First Trimester Umbilical Cord Cyst

Can umbilical cord cysts affect pregnancy outcomes?

Researchers from Tufts Medical Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts recently completed a study attempting to relate umbilical cord cysts found via sonography in the first months of pregnancy to specific pregnancy outcomes. The results of the study were published in the Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine.

Past pregnancies studied

Medical records for patients pregnant between July 2006 and July 2008 were reviewed. The authors found 45 women with diagnosed umbilical cord cysts and compared the medical records for these patients with 85 women as controls (no cyst). The average diameter of an umbilical cord cyst was 3 mm (+/- 2.1 mm). All patients were reexamined between the 9th week and 20th week of pregnancy. By the 20th week, all cysts had resolved.

Lower BMIs and incidence of cysts

Researchers found that women with lower BMIs tended to be more likely to be diagnosed with umbilical cord cysts. When pregnancy and fetal complications were compared between the two groups researchers were unable to find a connection between complications and first-trimester umbilical cord cysts.

Read More:
Caring for Your Baby's Umbilical Cord
Umbilical Cord Abnormalities
How-To Guide For Newborns

Source: Hannaford K, Reeves S, Wegner E. Umbilical cord cysts in the first trimester: are they associated with pregnancy complications? J Ultrasound Med. 2013 May;32(5):801-6. doi: 10.7863/ultra.32.5.801. PubMed