Should I have a private early scan?

[Sastra]

Hi all,

I'm 8 weeks tomorrow and I have my scan booked in when I'll be 13 weeks. This feels like a horribly long time away and I'm absolutely convinced that they'll fail to find a heart beat.

I'm so concerned about it that I'm considering paying for a private scan. My problem with this though is that my husband would think it was a terrible waste of money, especially because if it all goes wrong then there's nothing that £100 scan will do to change that. So, if I did have one I probably wouldnt tell him about it. I don't like the idea of seeing the baby for the first time (or not ) without him, seems wrong.

Ooh, I just don't know what to do

Don't do it without telling him, the scan should be a special moment for you to share together.

If you get to 13 weeks with no bleeding then there is only a 1% chance that they will fail to find a heartbeat. This is one of the reasons why the scan is at 12 weeks - missed miscarriages at that stage are thankfully rare.

I can understand wanting a private early scan, I have done it myself. The first two times I did it I unfortunately got bad news. I figure that the money I paid for the scan allowed me to find out sooner and have it dealt with at an earlier stage.

You need to talk it over together and come to a decision. But really, if you aren't having any bleeding or anything like that there is no reason not to wait till 13 weeks. If you want the early scan, you can probably get it for less than £100 - have a google for clinics in your area - round here the cheapest price is £50.

Congratulations! I think you should book the early scan and tell your dh to go with you. You really don't want to be going alone . The last thing on your minds will the cost if things don't work out (i know from personal experience) but you will be able to start enjoying your pregnancy if all is well.

Thanks both. You're right - I would hate to do it without him. I guess I don't want to discuss it because I know that his thoughts about ot are correct really. I have no physical reason to think there's anything wrong - perhaps I should focus my energies into not thinking about the worst.

Are the chances of MMC only 1% at 12 weeks?! I thought it was much much higher! That goes a long way to reassure me actually.

Unfortunately being in Central London means that everything is about double the price of the rest of the country :-(

www.fetalmedicine.com/fmf/1996_33.pdf

table 2 of that document is where I got the statistic from. 12 weeks, no bleeding, age 35 or below - only 1.1% of non-viable pregnancies at 12 week scan. Even if you have spotting at 12 weeks, the figure is only 3%. Sadly, that 1% is quite a few women each week, given how many people get pregnant per year in this country. So that means there are always going to be a number of sad stories to read on the internet. But most miscarriages happen earlier on.

As I said, I had early scans myself, I found the reassurance helpful for a short while. But very soon afterwards, the worry creeps back in again!

Thank you so much for the link to this paper - I think I love you a bit!

That has honestly made me feel so much better - I know that 1% translates into quite high actual numbers of women per week, but I honestly thought it was more like 10-15% so lots more
women!

Yes, this is another concern for me, even if I had a scan I'd be concerned that something had gone wrong in the weeks following it!

A private early scan can provide reassurance and I'm glad I had one in my last pregnancy as it put my mind at rest after two mcs. One of which was in that 1% quoted above.

If you do have a scan it's probably better to wait until 9 weeks as there is a development leap between 8 and 9 weeks and those pregnancies that make it to 9 weeks have a very high chance of going to term.

Good luck!

hmmm.. if I had unlimited funds I'd probably have a scan every week just for the hell of it. So in the end it is a question of money imo.

In my first pregnancy I didn't even know what a missed miscarriage was... and at my 12 week scan got the bad news that "the pregnancy hadn't developed past 8 weeks".

Needless to say that I was an extreme basket case in my second pregnancy and around the 8 week mark I had a nervous breakdown (well, almost) at my GPs and she referred me to UCL for an early scan. All was well..

In the next pregnancy I had private healthcare and got an early scan at 7 or 8 weeks as well.

This time round I just went the normal route and waited for my 12 week scan. I toyed with the idea of having an early scan, but I felt quite "what will be will be" this time. I have also heard of the extremely rare cases who have actually seen a heartbeat at 7 weeks and then had a missed mc diagnosed at 12 weeks... I think that must be so hard...

So, all in all, if money were no object, why not have a scan. Otherwise you could just assume that it is highly likely that you'll be fine..

If you have any bleeding, or cramps the hospital will scan you early, and of course if you this anxiety is affecting you lots then your GP will refer you.

good luck!

In the next pregnancy I had private healthcare and got an early scan at 7 or 8 weeks as well. just for completeness: that pregnancy was fine too..

Personally i wouldn't, simply because i had an early scan at 9 weeks once, but by 13 the baby had died :(

At our hospital (London also) if you go in saying you've had abdominal pain or bleeding or both they scan you that day, no questions asked. I can't imagine UCL would be different. Just saying... .

