No heartbeat at 7wks - should I be worried??

[BebeBelge]

Hello!

I am exactly 7 weeks pregnant and had a scan this morning. We saw the sac and something inside the sac but the doc couldn't get a heartbeat. I have been able to hear heartbeats previously at this stage in my other pregnancies so was a bit worried. The doctor has asked me to come back next week when I will be 8 weeks and says if there is no detectable heartbeat then, it will mean a misscarriage. Maybe I am out with my dates as I am a wee bit irregular but only by a few days each month. I have had problems in pregnancy before so go into pregnancies expecting the worst (wrong attitude, I know!).

But has anyone else had similar and then the heartbeat has shown up a week or so later and all is well, or do you think the fact that my doctor mentioned the 'm' word means he has a hunch and is trying to prepare me for bad news next week?? I so, so, so want this baby and am trying not to just sit on the floor and wail until next week's appointment, but can't really think about anything else at the moment.

Thanks for any insights...

[barbie1]

What type of scan did you have?

[barbie1]

Sorry, i was trying to type more but dd pushed the submit button!

For my first pregnancy i had a tummy scan at 7 weeks and saw the heartbeat, at my 12 week scan we discovered a mmc which they thought had happened around the 7 week mark, meaning it was a few days after the 'good' scan.

Second pregnancy, i had early scans. Internal ones. At 7 weeks they didn't see a heart beat, told to rest and come back in three days. This time there was a heartbeat.
It turns out i was 4 days out on my dates, so the 7 week scan was only 6+3.
The little heartbeat is now 16 months old.

I am now 8 weeks pregnant, internal scan this time showed heartbeat at 6+5.

I did read somewhere that a heartbeat had to be seen by a certain size. I Can't remember the size though. I asked my doctor about this and she said that they took the dates with a pinch of salt in the early scans. So many things could effect the dates, late implantation, late ovulation etc etc. She used the size guide for the heartbeat.

Good luck, I know the waiting is a royal PITA, i have another scan on tues due to more spotting so i will wait with you

[BebeBelge]

Oh, Barbie, thanks for replying. I'm so sorry about your miscarriage. The waiting is torture isn't it? It was an internal scan. I haven't had any blood tests yet so don't know about HCG levels. i guess it's just a waiting game. I really hope I'm just out with the dates. My doctor didn't say to rest - do you think that would help (I have 2 other dcs to run after so could be an impossible dream anyway!)? Well, here's to waiting with everything crossed. Hope your scan goes well on Tues!

[barbie1]

I was told to rest due to spotting on the last one, I know how hard it is to rest with a LO. I find myself trying to put her down for naps early just so i can have an hour's sleep myself

I really, really hope that like me you are a few days out.

Blood test can sometimes be unreliable, my hcg was rising on the mmc.

The doctor i have now is amazing, she refuses blood test and everything else, she prefers to 'see for herself' and scans each and every time. Mind you we are abroad and it's all private so she get's the money!

I am trying to find the link about size and heartbeat. Can you remember how big they measured you? Was the baby measuring 7 weeks? Again this is difficult as it's so hard to get an accurate measurement at this stage.

[BebeBelge]

We're abroad too (Japan - where are you?) so I get scanned whenever I want to pay for it basically! Rhe doc didn't tell me what he measured. He gave me a scan picture but I left it in the car. I am off now to get DD from nursery so I'll have a look and see if it says anything. Thanks again, Barbie!

[barbie1]

I'm in dubai, same here re paying for scans and just claiming back the money!

I will check back on here later, in the mean time i hope you are ok.

[goodnightmoon]

I did have this happen once where the hb was not there at 7 weeks, I went back a week later and there was one and they re-dated the pregnancy by a full two weeks. I knew that wasn't possible - i'd had a positive test too early for that to make sense. At the next scan 2 weeks later, the heartbeat had stopped.
so sometimes things do get off to a slow start but it can indicate a problem.
that said, you could just be a few days off, and there are also miracle stories out there. for me, it would be a worry though.
see if you can get a printout of the measurements they took - that could help you figure out what the chances are.

[BebeBelge]

Thanks, Goodnightmoon. I'm sorry it didn't work out for you. I think you are right about a 'slow start' not being a good sign. I think I have to expect the worst rather than anything else

[pinkpeony]

Hi Bebebelge, please don't lose hope yet. My 1st pregnancy ended in a MMC detected at 8 week scan, so since then I have always scanned early. With DS (2nd pregnancy), I had scan at 6+2 with a huge galloping heartbeat. With DC2 (3rd pregnancy), a scan at 6+5 showed no heathbeat, was told to come back 10 days later for rescan, I was devastated and sure it was another MC - although sonographer told me everything else looked normal so things are probably fine. I now have a 6 month old DD. And strangely enough, it didn't have anything to do with the dates - DS born 38+2 and DD at 38+1 based on my LMP. The babies can just develop at different speeds in the early days. You really can't tell anything until the next scan, but if everything else looked normal, then the odds are in your favour. Hope all goes well and hang in there.

