymore (this was around 30 weeks) but she reminded me that my odds do not change. I know how hard it is not to worry. And honestly if, god forbid, this spot is found in my subsequent pregnancies I will have the amnio. The stress was just too much. But at least try to enjoy your pregnancy, since they found no other markers I'm sure your baby is completely healthy and it's such a waste of time to stress over nothing! Keep us updated, I can't wait to read your happy post saying how healthy your little one is!

Hi So Blessed,
Thanks for your reply post giving me all details. My last ultrasound was at 19.5 weeks which is when they found the spot. I haven't had one since then but am scheduled to have one on 20.6.07 which makes me 33 weeks. Everything else seemed OK at the 19.5 week ultrasound, even the babies measurements were good then. I'm starting to get nervous about the size of the baby as everyone keeps telling me that I am small for 31 weeks. On my next scan they will be checking measurements and heart, so hopefully it can reassure me a little bit more. My obstertrician says that my baby will be around 8lbs - is that small? I agree with you, I think if we have anymore children I will definitely do an Amnio - as this has been too stressfull. My mother keeps telling me that the reason that the baby is probably a little on the smaller side because of my continuous worry and stress since that last scan and white spot news. Well let's hope she is right - anyway, I will let you know how my next scan goes and will definitely write a post after my baby is born (first week of August it is due). Thanks once again for your reply. Most appreciated. Regards :) LOL

Finding this forum has been a gift from God, for me! I am 31 years old. Just a few days ago I had my 19 week ultrasound where the doctor informed me that there was a "bright spot" on my baby's heart and that could indicate an increased risk for down syndrome. Of course, this came as a shock to my husband and I and I honestly don't remember the rest of the conversation. I menatlly blacked-out. Luckily, my husband kept a level head and filled me in later. I did have the AFP and had a 1:4000 chance for downs and this "bright spot" now brought my chances to 1:2000. Still pretty good odds, but I am a worrier by nature and even with these odds, I am frightened. God has chosen this child for us and we will love him/her regardless, but how am I suppose enjoy the rest of my pregnancy? Finding this forum has helped me find some comfort. I have another ultrasound at 32 weeks.

I understand that doctors need to keep us informed and I appreciate the doctors honesty, but is it worth even telling a patient with such odds, when most of these cases result in a healthy, normal child? As my Mom said, "I'm glad we didn't have all this fancy technology when I had you...al it does is worry you girls to death!" How much knowledge is too much?

Thank you!

Hi Dina J, Stay positive. You have still been given great odds. I will be 37 years old when baby arrives in about 8 weeks. I was given the odds of 1:410 before the bright spot was found. The odds were then brought down to 1:204-270. I have been worried for the health of my baby too. I have another ultrasound on 20.6.07 which will make me 33 weeks. Your odds are good - stay calm and enjoy your pregnancy. So far I haven't since 19.5 weeks (when they found the spot) - it has made me very nervous and anxious - try not let this happen to you because it is supposed to be an enjoyable time and experience. I am just glad that I do not have too long to go. The rest of the pregnancy has been great - no morning sickness, no gestational diabeties, no pains, etc.. just this anxiety for the health of my baby. I will keep you all posted of my ultrasound results next week and also after the birth of my baby. Take care and keep happy. LOL :)

Hi ottig, Thanks for the response and comforting, kind words. I will keep you and your baby in my thoughts and prayers. Soon you will meet your little baby. How exciting!! Don't let this distract you from the pure joy of that. I know, easier said then done. I am sending good vibes your way.
God Bless,
Dina J

I've had this page bookmarked since my ultrasound last week (19 weeks along ) and have read it beginning to end. I am 33 and pregnant with twins, a boy and a girl. We were over the moon when we found out and then found out that the little boy has a spot on his heart and a dilated kidney - two markers. My odds of Down's were brought to 1 in 159. We opted for the amnio that same day and it's been a rough few days waiting for results. We found out today (preliminary amnio results) that the babies do not have Down's. I want you all to know that despite one marker or two, one baby or twins, the outlook can be great! Prayers to all of us for beautiful healthy babies!

hi , i posted a week or so back and continue to log in to read all these postive feedbacks.. im 22 weeks and 4 days, i m scheduled for a sono on 6/14 to check babys growth. im very nervous. my last sono at 18 weeks was when we were told about the white spot in babys heart. my question is does anyone know if getting normal measurements of baby a good sign. or do DS babys also have normal measurements.. im very nervous becuz i have only had sonograms no amnio,no blood work. Amnio is a big risk and im scared of getting a false positive on the blood work. so if anyone can help with this question i would appreciate greatly. i will post after i get my sono. God Bless Us All.

