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Find support and share your experiences on our Miscarriage forum.

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Find support and share your experiences on our Miscarriage forum.

Miscarriage/pregnancy loss

I don't know what to do

29 replies

AuntieBrenda · 05/04/2014 14:16

I've just been for a private scan for reassurance
She saw a sac and said it measured 4 weeks
My last period was16/2.
I don't know what to do - shouldn't it have measured 6 weeks?
This is the second time this has happened to me. I don't know what to do with myself.
So sorry for the losses of everyone here xx

OP posts:

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bonzo77 · 05/04/2014 14:33

didn't want to read and run.....Ive been in your situation. Once. It was very hard.

The NHS guidelines suggest you should have another scan in 1-2 weeks to see if there has been any growth. It is possible that you have ovulated late and your dates are not quite right. Do you have an NHS EPAU near you? Unfortunately, they might not accept your previous scan (did you get a print out of the measurement data) and you might have to have a third scan before they can confirm the worst (assuming you don't have good news at the first NHS one).

Have you got DC(s) already? Were they born before or after the last time this happened? Because if you have 3 in a row then you can be referred for testing. A friend of mine had 3 miscarriages in quick succession. A year after the last one she had her DD. She had some treatment (not sure what).

AuntieBrenda · 05/04/2014 14:38

I ovulated on 3rd march - I was using opks.
I have DS aged 3 and I had an early mc in jan.
The epau is open in Monday where I live but I might ring NHS direct now and see what they say.
Thank you for replying x

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bakingtins · 05/04/2014 14:50

Hi Auntie Brenda sorry you have been left in this horrible limbo. Early scans are not always that reassuring, a small margin of error on dates (even if you know when you ovulated you don't know when fertilisation and implantation happened) can make such a difference. I'm surprised a sac was measured at 4 weeks, I had an early scan at 5+3 this time because they had to make sure sac was in uterus before starting treatment and EPU said that was the absolute earliest they'd expect to see anything, so a sac only at what you think is 6 weeks could be ok.
Are you having any bleeding or cramps, or did you go for the sac because of the previous loss?
I think all you can do is cross everything and get another scan in a week to see if an embryo is developing. We will be here in either eventuality.

bakingtins · 05/04/2014 14:52

Or ask EPU to measure blood HCG on a couple of occasions to see if it is rising.

RedRoom · 05/04/2014 15:03

It's really hard to measure and date before 6 weeks, so try not to worry. Sometimes the scans can't see anything at all, but later scans show a proper little heartbeat. I had two scans (due to bleeding) at the beginning and end of 6 weeks which seemed to show no growth, but another at 7.4 that was accurate. If you had a vaginal ultrasound, that might have been a touch more accurate than an abdominal one, because the latter method can also struggle with measuring such a tiny growth.

Armadale · 05/04/2014 15:07

What date did you get a positive pregnancy test on, can you remember? Sometimes this is more useful than a LMP date in working out what is going on

AuntieBrenda · 05/04/2014 15:16

My + was 22nd march
I went for the private scan today just for reassurance. I've had some things come up at work which meant my hand was forced into saying I was pg so I wanted the early scan because of that and the early mc before
Thanks for the replies x

OP posts:

Armadale · 05/04/2014 15:54

If your positive was on 22nd of March, then yes you should be measuring 6+ today.

{There is always a possibility of fertilisation happening very late and the dates being out because of that, even if you knew your ovulation date, but if you got a positive on 22nd it does seem to exclude this possibility because a very late fertilisation would not have shown up on the test at that point.

This leaves two possibilities:

The first is that you just had a 'bad' scan today where it was hard to measure and things are OK but just weren't showing on the scan. This is a possibility, it does happen and people do go on to have positive scans. I'm not sure what bearing your scan measuring 4 weeks has on things- this does seem significant to me because you wouldn't normally expect a scan to show a pregnancy sac at 4 weeks.

The second possibility is that the pregnancy is sadly not viable and has not grown in the way it should. I have been in this position and in my case sadly when I was behind for dates on early scans the pregnancy ended.

I would hope for the best but also mentally prepare for the worst just in case.

Unfortunately the only definitive way to settle this is to have a second scan after a wait of about a week to see what changes have occurred. The waiting is absolutely awful, I think it is in some ways the most difficult bit of all. Do you have anyone in RL to support you?

Things that I would do in the meantime would include contacting the EPU seeing if they will scan you on Monday (yes it is not a weeks time but the EPU will probably insist on their own scans rather than using the private one) and also asking them to do rising HCG bloods on you- this should give some insight into what is going on eg are they rising or falling, are they rising quickly enough and what level are they at (as this will suggest what should be seen on a scan).

