Foetal heartbeat / sac - at what stage is it unmistakable on a scan?

[dueat44]

It seems that a sonagrapher can miss a heartbeat / the presence of a foetal pole at 6 weeks. When would things be developed enough to see / hear for sure? 8 weeks? 10 weeks? Or is there an immense variable depending on skill of sonographer / spec of equipment?

Would really like to know for family reasons.

7 + weeks seems to be an average...based on my own expereinces and those of others here......

it can depend on other factors as you say..but ususally 7 +

HTH

EPU measured a 5-6 week sac with internal scan (m/c) she said they scan internally until 8 weeks when tehy use the ordinary scanner

It would be seen by 8 or 10 weeks for definite

Hi there,

I was scanned at 7 wks, (with a very poor quality scanner admittedly)and was told that there was a sac, measuring correctly for dates, but no heatbeat, pole etc and that i had had a missed miscarriage. Was booked in the next day for "product" to be removed. Didn't believe it though, couldn't understand why i hadn't been given the option to miscarry naturally so didn't go. I was rescanned at 8wks and 5 days and heartbeat was found, right size for dates etc. I was encouraged in my conviction by a website about misdiagnosed miscarriage - i'd got the link through this website. It's a massively confusing thing to go through and leaves you feeling as if you've been put through a washing machine on spin cycle then thrown out again. Hope whoever you asking for is ok.

the poor quality scanner was an abdominal one rather than internal by the way.

I have been scanned internally and heartbeat has been seen at 6wks. Externally with DD I was 7+6wks when they saw hers.

christ, wilderbeest - that's horrific. Glad you had the courage of your convictions. Did you pursue the matter with the hospital afterwards?

thewilderbeast that is a bad hospital. When I had my missed mc I had a scan then had to go back a week later to double check before they would book me in for anything else. Even then the op was not booked in for another 2 wks.

6 years or so ago I had heartbeat confimed at 8 weeks (internal scan). Scans may have improved even more now but I think 8 weeks is fairly definite

Thanks everyone.

Wilderbeast - how terrible; I am so sorry you were put through this scare. This is precisely what my friend fears actually happened in her case, though her D&C took place several weeks after the 'no heartbeat' scan (which was 6 weeks)and they did do another one in between to check. The conclusion seems to be that at 8 weeks there would not be the possibility of a mistake, so I hope her fears are groundless and she will take comfort.