Miscarriage

[LittleL11]

I was 11 weeks pregnant and began cramping last week - this followed by bleeding that night - not excessive. On calling early pregnancy unit the next morning I was told that they could not see me & as they are closed at weekend I was given an appointment for the Monday! I was advised that if I were to bleed excessively....or feel dizzy/lightheaded/faint I should attend A&E but that they would not scan me! I had the most horrendous weekend ever - bleeding/cramping.....but not to excess.....so all the time wondering was I miscarrying/was there something I should be doing/could everything be alright? It was awful & emotionally draining for me, my husband and my family.

At my appt on Monday they couldn't clearly see anything on ultrasound so had to do a vaginal scan. This showed that the foetus was only the size for 5 weeks...and that the sac was irregular in shape. I still feel confused about this - does this mean that I miscarried at 5 weeks?? Has the foetus been dead since then or is it still alive??? Why did my body not reject the pregnancy sooner? Is my cervix open or closed?

I asked if they would be taking blood to check for any abnormalities or elevation in any levels that would be a cause for concern. I got told that as miscarriage is so common they would not be checking bloods. I then asked if I were to be pregnant again would they scan me sooner to check things are OK....but was told no as 'they do not have the resources to accommodate this'. I feel really let down & disgusted at how this is handled. To leave someone in limbo for a weekend is horrendous & I feel totally uncalled for.

I now have to go back next week for a further scan so they can check to see what is happening. But being as the midwife told me to take paracetamol, ibuprofen and/or co-codamol and told me to cancel my nuchal screening scan (which I had organised privately, as not available on NHS in Glasgow) I can only assume that I'm in the process of miscarrying.

I've read all the other posts on this topic & sympathise with you all. I'm just concerned that I still haven't experienced heavy bleeding or passed anything substantial.....so I really wonder what is going on with my body! I feel that if given the choice I would opt for the surgical option, as I really worry about bits being left behind and the effect that could have if I try again to get pregnant. I only hope that this could be done without being given a general anaesthetic.

I am so sorry to hear that you are going through this, and the awful way that you have been treated so far without being fully informed of what is happening to you, and what to expect.

As the foetus was still there when you were scanned, and it measured 5 five weeks when you were 11 weeks pregnant, you have had a missed miscarriage. The baby sadly didn't develop past 5 weeks, but your body didn't catch up with this, so you haven't miscarried naturally. The same thing has just happened to me, but I had light bleeding all the way through the pregnancy, a scan at 6 weeks which showed a heartbeat, but at my dating scan at 13 weeks, the embryo only measured 7 weeks with no heartbeat. It was a Friday, I was told to go home and decide over the weekend whether I wanted to let 'nature take its course', as apparently the 'shock would make me miscarry', or opt for surgery. I did bleed heavier than I had been, but I still didn't miscarry, so had the ERPC on the Tuesday.

As you are bleeding with cramps, you may have started the miscarriage process already,and you may find that you pass everything naturally. If they rescan you next week and the foetus and sac are still there, they should offer you the surgery. I think it is usually done under a general anaesthetic, but to be honest, I was scared of this, but it wasn't that bad at all. The general anaesthetic is quite light, once I'd woken up I felt fine, and was allowed to get up two hours later and was home after a total of four hours. I had to take it quite easy the next day, but it's been more the emotional recovery that has been harder.

