No heartbeat detected at 9 weeks, what next?

[trippingoverrainbows]

Booked a private scan today as had completely lost all of my pregnancy symptoms. The sonographer confirmed that growth stopped around 6+6 and she couldn't detect a heartbeat today (should have been 9 weeks today). I had an early scan at 6 weeks in local EPU due to light bleeding, heartbeat detected at that point and had no issues since then.

I will call the EPU in the morning.

So many questions: In the meantime what can I expect? What will happen given that it looks like MMC as no bleeding etc since early scan? So sorry for everyone else going through this at the moment. Many thanks x

@flobella sorry to hear you've been through this also. Thank you for sharing your post recovery experiences too, this has made me feel a little better about the physical recovery

@trippingoverrainbows I am having almost exactly the same experience as you. Went for a second early scan on Tuesday at 9+4 and baby had stopped growing at around 8 weeks. My previous scan at 7+2 weeks showed a heartbeat. I'm booked in for a D&C tomorrow as I felt the need to get the process over with predictability and with as little as possible pain. I don't know about you but I have found this experience emotionally harrowing. I oscillate between crying and feeling numb. Sending you lots of love and hope you have lots of people around you looking after you.

@HLA1989 I'm so sorry to hear you're going through this now too, wishing you as speedy an emotional and physical recovery as possible. I never realised how upset I would actually be, I am normally quite a 'heart of stone' type person that doesn't like to cry but I feel like you in saying this has floored me emotionally also. What was it that made you get your early scan on Tuesday if you don't mind me asking? For me it was the complete loss of pregnancy symptoms that made me book a private scan. Are you going uncle local or general anaesthetic? The wait for the local anaesthetic is very long where I am as there is only one doctor that does this procedure in the area apparently and they have been on holiday. Sending you love and best wishes

I’m so sorry for your loss @rainbows and @HLA1989. I had this happen last May, I’d seen a heartbeat at a 6 week scan but three weeks later I was told I’d had a MMC. It totally floored me and I felt totally unable to wait the two weeks it would have taken to get an ERPC appointment on the NHS so managed to get a private appointment and the operation carried out the next day. I was under GA but the recovery was much easier than expected and from speaking to friends who’ve taken either the pills route or just left it, it seems a lot better. The bleeding was minimal and all gone after five days. I’m not sure how you feel about trying again but I was lucky enough to get pregnant 6 weeks later and am now due any day. My doctor told me there is no medical need to wait for a period before conceiving again and you’re no more likely to have another MC. Best of luck for the future and look after yourself for the next few weeks x

@isitwinetimeyet16 it has helped to hear such a positive outcome for you, thank you for sharing. If you don't mind me asking when did you start trying again, just when bleeding had stopped?

We started trying as soon as the bleeding had stopped. Focusing on getting pregnant again was the only thing that I could focus on! I ended up having one period then falling pregnant the following cycle.

@trippingoverrainbows When I had my seven week scan I randomly joined a clinical trial where I would have scans every two weeks, not because I was in any kind of risk group, but because my pregnancy was completely normal and so I would function as a control. Ironically it was at the first of these scans that I got the news. I'm so grateful I did though, it would have been worse to have found out at twelve weeks I think. I agree with you, it seems to have been so much more painful than I ever thought it would be. I feel like tomorrow will be the first step in moving on, this limbo has been tricky to deal with. I'm going general too, they didn't actually offer me a local, although I probably would have gone for a general anyway as I don't really want to know what's happening, if you know what I mean. Fingers crossed tomorrow is positive for both of us - I will be thinking of you. It's heartening to know that I'm not alone in this experience.

@isitwinetimeyet16 I'm so glad you posted that. All I can think about is how much I want to be pregnant again, and I know I'll be desperate to start trying asap. It's wonderful to hear that you had a smooth recovery and have managed to conceive so soon, and have a lovely successful pregnancy. Thank you so much - it really has helped me feel a bit more positive about the future.

@HLA1989 I’m really glad. I spent a lot of time online searching out success stories - it was the only thing that made me feel better in a horrible time. I’ll be thinking of both of you over the next few weeks x

@HLA1989 for tomorrow xxx

@trippingoverrainbows Hope all was as good as it can have been today

@HLA1989 sadly I'm still waiting on a date for my appt. advised within 7 days so will definitely be next week now, sorry I probably wasn't too clear in my earlier posts. How are you feeling after today? Hope you're ok