7 week 5 day scan - MMC

[Olivia199]

Hi guys,

Sorry to post about such a miserable subject. I had a frozen embryo transfer in July and had my clinics 7 week scan today and 7+5. Unfortunately baby is measuring small and no heartbeat was detected.

Obviously I'm devastated but focusing on what happens next.

The clinic have said they have to rescan in a week to confirm and then they'll refer me to the EPU for management. In the meantime to continue FET medications.

What happens when I go to EPU? I feel like knowing what happens next may help with the limbo.

If any of you lovely lot are willing to share what happened I'd really appreciate it.

Hey Hun, I had a MMC at 14 weeks in January. Baby had died at 10+6.

You will be given 3 options, expectant management which is where you just wait to see if your body realises and miscarries on its own, medical management which is basically abortion pills to help your body miscarry or surgical management, where they surgically remove the pregnancy. For me, it was my choice. I chose surgical to get it over and done with in one day (you can go home after a few hours) but couldn't be booked in until 5 days later in which time my body began to miscarry on its own. I needed medical to help remove remaining tissue my body didn't expell. You have to test a few weeks later and potentially have another scan to confirm all remaining products have been expelled.

So sorry you're going through this, it's awful x

@Olivia199 I'm so sorry you're going through this :( sometimes you can self refer to the EPU, could be worth it to try and reduce the wait time. The EPU often wants to do 2 scans at an interval of a week to 10 days to confirm.

I've had 2 MMCs (both between 10-11 weeks), and I chose surgical management both times in order to get things over with as soon as possible and draw a line, I cope better with medical issues than emotional ones, so separating the 2 elements worked for me. As the PP has said, you will be offered the 3 options to chose from. There's no right option, it's whatever you feel is best for you.

Both times I had the loss confirmed at a scan on a Monday, pre op (where they do bloods, blood pressure etc) Tuesday, and the surgery on the Thurs. I bled very very lightly for a couple of weeks after, and got a negative pregnancy test after 3 weeks. I had my second loss in July and my period came back after 4 1/2 weeks.

If you want to ask any questions or have a hand hold just let me know xx

Thank you both so so much for this and I'm so sorry to hear of both your losses. I'm already heavily leaning towards surgical management. I have a 2 year old DD at home and it's her birthday soon, I just want it over so that I can focus on her.

I hadn't even thought the EPU would want their own scans so I'll absolutely give them a call now and see if they can do the second one there to save any further waiting.

Again, thank you both.

I actually didn't get two Evans, I had my usual dating scan at just before 14 weeks where I found out the baby had no heartbeat and still measured 10+6 and then I went epu the next day to start making plans. They just checked the scan in my records and started booking stuff in. I wasn't too worried as I began miscarrying myself anyway so they couldn't have got it wrong

Scans* my son's name is Evan and everytime I type scans slightly wrong it autocorrects to Evans 🤦🏼‍♀️

So sorry for your loss @Ttcmumma. I'm not sure why I have to wait the week. I'm even less sure why I have to take the progesterone and estrogen for that time. But the fertility clinic said that they're not allowed to diagnose after one scan so I'd have to go back for the other. But it definitely left no room for doubt that it wasn't okay.
I'm going to put a call into my GP during afternoon triage and see if they'll refer me to EPU just incase they don't take the private scans.

I'm so sorry you're going through this. I had a private scan at 8+2 weeks where there was gestational and yolk sac but very very small embryo with no heartbeat. Had EPU referral by clinic who confirmed 10 days later that while gestational sac had grown there was now no embryo so was diagnosed with MMC.

I was given options of expectant management (wait and see), medical management from either home or in hospital or surgical management. Personally I opted for medical management from hospital because the idea of general anaesthetic was a total last resort if no other options in my mind as it scares me a bit, but felt I'd been in limbo long enough so didn't like the wait and see approach. I chose in hospital rather than home due to low blood pressure and also you get prescribed stronger pain killers too if needed.

i took an oral tablet on day of my nhs scan which was 2 days before going into hospital, then had 4 tablets in my vagina in hospital 2 days later. About 3 and a half hours later (and a fair bit of pain), I passed the sac whole which i was told would go to the crematorium for cremation and there would be a service in a couple of months if i wanted to attend. For me it felt like a kind of closure. Once the sac had passed I had bleeding which had larger clots than a period and lasted longer than a period, but wasn't too bad and cramps felt like period cramps. I was told to take a pregnancy test (which they provided) 3 weeks after I was in hospital and as long as that's negative (which hospital are confident it will be when sac came out whole) then I don't need a rescan. The ward I was on also gave me their number which is a 24/7 line, which was so helpful for anything happening that I wasn't sure about. The hospital was so good at explaining my options to me with various helpful leaflets too, and I'm hopeful the hospital you go to will be too.

@Khanga27 - Thank you so much for telling your story and I'm so sorry you went through that. I hadn't considered the size of the sac as to whether I'd pass anything obvious.
Due to my job, I've got very little if any worry about a GA, in fact, I think I'd quite like to just go to sleep. Equally some closure sounds nice.
I think my biggest worry now is that it'll happen at home with my DD. 2 year olds aren't known for their chill.
So glad to hear you had such supportive medical personel around you. Hopefully I'll experience the same.

Really do appreciate the insight into something I'd hoped to never experience.