I hope that everything works out for you and you have a much happier pregnancy next time. x

LittleL,
So sorry you're going through this and that you had the misfortune to experience it over a weekend, it's really a big problem that women frequently have no access to early pregnancy units 'out-of-hours' so have terribly anxious waits such as you underwent.
It does sound as though you have had a 'missed miscarriage', which perhaps is now starting to come away naturally. The medical staff won't be able to confirm this diagnosis until they've seen two scans without presence of a heartbeat or appropriate growth, the fact that it was measured at 5 weeks means they need to wait as a heartbeat wouldn't normally be expected to be seen until it measured at least 5mm or 6 1/2 weeks. Either your body will expel the pregnancy when your hormone levels drop enough, or they'll make a diagnosis on the next scan and you can discuss your treatment options then.
My understanding is that the sac can prompt the continuation of pg hormones, rather than the embryo, so your body was just doing what it was supposed to do - supporting and nurturing the pg until it received a chemical signal to stop.
They probably thought that you were asking for testing on the cause of mc, such as what happens for recurrent miscarriages (women who have three consecutive or more). They may take blood for hcg levels if the next scan is inconclusive - but generally blood tests aren't needed.
Whether you get an early scan in a subsequent pregnancy seems to vary hugely - at the moment many trusts are tightening their belts so are being stricter with gps about reassurance scans for women with 1 previous miscarriage, but it may all change when you are next pg, so try not to worry about that unduly until it's needed. There are lots of places to get scans done privately if you can't get one on the nhs next time.
If you do find requiring medical treatment, I would say from experience that the surgical route can be helpful in knowing that it's 'over' - but I wouldn't want it done under anything other than general anaesthetic, it's emotionally difficult and I just wouldn't want to be awake for it. The anaesthetic is light and it's a short operation, 20 mins, so the effects of the anaesthetic are less.
If you do end up miscarrying naturally, you should still go in for the follow-up scan as this will check that there isn't anything left behind that could cause problems.
You may find the book by Lesley regan: Miscarriage, what every woman needs to know, a good source of information. Again, I'm very sorry for your loss. Hope some of this is helpful.

Thanks to both of you for your replies. It's awful to think this happens to so many people.....but reassuring to know that other people have been through it. I'm hoping the next scan will be another step to some closure of the situation. Thanks again xx

So sorry for your Loss.
I had the same thing when I thought I was just over 12 weeks pregnant, I had very small bleed, even less than a period and phoned doctors had better service than you as got scan same day luckily but got told miscarried at 8weeks when I asked if this meant I got dates wrong they said no it had just died 4 weeks ago, I also then had to go back a week later for scan and had had no more bleeding so knew I was still carrying and I was able to opt for surgical removal after scan confirmed what I already knew.......for some reason our bodies keep hold of them even weeks later, it is horrible knowing you are carrying your baby around after it has died.
I know it is not easy at the time but if you feel you are not getting the answers from the doctors, you must really make sure you keep asking til you get them it is your right to know what is happening to you!
I wish you all the best and so sorry again x

Thanks lola4lee, I had a horrible episode at the weekend where I was bleeding excessively & passing clots. The pain was worse than anthing i'd ever experienced before - coming in waves that were so unbearable I could have screamed. Following each episode of pain I had a rush of blood/clots leaving me. It was scary, I didn't feel prepared for it - was so worried that I was losing so much blood. My husband felt helpless....and I felt bad for him watching me go through this. I phoned NHS24 for advice (I really didn't want to go into hospital if it could be avoided!) they advised that this was now probably my body expelling what was left. They advised it could be like this for the next couple of days....that I was to up my painkillers & take co-codamol. Excessive bleeding was explained as soaking a pad every hour. But that I could do this a couple of times without worrying. However, if it continued for 6 hours I was to get back in touch. The call was ended with her saying 'I hope you have a good night'!! I was dumbfounded by this comment. After a few hours the pain settled & I haven't had anymore pain like it.........but just the thought of it returning is enough. I've invested in heavy duty santitary pads and worry that there is more to come.
I continue to bleed, now 2 weeks on from my initial bleed & wonder if and when it will eventually stop. I find that this is the hardest part...what with being reminded every time I go to the toilet that I've lost our baby. It also makes it so hard as my sister is also pregnant & at the same stage I would be at - I am so happy for her - but I just don't know how I'm going to react at seeing her scan photo etc. I've got my scan tomorrow to check to see what the next step will be. It's just awful x