Hi Carla, from what I have learned there is no easy answer to any of these questions. Small growth is a marker for downs but there are many babies that measure small that are fine and there are babies that measure normal that can have downs. I had the bloodwork and told myself if it came back abnormal I would get the amnio. Mine came back perfect although I worried sick over it until I got the results. So I decided against the amnio because it can be dangerous and my doctors advised against it. Sometimes I wished I had gotten it for the peace of mind, but I am just trying to stay positive although it can be tough at times. I go back at 21 weeks to my normal OBGYN, I am 19 weeks now. I go to the specialist at around 23 weeks, I am going to him just because I have had some miscarriages. If I was not going to the specialist I would not even know anything about the spot. He said he would not have even told me about it but he did not want my regular doctor to see it and scare me, although he did no realize how bad he scared me. Hopefully our visits will go well. God bless.

Hi everyone! I posted back in February when they found an echogenic focus in the left ventricle of my daughter's heart at my 22 week ultrasound. This website helped me so much through my pregnancy since we decided not to amnio, so I promised myself I would post when she was born. Well June 4th she was born....PERFECT. No Down Syndrome, No heart defects. Just a beautiful baby girl . The doctor who checked her at the hospital said that there was no reason for my doctor to worry me my whole pregnancy. He said that with this being my only marker and with the negative afp, we had virtually no chance of anything being wrong anyway. Anyway, I am sooo confident that all of your babies are healthy as well . I will say a prayer for everyone going through this! Have faith...your babies are fine!

amyf, thanks for your responce ...Im thinking of getting that blood test that I read so much about here at this site. . does anyone know if i can still get it done, ill be 23 weeks. Cindre0101,,,,,,,,great news! Congratulations. Thanks for Posting! God Bless U and Your Baby.

carlasez, you can only take the blood test through week 20 for valid results. Im in the same boat, by the time I had the level 2 ultrasound and they saw the EIF I was already past 20 weeks and too late for the blood test! Im almost 32 weeks now. My Dr says he sees them every day and they are not big deal but i cant help but worry. This site really helps too! Im sure everything will be fine...Hang in there!

Hi All,

I found a great article posted by the NY Times. It discusses how the new technology emerging in ultrasound equipment is causing unnecessary angst among pregnant women. Good read. Unfortunately, this forum does not allow you to post links... but here is an excerpt from it:
The problem is that ''if you use a high-frequency transducer, with a little imagination you can find a bright spot in every fetal heart,'' Dr. Hobbins said. ''So what do you tell a patient? I tell patients that I've seen a bright spot and we are not sure what it means, though some studies have shown an association to Down syndrome.''

''From my vantage point, the identification of these 'abnormalities' in low-risk women has crossed the line of 'more harm than good,' '' wrote Dr. Roy Filly, professor of radiology at the University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine. ''We put at least 10 percent of all pregnant women with perfectly normal fetuses through a great deal of worry,'' he concluded in his essay.

Keep positive and strong everyone. The more research I do, the more common I am finding these "bright spots" to be, and more often than not, the babies are born healthy and perfect. God Bless. -Dina J.

hi all,,, i just had my sonogram yesturday. Baby looks good, except he still has the white spot in his left side of the heart. the doctor said it hasnt grown. the spot ! baby is measuring a week more. im 22 weeks 5 days and the baby measured 23 weeks 5 days. does anyone know if that is a good sign. he weights 1 lb 5 ounces.
well my next sono will be in 5 weeks. ill let you all know how he is doing. God Bless Us All. Dina thanks for the info on the ny times article. i found it and read it..

Hi Jodi34 and All others,
I originally posted after my 19 week scan where they found the white bright echogenic spot on my babies heart. Well as you all know I have been stressing quite a bit since being told although the chances are low. Well I had today my 33 week ultrasound and the white spot has disappeared. I cried there and then - I think it was an overflow of emotion. I have another 7 weeks or so to go, so will now try and enjoy the rest of my pregnancy and try to keep thinking positive. I will keep you all posted with the final outcome in August some time. Fingers crossed for all of you out there with the same situation. Thanks for all listening and reading and posting back to me - it has been a really big strength to keep me going - keep up all the positive stories. LOL :)