I had heard it means the baby may be down's syndrome. Does anyone know how much percentage wise it is accurate at this stage? There is no history on both sides of D.S. when is the "reading" accurate that the baby could be a down's baby? Would she be feeling anything different? thanks.
2007-03-05 07:54:37 · 15 answers · asked by proudmom 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Pregnancy
From what I know as a father of two, a hole in the heart is NOT a measure of D.S.
Anyhow, they would have picked up symptoms of D.S. much earlier in the pregnancy, and would have made them aware of it. For instance, early on in the pregnancy they check the thickness of the neck fold of the foetus. It's an immediate tell-tale sign. Later on in the pregnancy blood tests can also be performed.
You must unfortunately realise that a hole in the heart could potentially lead to complications... Depending on the size of the hole, it may fuse itself (this was the case with my 3-year old), and if not, you simply have to take a bit of extra care. For instance, before a person with a hole in the heart visits a dentist, they should really complete a course of antibiotics, as bacteria could potentially land up in the heart tissue and cause damage. Similarly care should be taken during illness or any form of infection.
My best friend is 35 years old. He has a HUGE hole in his heart, yet he lives life to the full!
Good luck to your friend!
2007-03-05 08:13:09 · answer #1 · answered by Tyler Durden 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A hole in a baby's heart, I believe, is not related to Down's Syndrome. DS is when the child has an extra chromosome, I don't think having a hole in your heart means that a child has an extra chromosome. There is a test that can be done while your friend is still pregnant to determine if the child is. DS is more common in women of a certain age. If your friend is younger, say the mid-20s, her chances are low. If she is in her mid-30s, her chances do increase. I do not recall how far along you have to be for the test, but, I'm sure if you look it up online, you will be able to find the information needed. In addition, whether or not your friend's child is born with/without DS, she's going to love her child exactly the same. Unconditionally.
2007-03-05 08:03:37 · answer #2 · answered by Cherry_Fire 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is a heart defect that a lot of babies with Downs syndrome has, and they would have told her at the ultrasound if that was the case. There are many different reasons a child will have a hole in their heart. Some will close up on their own, and some will require surgery shortly after birth. Oh, and Downs syndrome does not run in families. It's a chromosome defect that is a fluke of nature.
2007-03-05 07:59:18 · answer #3 · answered by Melissa 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
When they run the Triple Screen Test and it shows that the mother the sample has screened in for spina bifida, birth defects and Down Syndrome, she is referred for a level two ultra sound. This ultra sound is very detailed and takes on average between 45 min to an hour and the fetus is looked at in great detail. This is usually done at a perinatal office where they specialized in this. Prior to this ultrasound, the mother receives genetic counseling where she is asked about family history and given options for continued screening. The spine and brain are looked at as well as the fetal age. In this ultra sound the technician and physician are looking for specific markers that would indicate a risk for DS, one of these markers would be a black/ dark spot in the heart or brain. If anything is noticed the mother may get the recommendation to do an Amnio to be precisely sure. Your friend should be asking her physician questions to help put her mind at ease or make a decision if necessary.
2007-03-05 08:25:54 · answer #4 · answered by ♥Baby♥Girl♥ 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I just recently had a ultrasound and the doctor said there was something with the heart, not a hole, but something else with a valve, and I had to have a perinatalogist give me another ultrasound to rule out downs syndrome. I guess if they find something with the heart it can mean there is a chance of DS. It might be the same if there is a hole, but they should be able to perfom test to make sure.
2007-03-05 10:14:21 · answer #5 · answered by Armando R 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A hole is a heart has nothing to do with Downs. I'm sure it can be another effect of having it, but the doctor should have done a downs blood test before 6 months to ensure the baby is fine.
2007-03-05 07:59:41 · answer #6 · answered by Stephanie S 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most doctors perform a blood test to see if a baby will have down syndrome on almost all women. I don't think that a hole in the heart means that the baby has down syndrome. If your friend is really worried tell her to talk to her doctor about her worries and they might perform some tests to ease her worries. It's always better to know than to worry about it.
2007-03-05 08:03:43 · answer #7 · answered by wishbear3687 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no, a hole in the heart is not a sign of down syndrome. it's just a hole in the heart. however, this can be a very serious condition. her doctor should have already done a blood test to see if the baby is at risk for neural tube birth defects (downs syndrome). she really needs to talk to a doctor about this.
2007-03-05 08:01:27 · answer #8 · answered by redpeach_mi 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hole in heart is NOT sign of Down's synd. i work in Peds Cardiology & i do ultrasounds on Baby heart, also while in fetal stage.
yes, at 6 months ultrasounds are very well accurate, as long as the ultrasonographer know what they are doing & doing it accurately.
Holes in heart like Melissa said, many can close by themselves, but the hole itself must be defined specifically. certain holes will not close. some can close. other issues about where the hole is, & if or not that hole is affecting the flow of blood to other valves.
ultrasound tech or ultrasound Doc's are not the experts in Fetal Cardiology. as said above, that needs to be determined by a Pediatric Cardiologist. (specialist in hearts of babies & kids... also in those of the fetus.) they should refer her to Ped Cardiology & she should talk to a Ped Cardiologist.
Anmiocentesis is the test that accurately & defines & confirms if that baby does have Down's. not all Down's babies have a hole in their heart. those that do may have a little one, but the more common is AVC defect. that would be towards the worser cases in the spectrum. ultrasound is not the test to find out baby has Down's, it is a test to see how much is affected by confirmed Down's if any.
hole in the heart is not directly related to Down's, but Down's has a common relation to hole in the heart (AVC). it doesn't run both ways... i know that sounds wierd.
2007-03-05 08:18:37 · answer #9 · answered by carbazon 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My cousins had that ...and they were fine.
They just weren't' fully developed yet. The doctor wanted them to have surgery but they ended up growing out of it.
I don't think that has any connection to down syndrome
If you're worried about down syndrome go to a genetic specialist and get a test done.
The do a chromosome analysis on mom and dad and baby and they can tell you without a shadow of a doubt.
2007-03-05 08:00:13 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