Early m/c any advice please

[HellKat]

I'm currently between 5 & 6 weeks pg. Tested positive Monday but immediately started cramping. Tuesday night, I found "old blood" in my underwear and the pain got worse. Fugured it was another m/c (have had 4 previous but 3 were instant and 1 was a missed mc) and thought it would be relatively quick.
It's now Saturday and the "loss" is still slight (and brown not red) but the pains are still bad. The EPU had agreed it did'nt sound like a viable pg and to test again next week and if nothing had happened, to pop in for a scan.
I'd love to know if there's anyone else out who's either had or knows of someone who's had a long mc. I read on two sites it can take weeks!!
Any advice or comments are most welcome.

Also meant to say all pregnancy symptoms have gone and the pain is like very bad period/endmetriosis pain.

Hi Hellkat, I have had 2 missed miscarriages. The first one was at 10 weeks (although the baby had died at 5 weeks)...I started to spot which lasted 6 days and the heavy bleeding then went on for another week. With my 2nd m/c at 8 weeks (the baby had died at 6 weeks) I started spotting 3 days before it got heavy and then it lasted almost 2 weeks. With both of these I had bright red blood with clots. The fact that you've got brown blood could very well mean that the news may not be bad. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you. Wishing you all the best.

Hellkat, you must go for an early scan, have you made an appt? I dont understand the hospital saying wait a week and do a pregnancy test. Get yourself to the hospital and insist on a scan. Good luck love. The fact that its brown/old blood is a good sign but get it checked to put your mind at rest.

Thanks all and so sorry to hear of your experiences Wools.
With my last missed mc, the blood was old (never did turn red until after the erpc).
They wanted me to test next week as it's so early on and a scan would'nt have shown anything until next week aswell.
The spotting had clots in it last night (still brown) and the pain is still there (bad backache and womb cramps). It's been constant since Tuesday. This is why I'm thinking it's going to be another missed mc instead of a straight forward one.
Thanks again all xx

If it is a missed miscarriage, then another test will tell you nothing and will just be a waste of money. If your pregnancy has failed but you haven't physically miscarried, then there will be enough hormones still in your system still to give you a "positive" result.

My last miscarriage was spotted via a scan at 7 weeks (only showed as 5 weeks, even though I was confident of my dates) and 4 weeks later I had the ERPC. I had no spotting or other symptoms - other than the fact that I no longer "felt" pregnant. If it hadn't been for the early scan (which I asked for after the experience of my first miscarriage, which was also a missed miscarriage) I wouldn't have found out until my first official scan at c.12 weeks.

Hope you can get a scan soon to let you know what is happening. {{{{{{Hugs}}}}}

I was told nothing shows on scan before 6 weeks anyway. So no point going for one till 7.
I lost at 7. started spotting on the Fri. Had scan on Tuesday which showed no baby. felt it come away on the wed, bled for a bit after that

Thanks hun. So sorry for experiences too.
I no longer feel pregnant at all, even my boobs are shrinking. I see what you mean about missed mc and the hormone still being present.
They did say if nothing had happened by next week, to pop in for a scan.
Not looking forward to another week of pain though, just wish nature would hurry up.

Mandy- that's what they said to me, hence waiting until next week. At least then they may see something.

sorry you are going through this - the preg hormone will remain in your body until approx 2 weeks after m/c Take care

Thanks Golds.
Right won't bother testing, I'll just grab an appointment at the EPU on Monday. Alot easier.

Transvaginally they can see an egg/sac at about 5 weeks. But it is not an exact science - which was why I went for my own "early" scan at what should have been 7+2 weeks, and all they saw was evidence of a pregnancy that was 5 weeks old - which is how it stayed at the two follow-up scans until I insisited on an ERPC.

If you really don't want to wait, you could ask your GP to take blood tests. They take two a couple of days apart and if your hormones aren'y increasing at the correct rate, then you will know that the pregnancy is not viable.

Yep Pretty I agree.
My last mc was seen at an early scan (was spotting old blood) at 7 weeks, all was well but it died at 8 weeks and was'nt discovered until the 11 week scan.
I'll ask them at the hospital if they can do the bloods there (as i'll be there anyway). it's the only sure fire way to gauge what's going on.

Hi Hellkat, I just want to say you have my deepest sympathies with this. You were such a sweetie to me last week with your kind words when you were going through the same yourself, it really meant an awful lot to me - even if you did make me cry! I never said thankyou though, so I'm saying it now.

I, too, am confused about the retesting next week advice, because I was told after my m/c to retest in 2 weeks -I am sure I have read that as long as there was any sort of extra tissue there, the hcg carried on being produced. So as you say, a blood test would be much more meaningful. When I went to A&E they did a blood test for me there. They have they thorough ruled out the prospect of it being ectopic, haven't they?

It would be nice to think that you are just having really painful implantation cramping and all is well, but your instincts might be the best guide. I know mine were right on the money.

Thinking of you, and wishing you all the very best.
xx

Rubles- ((((((((hugs))))))).
Thanks hunny. How are you doing? Are you bearing up ok?
When I had my erpc last time, I was still testing postive for hcg 3 weeks later because of retained products (had to have a repeat proceedure).
My gut feeling last time was that something was wrong (even after a 7 week scan showed a heartbeat) and this time I've totally stopped feeling pregnant.
The loss has died down but still got raging backache and bad womb cramps. I'm going to ask the EPU to do bloods (only way of telling).
Thanks again hun. Anytime you need a chat, fee free to CAT me.
xx

Meant to say, did they do the repeat blood test 48 hrs later? Normally the hcg levels drop and that shows that the pg is'nt progressing but if they only drop by a tiny amount then that can be a suspected ectopic? Did they scan you?

I passed the egg sac on Friday 13th, appropriately enough. It was much larger than I expected it to be - the full length of my hand - and it freaked me out a bit, I kept having flashbacks of the sensation of it coming out of me throughout the rest of the day. Couldn't bear to flush it so I fished it out and we will bury it today.
I went to the epu after that for them to check and it seems like everything has come out, so that is a good thing and I really hope I don't bleed for too long.
In some ways I feel relieved as I am now free from all the anxiety that felt like it was gripping me for weeks on end. I had a scan the week before at 8 weeks and there was a heartbeat but I still felt uneasy. Strange that. I sometimes wonder if I made it die with my negative thoughts (I know that is mad by the way, but it flitted through my mind).

Let us know what happens next week. I think I may come across to the ttc thread in a month or so if I feel ready, so I'll see you there.

Take care
xx

That must be a huge relief, to get some sense of normality back at least.
We've all had those guilty feelings hun, "Maybe if we'd been positive it would've been ok, if I'd doen this, that and the other etc" But absolutely nothing can be done to prevent it if it's starting.
I've got the same sense of dread with this one as the last. So, luckily, the EPU do take gut feelings into account.
Thanks again hun for the support and I look forward to seeing you on the thread.
Take care x

Lovely idea btw about the burial. Why not plant something there too?