Early Pregnancy Scans

[Malotkins]

Hi ladies

I hope you are all having a lovely valentine's day.

My husband and I are now officially ttc again following a recent loss. I have been thinking ahead to when I fall pg again (lots of pma today) and have been thinking about early scans. I feel quite nervous about them and, although I'm sure the EPU will do one for me if I requet it, I think I will try and wait until 12 weeks. Reading various messageboards online it seems to me that a lot of pgs fail a day or so after an early scan, this happened to me. Does anyone else feel the same way? I'm sorry if I cause anyone extra additional concern.

Hannah x

[Charliemouse500]

Am in a similar situation, so bumping in the hope someone more helpful than me answers.

[PacificDogwood]

Malotkins, do what feel right to you; I really think that is the crucially important thing to do.

Whether you have repeated early scans or wait til you are 12 weeks does not alter the outcome of course, but it may change how you feel.
Some women like the reassurance weekly scans can give, others like you would rather wait until a positive result is more reliably predictive of a good longterm outcome.

FWIW, I've had 4 MMCs and have had lots of scans with all my pregnancies (I am now expecting No4 ), but that was just me and my personal preference.

There are some studies that women with a history of pregnancy losses do statistically better if they feel well looked after and supported by their HCPs. That support can take different forms, depending on preference (ie lots of scans/leave alone).

It is all very well to say if you have a positive fetal heart at 8 weeks your chances of successful pregnancy are right up there, but it is no guarantee of course. The MC that gutted me most was my 3rd as I had had a couple of good scans and at 10 weeks everything had gone pearshaped.
Yet I still felt the need for lots of scans the next time round - which resulted in DS1.

So, really, do what feels right for you.
V best of luck .

[kissmummy]

hi there, this is a really difficult question. I remember your name from previous postings but can't remember your history, but it doesn't make much difference to my advice, which is to have as many scans as you can get, if you can bear it - and i totally understand how unbelievably bloody awful it is going through it.
If i look back on all my miscarriages (four in the last 18 months) it is the scans that have been the most traumatic part, but i think they're a necessary evil, at least for me.
We are about to TTC again and though the thought fills me with dread I will probably do early scans again, because i personally feel that if I have miscarried, I'd rather know sooner than later (to find out you've miscarried at 12 weeks, for example, i think is significantly worse than finding out at 8 weeks.)
Say something awful happens at eight weeks, and you don't find out till 12 weeks - well, that's four "wasted" weeks of thinking you're pregnant, when you actually aren't. Not only does it narrow your options for dealing with a miscarriage (you might have to have an ERPC sooner rather than later, because of the risk of infection, rather than being able to wait for nature to take its course; and it might also be too late for a tissue analysis of the embryo) but it also extends the whole fertility time taken up by the miscarriage. That's how I see it, anyway. but i do understand those who just can't face going through the scan again. My last miscarriage was the only one where we got a heartbeat at seven weeks. by nine weeks it was gone - and it was harder to cope with as a result of that early hope. still, i would have been even more devastated if i'd left it till 12 weeks. Sorry, it's a very long answer to your question but i hope my perspective, born of very bitter experience, is helpful in some way.

[iggi999]

Hi, are you worried that the scans have actually caused the mc, in the cases you've heard about?
Is there any reason why that would happen? (pondering) I do think we all look to whatever we were just doing (I have about 5 things I regret, that were probably nothing to do with why pregnancy failed) before the mc, but doesn't mean any of them did cause it. I had early scans with DS (who is fine) so that's one on the other side!

[annie51]

Hi

My history is that I've had mc1 then 2dd's then 5 more mc. The mc that was the worst (if thats possible) was the one where I was told at an early scan that I had had a mc. I already had an appt for a gynae consult the next week so the scanner decided to do nothing and let him have a look. When he did he saw the heartbeat and was able to put it on audio, such a shock as far as I was concerned I was going to get booked in for a D& C. So back to waiting game and at the scan the following week the heartbeat had gone.
During 5 of the 6 pegnancies that I went on to mc I had loads of early scans mainly internals and loads of bloodtests. I'm now 6.5 weeks pregnant worried sick but have decided to wait on the 12 week scan.
The decision was partly made due to dd2's 5th birthday party on Sunday and my 40th the week after. I don't want to be worried waiting to see what will happen at the next scan or to let the fear rule my life my dd deserves a happy mum at her party.
Early scans can be great as I also had a mmc at 14 weeks we had everyone told our news an early scan would have prevented this.

[Malotkins]

Hi all,

Thanks for taking the time to respond and for telling me of your own experiences.

I am worried it was the scans that caused the missed miscarriage if I am honest. I had two internal scans at 5 weeks when everything was fine, then another at 6 weeks when everything was fine (although no h/b at that point but the sac had grown) and then one at 7 weeks when there was still no h/b so I went back a week later and a mmc was confirmed. However, I didn't have any scans when I had the first m/c and that didn't work out so who knows. It would have been horrible to go for the 12 week scan and found it had died at 6.5 so I am grateful for that but I think next time I will wait until they don't need to do an internal scan, 8 weeks? That's a very good point you make kissmummy about the "wasted" weeks, I hadn't thought of that and at 37 it's something to consider. annie51 you hit the nail on the head when you say its a waiting game. I suppose that's all we can do. Patience is not my strongest virtue!

Hannah x