your experiences of good/bad ultrasonongraphers? Wondering about viability of pregnancy...

[magnificatAnimaMea]

Anyone got any advice on how this might go? I know I just need to wait, but I'm trying to work out if I'm building up false hopes or not.

I'm in the middle of a 2-week wait after a dating scan last week showed a 22mm gestational sac, a yolk sac, but no foetal pole or heartbeat.

The two ultrasonographers interpreted it in front of me as a blighted ovum (they had both had difficulty seeing anything at all, both on transabsominal and transvaginal scan); the radiologist looking at their results interpreted it as too early in pregnancy to see anything; the EPAU nurses have said wait and see but really not looking good at all and probably a blighted ovum given that bHCG levels are still climbing (56000 last Wednesday; 88,000 last Friday, increased but don't know by how much, yesterday), and I'm very clearly pregnant (HUGE boobs, nauseous, headachy, rapidly growing out of clothes) and have had no pain or bleeding at all.

I thought that at the scan (a week ago) I was 10+0, but it's theoretically possible for it to have been 8+4, 7+4 or 6+5. Can't have been any less than 6+5 based on the date of the pregnancy test.

I've probably been doing the wrong thing, googling too many stories where people get told by a crap ultrasonographer that their pregnancy isn't viable and then it turns out to be fine.

But having gone through the certainty last week that it was all over, I'm now beginning to wonder if it wasn't just the ultrasonographers being crap.

Anyone got any advice?

I'm sorry you're going through this. I've been there and it's fucking horrible. You can spend all hours googling (I did) but unfortunately in these awful situations, only time will tell. Early pregnancy is just so hard to judge from an ultrasound.

The waiting for the follow up is so, so hard. Mine did not end happily and I miscarried shortly after the second scan. It was a very dark time, but I'm now 28 weeks pregnant again so whatever the outcome of your story, there is light at the end of this difficult tunnel.

Try to take it easy (easier said than done) and use these boards for support - they really helped me.

So sorry to hear you're in this situation.... My scan showed exactly the same at 10 weeks - but as I was sure of my dates waiting the extra 2 weeks to have it confirmed almost broke me. My second scan actually showed that a foetal pole had developed (but no heartbeat) and I ended up having to wait another week just to be sure. Unfortunately it didn't work out for me and I had to have a D&C.

I've also heard some positive stories though, and as it's possible your dates are off there is still hope. I'm lucky to have a happy little one year old boy now - but what I would say is that his scans were exactly on expected size each week (I went for a private scan every week from 5 weeks to 12 as I was terrified of it happening again) so from my own experience I would tend to think the worst :( Keeping my fingers crossed for you though, and as ServingSuggestion said there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Take care of yourself and keep well, will be thinking of you x

Thanks ServingSuggestion and LittleWhale.

Trying not to build up false hope - but it also looks like the local hospital's EPAU is using guidelines similar to those used in the UK pre-2011. So their assessment of non-viability is probably much too stringent (even if that doesn't change the outcome in my particular case) and they are probably misdiagnosing some people.

Normal size ranges here
www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/319589

and here, from September 2015
www.bmj.com/content/351/bmj.h4579

Actually now I think the hospital is not necessarily sure what it is following- today they said their guidelines are the same as the UK's current ones. Their statements on management are also wildly inconsistent- today I got told I can have expectant, medical, surgical (d&c erpc, or mvac) as I wish. Last week I was told it was only expectant, then medical, then surgical only if deemed necessary. Phew, glad I spoke to a different doc/ nurse today!

In any case- the pregnancy is not viable (barring extreme surprises) as the sac is still 22 mm 10 days after the last scan. But I have to wait another 10 days for a final scan before they will do mVac.