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Pregnancy

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

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Original poster

Early Pregnancy/Reassurance Scans.... worth it??

25 replies

sharkey1187 · 17/12/2013 20:05

Hi everyone,

just wondering if anyone has had an early pregnancy scan privately? I am currently 5+2... I've got 3 weeks to wait before my booking appointment. I know in the grand scheme of things 3 weeks is nothing but it feels like a lifetime! I have had friends recommend this previously but I'm not sure whether it's really a good idea?

what's everyone's thoughts?

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EdithWeston · 17/12/2013 20:07

I think anything under 7 weeks is unlikely to tell you enough to provide anynreassurancewhatseoever (and indeed any cause worry).

Meglet · 17/12/2013 20:18

I had one with DD at 8 weeks. I'd had foul all day sickness and was under threat of redundancy. So I paid for a private scan (£120 - 6yrs ago) and I saw a little kidney bean with a beating heart .

TheRobberBride · 17/12/2013 20:24

I had a private scan at 8 weeks with DC2. It was worth it as we were able to see the heartbeat and reassure ourselves that all looked well. My NHS dating scan wasn't until 13 weeks and i didn't want to wait that long. I felt that I'd rather know sooner than later if the pregnancy wasn't viable.

If you do go for a private scan, I would probably wait until 7 weeks. By then you should be able to see a heartbeat. Also bear in mind that not everywhere that offers private scans has medically trained staff so they won't be able to reassure you to the same extentva medically trained technician would.

VJONES1985 · 17/12/2013 20:24

However, a heartbeat may not be detected before 7 weeks, right?

VJONES1985 · 17/12/2013 20:25

Robberbride - how do they know if a pg is viable?

MrsVDB · 17/12/2013 20:27

The booking in apt won't provide any reassurance I'm afraid. They just ask you lots of questions to fill out your notes but you won't get a scan until your 12w. I went to epu who scanned me a couple of times due to concerns I had and if I hadn't had that I'm sure I'd have paid for one. I'd wait until at least 7w if you can though as if its too early it's more likely to cause more worries than reassurance

Congratulations :)

Writerwannabe83 · 17/12/2013 20:28

I wouldn't have one until you are at least 7 weeks - and just remember they can only reassure you for the 20 minutes you are there. The minute they turn the machine off you are back to hoping, guessing and wondering if everything is still ok.

I had a scan at 7wks+3 days and everything was fine so felt very reassured. The next day I started bleeding Thankfully baby was fine (got referred for an NHS scan) but it just proved to me that reassurance scans are just that - reassurance but not a long term guarantee.

eurochick · 17/12/2013 20:30

I have them automatically (IVF). On my BFP round, our scan wasn't good, and awful as that was, I'm glad I found out at that point rather than weeks later. However, if I have another successful round, I might try to push back the timing. My clinic scans at 6+1 (being very sure of the dates as they know exactly when conception happened as it was in their lab!) and I got a bit of an ambiguous result last time and had a truly awful week waiting for the second one a week later to confirm it wasn't working out. I reckon 7-8 weeks is the best time to go for one.

Mabelandrose · 17/12/2013 20:35

They can give you a false sense of security. In going to wait until 12 weeks and hope for the best. For you an earlier scan might really help. Do what feels right. Maybe wait until 8 weeks though?

Truffkin · 17/12/2013 20:42

I had one at 6 weeks with DS and 7 weeks with current pregnancy. Both showed heartbeat although it doesn't look like anything other than a blob! We live in a different city this time so went to a different clinic and it was brilliant. The midwife spent time explaining what she was doing and let us hear the heartbeat, which was very cool at such an early stage! We went back at 12 and 20 weeks to duplicate the NHS scans as it was such a nice (and informative) experience.

Nothing to lose and most places will re scan you FOC if it's too soon when you get there.

PuppyMummy · 17/12/2013 21:14

I had a private scan at 9 weeks. it was good news so hugely reassuring. had it been bad news I would rather have known.

if u can afford it,I would wait til at least 8 weeks but its worth doing.

Mumraathenoisylion · 17/12/2013 21:16

Worth it for me at 7 weeks as I went on holiday for a few weeks after that, it was more to make sure of no ectopic as nothing else can be certain.

livingzuid · 17/12/2013 21:36

If you must scan early, wait till 8 weeks. It all depends on dates etc as to how much they can see. Really best to wait until 12 weeks when you can see so much more. I was scared at 7 weeks and the saw very little it was incredibly stressful.

MrsChristmasBungle · 17/12/2013 21:38

I had one with both pregnancies around the 7 week mark. I found it helpful and reassuring.

Penguinita · 17/12/2013 21:41

I think it is a personal decision, and think carefully about your timings in case it is the worst case scenario. I had a missed MC that was discovered when I was on holiday in Italy, which was sad but if I had gone for an early scan then I probably wouldn't have been able to go on holiday at all due to having the op. Second time around I did have an early scan and found it greatly reassuring. So just think carefully about your own situation and what the outcomes could be before making up your mind. And I agree with others that if you can leave it as late as possible you will be able to see a lot more. Congratulations on your pregnancy!

Shellywelly1973 · 17/12/2013 22:32

With my last pregnancy I had a scan at 7 weeks. I found it to be very reassuring.

