Stacy recently commented asking about the blood tests Adrienne has to have done to rule out any infection(s) she may have, based on the “bright” intestines they saw on a recent ultrasound. I’ve been doing some research about the tests, and I thought I would share this information and my answer to Stacy and anyone else who may be interested.

Stacy wrote:

Hi,

I was just reading your post and I was told today that the small intestines “lit-up” on my 20-week ultrasound. Everything else looked normal (no other indicators of a problem) - but I am sooo scared. I feel like I can’t breathe. I actually already had an amnio and everything came back normal. I’m scared that their could be an element of human error with the amnio. Also, did you know you can get a blood test for cystic fibrosis (just to rule it out). I found out I already had that test and I’m not a carrier. I’m curious what 3 blood tests your wife had? I know you can get a test for a virus, but is it actually 3 tests? Please let me know. Thank you and I’m so happy your baby is fine!!

Adrienne and I both know exactly how you feel. It’s horrifying to think something may be wrong with your baby. What makes it worse is that you feel like it’s all your fault and you can’t do anything to fix the problem. It’s probably one of the worst things I’ve felt in my entire life, and I’m pretty sure Adrienne can attest to that as well. The only thing you can do is hope for the best, and trust your intuition when deciding to undergo medical prodcedures and tests that may rule out possibilities of a problem. We decided not to go with an amnio because the risk of losing our child just for a “yes” or “no” answer doesn’t seem worth the risk. We asked ourselves if knowing the answer to that test would change the way we feel about our child, and we both knew instantly that we would love him the same, no matter the circumstances. The best thing to do I believe, is to just trust yourself. You will know what’s best for your baby, so just trust in yourself and whatever decisions you may make.

Alright, enough rambling. On to the information you asked for. To rule out the possibilities of infection, the doctor recommended 3 more blood tests. Here is some information I found about each of the those tests.

CMV IgM and IgG

(From http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/cmv/test.html)

There are several methods of detecting a cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection:

Two types of CMV antibodies may be found in the blood: IgM and IgG. IgM antibodies are the first to be produced by the body in response to a CMV infection.

CMV antibody testing may be performed to determine immunity to CMV in pregnant women, in patients prior to organ or bone marrow transplantation, and in a person diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.

(From http://www.emedicine.com/PED/topic544.htm)

Of all the human herpesviruses described to date, cytomegalovirus (CMV) is arguably the one whose infection causes the most morbidity and mortality. Although primary infection with this agent generally does not produce symptoms in healthy adults, several high-risk groups, including immunocompromised organ transplant recipients and individuals infected with HIV, are at risk of developing life- and sight-threatening CMV disease. In addition, CMV has emerged in recent years as the most important cause of congenital infection in the developed world, commonly leading to mental retardation and developmental disability.

Varicella-Zoster Virus Antibodies, IgG & IgM (chicken pox)

(From http://dermatology.about.com/cs/pregnancy/a/chickenpreg.htm)

Chicken pox is usually a benign, self-limited, viral infection caused by the varicella virus. However, chicken pox acquired during pregnancy causes an increase risk of complications to the mother and the infant. The time of infection, during early pregnancy or near delivery, determines the risk to mother and child.

Pregnant women who have a history of a previous chicken pox infection or who have been immunized have antibodies to the virus. These antibodies are transferred to the infant through the placenta throughout the pregnancy. Therefore, pregnant women who are immune and are exposed to someone with chicken pox do not need to worry about complications for themselves or their infant.

Toxoplasma gondii

(From http://gateway.nlm.nih.gov/MeetingAbstracts/102235562.html)

Toxoplasma gondii is an important pathogen in immunocompromised patients and a cause of birth defects in congenitally infected infants. From 5% to 25% of the adult population in the USA is seropositive for Toxoplasma antibodies. Acceptable sensitivity and specificity have been reported for the measurement of IgG antibodies, but the detection of IgM antibodies is more problematic because of clinical concerns.

I had thought that she was already tested for these, I thought they sounded familiar when the Dr. wrote out the order, but nonetheless, it’s best to rule out any possibilities we can. So Stacy, I hope this information helps you out in some way.