Words every expecting parent fears. This is the first, of what I'm sure will be, a million reasons this child makes me worry during my lifetime. Put a fork in me already! I didn't mention last week after our anatomy update because I was scared, anxious, and uninformed, but the doctor noticed an abnormality on the ultrasound. She identified it as an EIF and gave me a referral for an echocardiogram so doctors could take a closer look at the baby's heart.
What's an EIF? An echogenic intracardiac focus appears as a small bright white spot on the baby's heart. It's believed to be caused by a build up of calcium within the heart muscle. From my research, it is seen in 3-5% of pregnancies, and closer to 10-30% of pregnancies with Asian ancestry (darn you Filipino genes). An EIF does not cause problems for the baby, and typically goes away on its own. Or it could be a nothing to begin with- a false positive caused by fetal position or US machine settings.
So why the worry? An EIF can be a "soft marker" for Down's Syndrome. When multiple soft markers are observed (shortened long bones, brain cysts, heart defect, thickness of back side of neck), the risk for chromosomal abnormalities increases.
Luckily, the EIF was the only variation seen on our US and my doctor tried her very best to ease my anxiety. (Obviously, that worked...not). She took a blood sample to rule out Down's, and we visited the cardiologist at the hospital where we'll be delivering. The blood sample took 8 excruciating days to get back to us but I'm happy to report the results were negative. Negative for Down's and all other chromosomal abnormalities.
And the visit with the cardiologist also came back with excellent results. Yes, there's a bright spot. But no, they do not see it negatively affecting the pregnancy or baby once born.
Thanks for driving my crazy with worry, kid. I thought this wasn't supposed to happen for another 15 years!
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