Ultrasound
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Prenatal Testing > Ultrasound
Dec 2005
I have my 20 week ultrasound scheduled for just after
Thanksgiving. But, I was interested in getting a 3d/4d
ultrasound also. Any suggestions for a local place? Thanks!
Weird! I just did one of these yesterday. Since our regular doctor ultrasounds at Kaiser did not yield a gender result (wow, that sounded really formal) and my husband was DYING to know (I could care less... we already have one boy, either way I would have been happy) I went yesterday to ''4D fetal imaging''. It's right by monster park at 150 Executive Boulevard. Google them... they have a SF and SJ location. The guy was great... I only wanted a 2D gender package (el cheapo) but he upgraded me for free because it's a surprise for my hubby for Xmas. So I got to see the 3D stuff which was absolutely beautiful and take home a bunch of great freebies! It's a lot of fun... they're only one of two places in the area (the other is near Walnut Creek, I think). You get a video and pics and all that.
PS: I'm almost 30 weeks, so you might want to hold off a little bit to get good features. According to the owner, 30 weeks is the best time (not too big, not too small)
anon
The ultrasound I received through my doctor was unable to determine the sex of the baby. I considered getting an additional private ultrasound, but decided against it for safety reasons. Before you make a decision, you should take a look at the FDA's statement on the issue at http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2004/104_images.html.
I had a wonderful 3d/4d ultrasound experience at a local place called FIRSTFOTO3D. They are located
right across from Alta Bates Hospital. Some of the other places I checked out were weird in that not run
by Obs. This place is new and started by a few local obs. The sono person was great and we got some
awesome pictures and a dvd clip. Check out their website firstfoto3d.com. We already knew our baby's
gender but were happy to get confirmation! connie
April 2005
I just had my 20-week ultrasound today and the doctor saw a
result that concerned him. There is supposed to be a bright
white line along the nose and he only saw a dim one. The bright
line shows the nose bone; the dimmer one might be
cartilage. Apparently this is a strong indicator of Down
Syndrome risk - he said it increases the chances by 20-30 times;
though on my search of Google and PubMed, most articles make it
sound much worse than this. For example, I am Caucasian and only
about half of a percent of Caucasian women have fetuses without
nose bones who are also chromosomally normal. So this sounds
really bad. However, the doctor, who has been doing this test 6
months to a year, and the genetic counselors still think my risk
is relatively low - less than 5%. This is mainly because when I
had my BUN test (nuchal + blood) at 13 weeks, that test
came back with a 1 in 1126 chance of DS - very low for a 38 year
old. Also, there were no other problems at all with the
ultrasound - no hole in the heart or other markers of
DS (though I know not all DS babies have the same
physical manifestations.) The doctor and genetic counselors
sounded like they were largely guessing about what the varying
test results mean, however. In trying to make sense of the
research I found versus what the doctor and genetic counselors
told me about my risks, I'm just wondering if anyone out there
knows anything about this test. How likely is it that he just
didn't find the bone? (According to the genetic counselors, he's
very good at this.) Or could it be that the bone just hasn't
come in fully yet, since there is a line there (and the line is
the proper length)? As is probably clear from the fact that I'm
writing, we've decided not to risk an amnio until late in the
pregnancy when the risk of miscarriage has passed. But we would
still benefit from a better understanding of how to interpret my
risk, in the meantime.
Wondering what to prepare for
Hi. First let me say how sorry I am that you have to be worrying at a
time that should otherwise be so joyful. That said, you make no mention
of whether or not you are opposed to getting an amnio. If not, and
you'd like to be best prepared for what may be coming your way, why not
get one. You can do so up until 24 weeks, as I recall. If you are
opposed, forgive my suggestion. But, you will need to find a way to
come to peace with your baby - regardless of his/her condition at birth.
You are courageous to ask us, but as all mothers must do - follow YOUR
heart, YOUR instincts and you probably won't be steered wrong.
Best wishes to you.
I am so sorry to hear about your recent ultrasound results. You must be
very frightened. What I hear from your posting, however, is that you
want the list to offer you advice that will somehow make sense of this
troubling finding, and I am afraid that you will receive many replies
with many contradictory suggestions and implications, and that you will
be left just as confused and frightened.
You indicated that you weren't willing to risk an ultrasound until the
chances of miscarriage had decreased, but I am wondering if now wouldn't
be a good time to reconsider your original decision. Given that this
situation is a stressful one, which is not good for mother or child, it
might be the case that despite the risks of having a miscarriage with
ultrasound, the benefits might outweigh them. You would either have
peace of mind of knowing for sure (and not asking everyone what they
think, even though you have the advice of well-trained, experienced
professionals already), or you would have a LOT more time to make
decisions for yourself and your family (prepare yourself for having a
child who has Down's syndrome, or to discontinue the pregnancy if you so
choose).
My heart goes out to you in this time of agonizing uncertainty. I think
in this case, however, having as much knowledge as possible would indeed
be helpful for you.
anon. please
I am a certified nurse midwife and I work with a group of high- risk
perinatiologists and I have never heard of this nose-bone test. Women
over 35 are offered the nuchal (like you had), the AFP, and an amnio.
Maybe this is some new test???? Research has shown that if the nuchal
and the AFP are normal there is a very low risk of chromosome problems.
If you have had both and they are normal you can be reassurred. But if
you want to be sure you should have the amnio. If you have the amnio
late in pregnancy and are carrying a baby with downs it will be too late
to terminate, if that is what you wanted to do. I myself had an amnio
and, when done by a perinatiologist there's a 1-2% risk of miscarriage.
But felt the risk was worth it because I was not going to continue with
the pregnancy if the baby had chromosome problems. This is the question
you should ask yourself: Do you want to raise a baby with chromosome
problems? If the answer is 100% no you need an anmio.
Good Luck To You
August 2003
To make a long story short, the technician at Summit wouldn't
print any images of my baby's ultrasound. So I called the Head of
Radiology, who obliged me by sending copies of the x-ray film.
Now we have loads of images but no way to put them in a form that
can go in his baby book. I was going to take them to Custom
Process on 5th Street in Berkeley, but they closed in March. Does
anyone know of a reliable place in the East Bay where I could
maybe have the films scanned and recorded on a cd or just
printed?
Susan
Here are two possible labs that might be able to help.
Photolab 2235 5th Street in Berkeley 644-1400
or
Cantoo 813 Heinz Street Berkeley 540-0291
March 2003
I was wondering if anybody knows of a good OB that does all
laboratory and ultrasound tests in-office. My previous So-Cal OB
had my blood/urine samples taken at her office and sent to Unilab
and also owned an ultrasound machine, so things were very
convenient. On the contrary, my current physician in Berkeley
sends ME to Unilab for every test, and ultrasounds are done at
Alta Bates, which has a very inconvenient schedule (8:30-4:00, no
weekends). My first ultrasound results did not get to my doctor's
office in time for my appointment, so our discussion of the
results was based purely on her phone conversation with the
radiologist (not to mention the fact that I did not get a copy of
the ''photos'').
Am I just being So-Cal spoiled or are there more equipped OB's
out there?
Thanks in advance,
Tired of running around mom to-be
So why do you need so many ultrasounds? They are not without
risks, and disrupt the baby. You'll have years for getting better
pictures than these. A lot of this kind of testing gives women a
false sense of security and the illusion that somehow this is
safe and good to do. Tests can pose increased risks.
OB nurse
I see Dr. Goldie Gross in Lafayette who does urine and vaginal
ultrasound in the office, but does not take blood. She also has
an office in Oakland. I can't recommend her enough.
anon
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