Good luck OP, hope all goes well.

jezebelle I'm so sorry

ipanicked a midwife said this to me once with a wink. i had had an mc in another city and she suggested for next time i could use this line. turns out my local hospital gives early scans for those with previous losses anyway.

sastra the 15% figure is overall and most of these losses will be very early, many before women know they are pregnant. at my 12 week scan i was told that there is now a 98% chance that everything will continue to be fine with the preg. am 16 weeks now and still worrying though so i can't tell you not to worry...

even after my 8 week scan i still worried that something would go wrong between that and the 12 week scan and now i'm worried that something can go wrong still as my symptoms have gone (well the ms anyway)! i won't be happy til i'm holding my baby!

Its ok :) one day less than a year later i gave birth to my baby boy who is now 9 months, and i'm 7 months pg again :o but i think 12 week scans are at 12 weeks for a reason and even early scans don't necessarily mean everything will be ok xx

It's a very sobering, but good point. Congratulations by the way :-)

im feeling the same way sastra ! im 8 weeks 3 days and just be booked in with no scan till im 12 weeks !!

i carnt wait another 4 weeks i'll go mad !!

i had a MMC with my 1st pregnacy at 9 weeks and didnt find out till booking in scan at 13 weeks !!

i really need to know alls ok too !

it never crossed my mind to do a early scan till reading this , im googleing it now :D .

iscan and op please whatever you do DO NOT go to the EPU and say you are bleeding or in pain if you are not. You could be preventing or holding up treatment for a distressed woman who is genuinely having a miscarriage or a life threatening ectopic pregnancy, its a horrible thing to do.

I did persuade OH to let me get an early scan as I was all paranoid about ectopics, empty sacs etc. Scan at 7 weeks showed heartbeat in right place etc, and I was reassured for a few days. BUT then I started to worry again, and still had a nail-biting wait for the 12 week scan! (Am currently 23 weeks and pregnancy progressing well.) I think I am just a born worrier.

So if you do get a scan, bear in mind that it may only stop you worrying for a little while...!

I agree farfallarocks.

Harsh as it may sound (and don't think I don't have sympathy cause I do), just because you have a scan at say 8 weeks it doesn't mean all will be ok for the rest of the pregnancy it only means that today right now all is fine.

If you've no pain or bleeding please don't lie

Definitely do not lie to the EPU. I have been the woman who was miscarrying and waiting for an appointment at the EPU and couldn't get seen right away when I needed. I'd hate to think that I was waiting for treatment because some excited first timer "just couldn't wait" until 12 weeks like everyone else has to. It's not the same if you've had a previous MMC - in that case I think you should be offered a 9 weeks scan for the sake of your mental health. I was this time around and it made all the difference, but I was under the care of the recurrent miscarriage clinic so I presume that is why they let me have the scan on request.

agree with the others, please, please don't lie. I had to wait 2 working days to get a scan when i had bleeding. They did see me as a self referral, i literally walked in off the street, i had to wait a while but i was examined, the doctor saw i had a closed cervix and some brown blood but they could not scan me for 2 more days - same day as my NT scan so i went to that instead to save their resources. Waiting for a scan when you are in pain or bleeding is horrific, knowing people are lying to get ahead of you is a dreadful thing to do. And the doctor asked lots of questions about the bleeding and pain, you'd have to be pretty good at lying to get away with it without feeling they know.
also as has been said a scan will only reassure you for long. I had a scan in my 8th week, baby died 1 week later.

also it has to be said EPUs all have different policies. Mine will not scan anyone without a clinicial reason, that includes women who've had a MMC previously and recurrent miscarriers. I don't know if they will agree to relax the rules with a woman who cannot afford a private scan who is clearly in severe mental anguish as i've not tried that- maybe a MW or GP can persuade them. I do feel for people in that situation. On another thread in the miscarriages section someone has just said a very eminent consultant has found that women get far more stressed when they have scan - which is obviously to be avoided. Its a matter of weighing things up for you.

iv just booked my private scan , theres no way i could lie about pain and bleeding just to jump a que .

untill reading this thread i had no idea that you could have a early private scan .

good luck with your pregnancy .

And you too - good luck with your scan :)

I've booked my early private scan today. I should be 8+5 but have irregular cycles so one reason I am going is so I can get dated. I know that if (and hopefully I will) hear the heartbeat at this scan then there is still no guarantee that everything will still be well at my 12 week one.

But I just can't bear to wait 6 weeks for my first scan. I have 2 weeks till my first scan, then 4 weeks after that till my next one. It helps break it up a bit I find.

Good luck hatter!