AuntieBrenda · 05/04/2014 16:12

I think that about the sac. She said she could see the sac but no baby in it - fucking nicely put. She was all'its normal, it's normal you've got your dates wrong' and I just couldn't wait to leave.
I've chucked DH put with DS for a walk, I just want to be on my own. I feel sick at the thought of what is to come. I wish the bad stuff would be over quickly.
Thank you for your info - it's really helped xx

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bonzo77 · 05/04/2014 19:43

was it an abdominal scan or dildo cam? They can tell far less with the former than with the latter early on (apart from that important detail of the location of the pregnancy).

I had an early "reassurance" scan with DS2 following a mmc. I was told not to go until I thought I was at least 7 weeks (unless I had pain or bleeding earlier), as they said before that date it can be very hard to tell what is going on, and cause lots of unnecessary worry.

God I remember this limbo time. It's so hard. The alternating between wanting your DC close, and wanting to be alone.

AuntieBrenda · 05/04/2014 21:16

I'm frightened

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bakingtins · 05/04/2014 21:17

Don't be frightened. What's happened?

AuntieBrenda · 05/04/2014 21:33

I don't think I can face another scan and I'm scared of what happens during a miscarriage
I will have to tell my in laws who help with DS and I dint want them to tell anyone and people knowing my business
Ivebeen having pains likeAf for a few hours now too - I've had them the last fortnight but they're freaking me out now

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bakingtins · 05/04/2014 22:50

This is the worst bit. It's horrible not knowing what is happening, hoping for the best but fearing the worst.
AF pains can be normal in early pregnancy as everything stretches, but of course can be the start of a MC too. You are stronger than you think, you will get through it if you have to, and you're not alone, plenty of women on here who have sadly had to go through it more than once and lived to tell the tale, me amongst them.
Do you need to tell the in-laws? Are they your childcare if you need a scan? Nobody who you'd be happier telling what's going on? (My in laws only know about one MC but that's another story...)
Hope your DH is looking after you

bakingtins · 06/04/2014 11:19

How are you this morning AB ?

AuntieBrenda · 06/04/2014 17:35

Thanks for asking Baking
Went out for lunch with DH and DS but I've had cramps from basically 2pm. No bleeding although a fair bit of wetness (tmi)
I feel nauseous but I think it's the anxiety

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bakingtins · 06/04/2014 18:10

Early pregnancy when you've had previous losses sucks. Everything you've mentioned (cramps, nausea, increased discharge) can be perfectly normal. All you can do is hang in there and see what happens.

AuntieBrenda · 06/04/2014 20:03

This may be a stupid question - does the sac growth date count from when you actually conceived or do they count it from lmp? As in, 5 weeks since actual sperm met egg

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bonzo77 · 06/04/2014 22:17

I think its from start of LMP. but that assumes that you ovulated on day 14. If you have longish cycles and ovulate late (like me, I often have 35 day cycles and ovulate on day 21 ), they date you as 4 weeks when it is actually 5 since your last period started, but in either case it would be 2 weeks since sperm met egg.

If you are scared about the practicalities of mc, you could go for a ERPC, if the worst is confirmed on a scan. I had one, in as much as such a thing can be described this was, it was very ok.

bakingtins · 07/04/2014 07:23

They count everything from LMP and assume you ovulated day 14, so a 6 week pregnancy is actually 4 weeks since sperm met egg. Hence the confusion if you ovulated, conceived or implanted late in your cycle.

Armadale · 07/04/2014 08:28

Hi AuntieBrenda, Just logging on to wish you luck today. I've just read your weekend updates and am so sorry you have had such a difficult couple of days. The waiting is just awful.

I hope the EPU are helpful today and can scan you and do bloods, and this might give you a bit more information at least.

Thinking of you

AuntieBrenda · 07/04/2014 13:11

Just got back from the epau
The scan clearly showed a yolk sac and a pulsating little fetal pole. The measurement of the sac was different than Saturday. I was literally there ten seconds til she saw the pole and the yolk sac.
DH is livid at the private scan place and so was the nurse I saw in the epau. My urine is being tested for possible uti.
I've learned my lesson regarding non clinical environments.
Everyone here has been so supportive, this thread has helped me so much I wish I could buy all of you a drink.
Good luck to all on their journey in TTC and beyond - genuine a hugs to all of you xxxx

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bonzo77 · 07/04/2014 13:55

Wonderful wonderful news. So excited for you. Now.... Are you going to complain to the private clinic? Psychological upset, they way they talked to you. The fact they made an error? Can you be bothered even.

Armadale · 07/04/2014 14:05

Oh that is brilliant. I am so pleased for you

AuntieBrenda · 07/04/2014 14:23

Thanks all
I'm not going to complain. I just want to forget it.

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