MutantHunt · 17/12/2013 22:46

As Writerwannabe says it is only reassurance for the time you're having the scan. I had early (8wk) scans for 3 of my 4 pregnancies because of a problem with my first. I saw heartbeats with all. I went on to have bleeding with all and one resulted in a missed MC. I would have thought that unless there is a particular reason for you to worry, it might be best to wait till 12 wks.

Plateofcrumbs · 17/12/2013 23:06

As others have said 8 weeks is a good time if you want to do it. Although MCs can and sadly do happen after 8 weeks, the chances of it occurring if you have seen a heartbeat at 8 weeks is (i think) only about 3%. I think it only goes down another 1% or so by 12 weeks - so you're not completely out of the woods with a heartbeat at 8 weeks but you're certainly heading there.

Original poster

sharkey1187 · 17/12/2013 23:20

Thank you all for your comments.. I think the only reason I need reassurance is because I'm still in an element of denial! I spoke with DH when he got home from work and he is against it big time! He says I need to trust my body because it'll work out if it is meant to be. I think the option would be better for me if I had a history of complications or mc so I will bear it all in mind. Thanks for the help though

OP posts:

CrispyFB · 17/12/2013 23:39

I always go for a scan, not so much for reassurance (although I get a bit of that for about 24 hours!) but because if something is going wrong, I'd rather know sooner than later. One of the crappest things about my first trimester losses is dealing with all the morning sickness, exhaustion etc all for nothing. If I'd not had early scans, as I'd shown no signs of physically miscarrying when I had my ERPCs (surgery to deal with the miscarriage) I could have gone to my 13 week scan none the wiser. As it was, I had ERPCs at 8w2d and 9w2d, and I was able to move on a full month or more earlier than my body would have let me naturally.

Things can still go wrong despite a good scan at 7 weeks or so although it's a lot less statistically likely. However if things are going wrong, there are usually signs of that by 7 weeks even though you might feel perfectly pregnant and none the wiser. That's why miscarriages suck big time.

livingzuid · 18/12/2013 08:13

Scanned not scared! Although I was that too. Mc and mmc are heartbreaking. I was getting scanned from six weeks for medical reasons and it was hugely awful to be told at 7 weeks they didn't know if it was viable or not. I then had a transfer of hospitals and didn't get another scan till 13 weeks and was a total mess by then. I had a mc in Feb too so was petrified. Now 15 1/2 weeks and despite a vile stomach bug I think everything is OK.

Statistically mmc is really rare - awful that it does happen but rare - your body normally lets you know that something is not right. Mc obviously more common and I certainly knew that it was a mc.

And on statistics, 80% of pregnancies are fine :) so the odds are in your favour :)

Summergarden · 18/12/2013 08:36

I also agree that they do provide reassurance, but only really worth it if you can wait till 8 weeks. At that point the risk of mc decreases significantly, and if you go very early when there is no heartbeat you may still feel a lot of uncertainty.

As others have said, if I have to suffer with throwing up 10x a day every day I'd like to know it will all hopefully be worth it. Sadly with my first pg I had terrible morning sickness but all for nothing, the scan at 13 weeks showed things had all gone wrong at 7 weeks and I resolved never to go through that again (being I'll throughout the first trimester when things hadn't developed properly in the early stages anyway).

MerryChristmasyoufilthyanimal · 18/12/2013 09:24

I had an early scan at 7.6 weeks as we had IVF and that was part of the treatment to check that the pregnancy was viable (in correct place, measuring correct for dates and a heartbeat) and that there was only one baby in there!
Luckily all looked ok, though you could literally just see a tiny blob - there is nothing really to look at on the picture but the private clinic then referred me into mainstream antenatal care.
It felt like ages waiting for that first scan, and my NHS one is at 12.3 weeks.
If we hadn't had IVF I still would have paid for a private one at around 8 weeks as waiting from 0-12/13 weeks seems like a lifetime!
Personally, I couldn't have waited that long - as others have said, if there was anything wrong I would want to know about it sooner rather than later.

There is a private ultrasound place near me that charges £60 for an early reassurance scan between 6-15 weeks but if you do choose to go for one, I would say wait until 7-8 weeks or you may not see anything at all.

applejacket · 18/12/2013 13:31

i had one at about 7+2 iirc

paid privately, was about £100

for me, it was well worth it, as i had miscarried a few months before, and it was not spotted till i was 12 weeks :( (was a MMC) , anyway they saw a heart beat and confirmed looked right size for dates. personally i would recommend it as you won't get one on the nhs till at least 11 weeks (and in most cases it tends to be nearer about 13 weeks IME)

but bear in mind if it is too early, they cant always see a heartbeat.

HaleyDunphy · 18/12/2013 15:38

I did early scans and I have to say, I don't know if it helped me or not when I think about it.

I had one at 6+2, saw and heard heartbeat via internal. Then one at 7+2, because all my symptoms had randomly vanished for a few days. Then one at 10 weeks just because I was so nervous. And yet, after all that, I spent so much time crying and anxious. My dating scan (13 weeks) was a blur, like I couldn't believe the baby was still there.

Next time, I'll go for one at ten weeks I think because I was still so aware of the statistics. I think I've just lost the plot a bit!

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