@Olivia199 yes I hadn't expected that either. I know I'd read a lot on here about people finding it quite traumatic though. I don't have regrets about the direction I chose though. Likewise I have a friend who chose the surgical route that had no regrets about that either. Something like this is such a personal choice, and I'm so sorry you are having to face this choice

Thank you, I really appreciate it. At this point I'm just hoping nothing starts at home. If it does, of course, then I'll deal with it but I'm still on the progesterone etc so hopefully it'll buy me a little time. The week waiting for a rescan feels particularly cruel. I wonder if anyone ever actually gets good news. I've no hope on my front as it's impossible that the dates are wrong with IVF and my chronic early testing very much shows me it wasn't a late implanter.

However, the good news is that my GP has referred to EPU and I have an appointment next Thursday so I can cancel the clinic one and go through them now.

@Olivia199 if it does start at home (I doubt with you still taking the hormones) it's not the end of the world. It ended up happening at home with me as I felt so guilty telling my son his sibling had died then sending him off to his grandparents. However it unfortunately all unravelled before he had gone to bed. My partner kept him away from me and I hid out in the bathroom. It was comforting to be at home and able to change clothes as many times as I needed, get in the bath to ease pain, lay on the floor naked if I wanted to! However if it does start at home, please put a bowl/tupperware something in the toilet if you wish to collect any tissue for testing etc. I was in shock and didn't think, I ended up flushing the baby without even realising and that is what bothers me most about the entire ordeal. I have a friend who lost her baby around the same gestation as me and got to have her cremated and a little funeral, family who have had testing etc and got answers as to what went wrong. I feel like I have nothing but trauma from it! No answers and nothing to remember baby by. Thankfully I had a private scan and have those pictures at least!

Wishing you all the best and hoping it goes as smoothly as his awful ordeal can possibly go x

Hey OP, sorry you’re dealing with this. I’m in a very similar boat. Fresh transfer and at 6wk scan I measured too small & v.slow heartbeat so went back to my clinic for a scan a week later to be told there was no heartbeat.

I was then referred to EPU so the NHS could scan me. All fine but the appt was far longer than I expected and I had to be firm in wanting surgical management. They took bloods too. Take snacks! :) I’ve also continued with progesterone to prevent anything happening. I’m on one pessary a day.

I’m booked in next Tuesday so our loss was about 3 weeks before.

@Ttcmumma - I'm a solo mother by choice so just me and DD at home which I think is what worries me, I can't stand the idea of her seeing that happen. But I have my parents nearby who I'm sure would come to the rescue so you're right, it'd be okay.

I'm so so sorry for what you went through, and thank you for that, I'll make sure I do.
I'm glad you have the photos. They offered me photos today and I said yes but then forgot to take them. I've emailed the clinic who've said she'll keep them for me until I go back next week. Now that I'm not going back next week, I'll ask her to post them to me.

Really appreciate everything you've said and know it's not an easy thing to talk about. It's nice to have an idea of what's to come.

@FiddleLeaf - I'm so sorry you're going through this too. I feel so lost with it all. One strange thing was that there was a second, separate sac. She was unsure what this was as it certainly looked like a second gestational sac with an embryo inside. But I had a single embryo transfer so it'd be unlikely for them to split totally into separate sacs like that. I also definitely haven't conceived naturally in the same cycle (solo mother so no partner!).

Thank you for the heads up, snacks will be packed! I'm on three a day so hopefully that'll do it's thing. I've got some cramping and back pain but remember this after my first scan with my DD so I think it's just irritation from the scan itself.

I'll be thinking of you next Tuesday. It's so tough, hope you're surrounded by support.

Thanks @Olivia199 🙂It’s just over 2 weeks since we’ve known for sure it wasn’t going to work out & every day gets easier. The shock was horrible and the EPU visit was tricky only because they initially didn’t have my private clinic scans & said they’d have to scan be again in another week. I wasn’t having that! Just make sure your clinic sends over their scans ahead of your appt & you’ll be fine.

The second sac is interesting. I was told that a friend of a friend (always the way!) had 2 embryos transferred and one split so she ended up with triplets. I’d take 3 over none but will also be sticking with single embryos! Do you have any others on ice?

With the pessaries, I did initially take the jab & 2 pessaries but tbh I’m trying to cut the cost of the FET round we’ll do next. ‘Taking’ one a day has worked for me & all symptoms have vanished which is a relief. I think that’s helped me feel a bit more mentally sound although at work today I had 3 colleagues chatting about their births for a full hour… thank god for noise cancelling headphones. I don’t think I would have held it together without them.

@FiddleLeaf - Thank you, that's good to know. I was worried about the EPU wanting two scans but now they're doing my second one instead of the clinic so hopefully from then we can move forward. My single embryo transfer with my DD was also twins, though one was reabsorbed very early and by the 7 week scan was almost gone. I have 4 more on ice, but honestly I don't know if I can imagine doing all this again. The scrimping and saving and then the wait. Then if it's positive the torture of the wait for the scan. It all feels like an impossibility. I've also used my two best ones now (one resulting in DD of course) and two of them are average which they suggested would go back together. With me seemingly batting two for two on a split embryo, I'll be saying no thank you!
Oh gosh I'm sorry about your work. I'm lucky that no one at mine is likely to be pregnant, but equally thanks to hyperemesis they all know I am as I was throwing up every 10 minutes.
I'm off work for now anyway, I'm putting all my remaining energy into being normal and fun with my DD and the thought of going back to work and treating patients just feels draining.

I've got some cramping tonight so I'm a little worried things are happening. Though if that were to be the case I guess it's at least over. Hopefully anyway. It's almost like my mind is giving my body the heads up that this isn't going okay.

It feels cruel that I won't ever know who it was that was growing in there, or what happened. I get they can't test everyone for everything but still.

I also REALLY begrudge the continued sickness.

I hate calling it "it".