How long will it take to miscarry?

[Holly6789]

Hi I would appreciate any info here as I am really confused/upset at the moment.
Me and my partner arrived on our holiday on 5/01/14 when I was 6wp.
The day after I started to bleed and lost a some sort of clot also. Went to a+e and scan showed everything fine but he said it was too small to be 6wks and that I was 4-5. Went back today for another scan to see if it had grown. Sadly the scan showed it was still the same size and he said I would definitely mc.
I am so confused as to why it hasn't already happened because I would be 7 weeks now and if it stopped growing around 4-5 wks surely i would have mc by now? I have been bleeding on and off for a week now and a little period type cramping. I am terrified of having to have the procedure to take it out but at the same time i am scared to see it come out naturally. I return home Friday to see my doctor just wondered if anyone can give me answers before then as the doctor didn't speak good English. I just can't wait to get home! Worst holiday ever, having to return home not pregnant is devastating. Also how long before TTC again?

Also I know this might seem stupid but could there be any chance he got it wrong and it will grow, I'm still hanging on with my last bit of hope. These waiting games are the worst!

I'm sorry this is happening to you! I had a MMC on dec 22nd and before it I was offered 3 scans before they confirmed it wasn't growing any! Unfortunately the baby might not be growing but your body can take a wee while to notice and start to miscarry! I had mine medically managed so was given pessaries to bring it on and it happened the same night! I found this best for me as DIDNT want to wait!

Maybe you should try and get seen at your local EPAU for further assessment and guidance!!

My first mmc my baby had stopped growing 6 weeks before my scan at 8 weeks. My second I found out two days after due to a blunt trauma that the baby had stopped growing but didn't have the procedure for 5 weeks. I didn't miscarry or bleed at all during that time and ended up with a medical management with the first and an erpc with the second

Hi Holly, sorry you find yourself here. I'm going through similar at the moment. I'm just under 7 wks and my scan yesterday showed an empty sac measuring 4.5 wks. I started spotting pale pink last tue and it has gradually got heavier and it is now like a period a with small clots. I am not having much pain but sometimes feel pressure lower in my stomach which I think is my uterus contracting.

I'm not sure if this will help at all but the average size of the sac at this gestation is about 5mm so it should be very small. I had a mmc in sep when the baby measured 8+5 (but I was 12wks along) and like you, I was terrified at seeing anything. I had medical management and the nurses took care of me so I didn't have to look.
I would call your local EPU as soon as you're home and they should see you and may do bloods and/or do a scan. They may then want to repeat bloods/scan again before offering treatment.
Sorry you're going through this. X

Hi holly it's called a missed miscarriage where the embryo stops developing but your body continues to support the pregnancy, sometimes the sac also continues to grow. It can take weeks for the actual miscarriage to happen but if you already have a little bleeding etc maybe the process is beginning. A single scan measuring before the point where a heartbeat should be seen (6-7 weeks) is not conclusive because sometimes dates are out due to long cycles, but if there is no growth in a week I'm afraid that's definitely bad news, the embryo should grow 1mm a day in the early stages.
You should be offered expectant management ( waiting for it to happen naturally) in the first instance but with a plan B if nothing happens in the next week/fortnight, with the next options being medical or surgical management. The Miscarriage Association website has good clear information on all options, and there's a thread here ( will find and bump up) called tips for coping which you will probably find helpful.
I'm so sorry you are going through this and that it's ruined what should have been a happy time for you

Thanks everyone you have helped me understand things a lot better now! This was my first pregnancy so all this is new to me! First time on nm too and it really helps talking to others who have gone through similar things it's such a frightening time even more so when you're miles away from home I will contact EPU as soon as I'm home and hopefully soon it will pass naturally. Thankyou