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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Scan because digital conception indicator not increased very upset

76 replies

ditzy1 · 27/01/2011 16:39

I'm very worried and upset and was just wondering if someone could help me. My last period was the 19th December and on the 16th of Jan I tested 1-2 wks pregnant (I would have been exactly 4 weeks). I haven't really felt at all pregnant so I did another test last Friday which said 2-3 weeks. I then did a test last night when I was 5 wks 2 days and it still said 2-3 weeks. All the tests were done in the afternoon as I need the loo in the night so there's not loads when I get up.

I have been to the doctor who has said that it should have increased and that I may have had a missed miscarriage so has booked me in for a scan tomorrow when I will be 5 wks 4 days.

I am so so upset and was just wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation. What is it likely that they will see tomorrow if anything (I'm prepared for the worst). Thanks.

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cowboylover · 27/01/2011 16:42

I dont know for sure but I think they only change up to a certain point and are not accurate in the eyes of the docs ect

Have you any other symptoms?

Let us know what they said but I hope everything will be fine and its a really scary time x

cowboylover · 27/01/2011 16:43

Sorry read again that your Doc said it was unusual but mine said not to worry but he is quite 'old school'

NorkilyChallenged · 27/01/2011 16:44

Sorry you are having this worry. I wonder about how accurate these week estimates are though.

Great that you're getting a scan. Hopefully they'll be able to see something (5wk4 is quite early) to put your mind at rest.

WorzselMummage · 27/01/2011 16:45

They only go up to 2-3 weeks afaik.

I tested these bloody tests for clearblue and they are more trouble than they are worth!

TallulahDoesTheHula · 27/01/2011 16:47

That sounds ok to me!

2-3 weeks on a test actually means 4-5 weeks doesnt it? And you ARE 5 weeks. You'd need to be 6 weeks + to get the test to move up to the next reading I'd say

16th Jan, when you did your 1st test was less than a week before last Friday when you did the next test and thats also less than a week till now. You wouldnt expect the indicator to move up a week each time when it is only 5 days between each test iyswim

I'd bet anything if you do the test again next week it will say 3 weeks +

Original poster

ditzy1 · 27/01/2011 16:49

Thank you for coming back to me. I was reallt clutching at straws speaking to the doctor but he basically said that they are very accurate and measure that chemical you produce when preggo so it should have gone up. He sounded like he thought it was bad news.

I tested 2-3 which meand you're between 4 and 5 weeks but I am over 5 weeks.

OP posts:

Original poster

ditzy1 · 27/01/2011 16:50

What I mean is that it should say 3+ now as I'm over 5 weeks.

I said to the doctor I had only done the last one 5 days ago but he said it should have still gone up :(

OP posts:

midori1999 · 27/01/2011 16:51

I use another pregnancy forumn and there are always ladies posting on there saying the test didn't go up to the next number of weeks and they are worried, but then they test again the next morning or a few days later and it turns out all is fine after all.

Our EPU won't scan you until 6 weeks as they usually have to call you back if they scan before then anyway and it can cause undue worry, so please don't worry too much. I had a scan at 5w 4 days and all they could see was a tiny gest. sac and the start of a yolk sac. They said I was only 4 weels 4 days. I was then scanned again at 6+4 and saw the heartbeat and they said I was 6+5. I am now 16+4 and all is fine so far.

I hope everything's OK, but just be aware they might not be able to give you an answer tomorrow.

NorkilyChallenged · 27/01/2011 16:55

Um. Your dr is talking rubbish basically. They're good tests but not "very accurate" and nothing like a blood test as there's no control on how much wee you measure, how concentrated it is etc.

As Mirdori1999 said, even up to 8 weeks the scans aren't 100% accurate for dating (my scan at 7wks was a week out but that's because of the size at that stage). It's a tricky business. Good that you're getting a scan for the reassurance though.

TallulahDoesTheHula · 27/01/2011 16:55

Please try not to panic. You did the test yesterday when you would have been 5+2. Thats only 2 days past 5 weeks AND its based on your LMP dates, not from when you actually ovulated. Its very very possible that you actually ovulated a day or 2 differently to when the estimate is based on your LMP and that ties in with the CB tests perfectly.
Its unlikely that a scan this early will be that reassuring as you wont be able to see much, but I'd bet money on a CB test showing 3+ weeks if you just give it a few more days!

ShowOfHands · 27/01/2011 16:56

Those conception indicators should be banned. It means nothing. There's such a huge range of normal for hcg levels at this stage. They're expensive and worrying and this happens all the time. They show a rough approximation.

Do be prepared for the scan showing very little that can reassure definitively at this stage too. Before 6 weeks it's so very difficult to predict what might be there. I've had a healthy pregnancy where at 5 weeks you could see a sac and nothing else. By 7 weeks there was a baby with the beginnings of arms and legs, a head and a heart.

Original poster

ditzy1 · 27/01/2011 16:56

My doctor made it sound like it was more to confirm that I've had a mmc. He did say that they might not see anything as it's early but still said to go tomorrow.

OP posts:

ShowOfHands · 27/01/2011 16:59

Your dr has upset you unnecessarily. My old doc (a good friend still) thinks those cb digital things should be banned. She would never, ever assume anything from them at all beyond them showing positive/negative.