[CombineArvester]

BebeBelge to be honest there is usually an embryo with foetal heartbeat present if you are 7 weeks pregnant. Is it possible you are a week or two out? Can you ring them and ask if they have any measurements? There are certain measurements e.g. if the sac has reached a certain size or embro crown to rump length is longer than a certain length, but no heartbeat is present, then a miscarriage is likely to have occurred.

[Catsycat]

Hi Bebebelge, I think the size thing might be 6mm when they expect to see a heartbeat. This is purely based on my recent mc - I was told that there would need to be no growth between 2 scans one week apart; or a 6mm foetus with no heartbeat, to confirm a mc. I was told this was a national protocol in the NHS. Hope this makes sense, and that I'm not making you worry more!

Sounds like they just couldn't see very well, so hopefully you'll go next week and get good news. Try not to worry (easier said than done, I know!), and good luck. x

[BebeBelge]

Thanks, everyone!
I don't know what the measurements were but have decided not to phone and ask for them. It wouldn't stop me worrying and it would probably make the wait even harder as I would be second-guessing endlessly. I will update after the scan next week either way. Thanks again!

[CombineArvester]

Any news BebeBelge?

[PoppysMom]

Good luck for your scan today

[BebeBelge]

Hello again!

Don't know if anyone is still watching.... I should have updated earlier but I am basically in denial about the whole thing.

So, I had my scan and there was a heartbeat, however, the doctor said I was 6w4d and by my calculations I should have been exactly 8w, give or take a few days, so bit confused about that. He did say the heartbeat looked normal though but wanted to see me again in another 2 weeks (which will be Thurs of this coming week). This made me think of Goodnightmoon's post about a slow start turning into a miscarriage .

Anyway, in the meantime, DH and I had sex and afterwards I noticed a bit of pink blood. It wasn't a lot. I wore a panty liner that night and in the morning there was a small stain. i know this can be normal but it has never happened to me before in previous pregnancies. Since then (about 6 days ago), we have been avoiding sex and every now and then when I wipe after going to the bathroom, there is a small amount of brown blood on the tissue. I suppose the brown blood could be left over from the post-sex bleeding but I have been scaring myself silly reading on the internet about how brown blood could be a sign of a missed miscarriage? i have had no cramping btw and the brown blood has only appeared since the sex.

I could go back to the docs early this week to get another scan but as I said, I am kind of in denial and at the moment I would rather continue thinking I am pregnant. Sad, I know, and I know the sensible thing would be just to go and get another scan and know for sure but I know me, and I will wait and worry until Thursday. In my head I am fully expecting a diagnosis of mmc when I do eventually go

So, there you have it. Still don't really have a clue what is going on!

[PoppysMom]

Hi bebe,
Please don't worry too much about the size of baby. A strong good heartbeat should be a good sign. My baby measured small (1 week behind) all the way to my 15 week scan.
Babies don't all grow at the same speed and early scans are notoriously bad at dating a pregnancy.
Brown blood means it is old blood, so is probably left over from when you had sex. Your cervix and other bits are much plumper with increased blood flow, so a small bleed after sex is not uncommon.

You have seen a heartbeat and measured over 6 weeks. That decreased your risk of miscarriage significantly. To something like 10% I believe.

Please be confident that your bubba is alright, but get seen earlier if you're still worried.

Good luck and let me know how you get on x

[BebeBelge]

Thanks PoppysMom for the reply. Fingers crossed you're right. I don't cope very well with being pregnant. I'm a worrier I'm afraid and will find something to worry about every day until the baby arrives!

[marthamay]

Just wanted to say best wishes for the next scan. It sounds like an extremely nerve-wracking time you are going through and I really hope that it all turns out well.

[PoppysMom]

Oh bebe, I worried so much when the test first turned positive and all the way into the second trimester. It was only around 18 weeks that I started to relax.
Now at 22+5 I worry again like mad, because my baby seems to be moving and kicking me significantly less than he has been.
Basically, I think the whole pregnancy thing is one big worry. Try not to stress too much though, as a calm Mummy makes a calm and happy baby :)

[BebeBelge]

Ok, I've decided to go tomorrow for a scan. There has been a bit more blood with a hint of pink . If it's bad news I really should find out sooner than later. Will let you know...

[PoppysMom]

Fingers crossed for you. I'm sure it's fine

[BebeBelge]

I had my scan this morning and, sure enough, no growth since last scan and no heartbeat. I have to wait for 2 weeks to see if nature runs it's course. If nothing happens, then I'll get the D&C. Am gutted and just want to get on with it so I can get pregnant again . I haven't told DH yet. He's at work and I can't bear to phone him.

[marthamay]

I'm so, so sorry for you. Please look after yourself.

[CollieandPup]

bebe I've been lurking and was thinking about you yesterday. I'm so very sorry that it was bad news. I hope you and your OH are giving each other the love and support you need. xx