Worried about latest u/s

[Kylz44]

Hi there. I am 7wks pg and had my 3rd ultrasound today. Technician said baby was only 5.5mm. 2 weeks ago it was 5mm. We also could not hear heartbeat but saw an irregular inconsistent heartbeat on u/s. I'm 44 y/o and am worried. My last HCG level was 2800 2 weeks ago. Any helpers please.

It is not part of the examination to listen to the heartbeat, that is why it was not available to you. Nothing to do with yourself or your pregnancy.

Did the sonographer report the findings of 'irregular, inconsistent fetal heartbeat' or say that to you? Or is it your own opinion?
If that is the case, I would suggest trusting the highly qualified professional's opinion of their scan, as opposed to your snapshot, uneducated glance of the screen.

Can I ask why you are having quite so many early u/s? Is there a particular health concern? Measurements are very difficult to get right at such an early stage and .
I tend to agree with sky, if the sonographer said there is something to worry about, then I would worry, but otherwise I would not try to second guess, especially at this very very early stage. A heartbeat is a heartbeat after all, and to see one at 7 weeks drops your miscarriage risk to extremely low now, around% I believe.
All being well, you will have another 33 weeks or so of pregnancy to get through, and you will need to face all sorts of anxieties- you will need to keep these under control for the sake of your sanity. if the sonographer has said something to worry you, however, then I am sorry, that it is quite something else, and you should of course request a full explanation of their comments.

Sorry I've got no advice on hcg as the ranges for what is normal are so vast that they do little to reassure. Apparently what is more important is the doubling time. Have you had serial levels taken? My doubling time was slower than the normal range on my first successful pregnancy which worried me no end but DD was just fine in there.

As for scans, I also had several early scans after multiple miscarriages and IVFs so understand how wobbly those first few weeks can feel. I was desperate for the sonographer to tell me heart rates etc as I'd seen on an American website all these women comparing their numbers and wanted to know everything was ok. The Drs I saw all said the same thing, that early scans should be taken with a pinch of salt. Measurements at that stage are so tiny that a few pixels either way makes a huge difference so they are only really accurate for assessing that the gestational sac is in the right location. I was told to wait until 7 weeks+ to check for heartbeat and that they could only say if it was present or not present at that stage.

I know that the not knowing is so hard but scans cannot change the actual outcome at this stage. Having had loads of them I found any reassurance to be very short lived and left me feeling just as worried after a few days. So, try your best to just stay optimistic and think that all will be well. So much easier said than done I know.

Crossing my fingers for you x

Thank you for your replies. I've had 3 u/s and 3 transvaginals already and I'm only 7 weeks 3 days. I think I'm getting a few because I'm 44 y/o and I've had 4 mc's over the past 20 years. I went to Dr's today and she has now referred me to our local Hospital specialist for a more detailed checkup. The most recent u/s showed 6wks 2 days whereas my first scan indicated I'd be 7wks 3 days today. The u/s technician insisted I have another hcg level but again today my Dr said no need. It's all so worrying and stressful which I imagine isn't helping the development of bub either.

Oh the sonographer said it was a very inconsistent heartbeat and he was concerned.

Stress will have no/ negligible impact on the development of the fetus, so don't worry about that. It isn't great for your wellbeing though, especially if you suffer from high blood pressure! try to stay calm.
Do you have a date for your next appointment? Try to relax until then, it's a horrid wait but it's very much a waiting game that you can't influence, so you may as well try to remain cheerful. I appreciate how hard this must be with your history of loss

Hi. I just wanted to let you know I lost my baby today at 7 weeks 4 days.
I'm absolutely devastated. I did everything right and I still lost it. My partner and I had a huge fight today resulting in my taking off in my car for an hour to cool down and I lost the baby an hour after I got home. I know people say that it happens for a reason but could it have been because of how highly stressed I was after fighting with BF?

I'm so sorry to hear that. No, it would not have been because you had a fight with your OH. Early miscarriage is usually caused by something being not quite right with development - nothing you could have done. Of course that doesn't make it any less devastating but please know it wasn't your fault.

I'm so sorry for your loss Have you got someone with you to take care of you?

I'm so sorry for your loss. Please don't beat yourself up with blame on top of it all as its really not your fault.

Stress and arguments can't cause a miscarriage. But, the hormonal storm you were probably going through as the pregnancy failed but before you saw the physical signs, could very well have amplified any argument by making you much more sensitive than normal.

I'm so sorry it didn't work out this time

Thank you for you replies.
It's so hard to deal with but the specialist said there was no reason why I couldn't get pregnant again and continue on to a healthy pregnancy. This is my 4th m/c and I think I'm ready to throw in the towel.

Maybe I'm just not supposed to be a mum although I've always wanted to be.

Anyways thank you again for your support.

So sorry for your loss. Life is just shit sometimes