Go for your scan. They might offer blood tests which would be more helpful. But be prepared for it not being too helpful. Our epau won't scan that early unless it's to rule out a suspected ectopic or something.

TallulahDoesTheHula · 27/01/2011 17:01

To confirm a MMC they would need to be able to see a baby at a size that would normally be showing a heartbeat but with no heartbeat showing iyswim
At 5 weeks you will most likely see the sac but not the actual baby yet and pretty unlikely to see a heartbeat at all.
This will most likely be beacuse its too early to expact to see a heartbeat though rather than because its a MMC
Best guess is that they will say its too early to tell either way and send you away to wait for another week or two.

Deliaskis · 27/01/2011 17:02

The thing is, it's not an exact science at this stage. The conception indicators are not all that accurate, and you can't be totally sure when you conceived, so in your head you've 'turned' over from 4+ weeks to 5+ weeks, when depending on your cycle, you may not have, and it's only been 5 days between tests. It's possible that based on date of conception (rather than LMP) you were actually just over 4 wks rather than just under 5wks, and now you're still around 5 wks or just under, and maybe the hormone it tests for was last time only just inside the 2-3 (i.e. 4-5 wks) weeks level and is now at the very top edge of it. You really can't know at this stage - dates move around so much as in the early days it's all a lot of guess work.

I know all that sounds like clutching at straws, but it really does just reflect how difficult it is to be certain on date of conception at such an early stage. There are loads of variables that can affect it. Please try not to worry, it might all be fine.

NorkilyChallenged · 27/01/2011 17:07

I'm actually quite annoyed at your dr for worrying you this way and also for sending you for a scan without fully explaining what it may or may not be able to tell (as others have explained, not seeing heartbeat at this stage is not unusual and wouldn't necessarily mean anything was wrong).

Agree, avoid the digital conception thingummys. Early pregnancy is very stressful and worrying and so hard to get definite answers. If you hadn't been doing those tests, you would just be getting +ve results and feeling fine. It's hard not to panic now, I know.

midori1999 · 27/01/2011 17:12

I agree your doctors appears to have upset you completely unecessarily and tbh, the fact they are sending you for a scan now suggests aren't overly familiar with how things work at the EPU.

A scan at this stage will not be able to confirm whether the pregnancy is either viable or not I'm afraid. (unless it is ectopic or something, but nothing you have said suggests that)

ShowOfHands · 27/01/2011 17:14

Thinking about it, they might not scan you. I do know people who've been referred and not been scanned. They chat to you first, ask about dates and symptoms. They then decide if a scan is worthwhile. So that might be worth bearing in mind. They know when it is or isn't worth scanning and at 5 weeks, there's sometimes little clinical reason for it.

There is NOTHING in your op that makes me think you have any reason to worry at this stage.

ecuse · 27/01/2011 17:18

I did one, and it turned out to be a couple of weeks out on the dates which eventually showed up on my scan (I conceived a couple of weeks before I thought I had). Try not to worry, although your arse of a doctor has clearly not helped in this regard.

Original poster

ditzy1 · 27/01/2011 18:22

Thank you everyone, I'm fearing the worst. I know I ov's on he 1st or 2nd of Jan as I used the clearblue opk's. Not holding out much hope.

OP posts:

Original poster

ditzy1 · 27/01/2011 18:47

Just tested again, I made a mistake I'm 5 wks 4 days and I got another 2-3 wks.

OP posts:

GrumpyFish · 27/01/2011 18:58

Ditzy1, please don't worry. I really don't think that they are that accurate. Plus you are probably using fairly diluted urine at this time of day. Last pregnancy I managed to get 5 days' of positive tests followed by a negative (in the evening) on a CB digi, the next morning it said 2-3 weeks. I obviously totally freaked out the evening I got a negative, but for no reason. I must just have been drinking a lot of water.

I would strongly advise for your own sanity doing a couple of non-digi tests and then leaving it at that. I only tested twice with this pregnancy, and it has been much less stressful!

Hope it all works out for you, I really think your GP has worried you over nothing.

Original poster

ditzy1 · 27/01/2011 19:05

I hadn't weed for 5 and a half hours though!

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Wombat33 · 27/01/2011 19:06

Ditzy if you are one of those people (like me!) who operates better by preparing themselves for the worst and hoping to be surprised then by all means I'm not going to push you, but I really think that based on your CBD and ignorant GP's advice there is nothing to suggest you need to worry so much at this stage!

If you read the small print on the CBD tests you'll see it clearly says that to get an accurate conception indication it HAS to be first morning urine (i.e. held all night), so you're not starting from a reliable starting point even given the fact the tests are not 100% accurate even used correctly.

I also agree with others on here that at 5 weeks or so you would not necessarily expect to get a 3+ reading and that hormone levels vary enormously in early pg.

Of course there are pgs that fail and there's no guarantees with yours, but if it's any comfort at all to you, I don't think you have any evidence at this stage to suggest yours is not going well. Don't forget, GPs are just that - generalists - they are not early pg specialists. I had my HCG levels tested by mine (blood pg test) and he even admitted to me on the phone that he looked the results up on google to see if he could work out if they were normal

Good luck!!

FoghornLeghorn · 27/01/2011 19:09

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