Scan dates just don't add up - help please!

[basilbrush]

Dear Ladies -

Have just come back from a second early scan (my last pg ended in m/c at 6 weeks) and I am totally confused and worried. Sorry if the follwing is a bit complicated and rambling...

The good news is that the bean has grown from 3mm to 11mm and a heart beat was seen. But they dated it at 7+1. Based on LMP, I am 8+6, however I expected it to be a few days less as I knew I ovulated later than DC14 but 12 days less is totally confusing.

I had started temping for the first time and according to Fertility Friend, I ovulated CD21. Then when I got my bfp at a seeming 6DPO, I decided the software must have been wrong as no-one gets a bfp at 6DPO, right??! And the really crazy bit is the scan date is saying I conceived on CD26 which is...the day I got my bfp so UTTERLY IMPOSSIBLE!!! In fact, I did two tests that day, one First Reponse and one Clear Blue several hours later. Both lines were faint but definitely there.

I am so confused. I tried explaining to the midwife but she said to ignore these test results and that scans are super accurate.

My questions are:

1. Are they really so accurate? Is it unheard of to be 6 days out at this stage?
2. Is it possible that I really did get a bfp at 6DPO. I've heard of ladies getting one at 7DPO but never 6
3. If this is the case, this means my hcg levels must have been super high?? Does this mean my baby has an increased risk of Downs Syndrome or other problems??

Thanks for reading. I am so worried, even more stressed now than before. DH says the important thing is we saw heart and bean is growing at normal rate. But that SUPER early bfp is stressing me out - what does it mean?

It can be +/- 3 days so would that make more sense? They were 6 days out on my earl.y one (or so my calculations said!) and DD arrived 8 days early so who knows

My early scan was out by about 10 days, they said I was only 5 weeks, when I knew I was 6weeks +2 days. If they were correct I would have a BFP the day after I fell pregnant My dating scan was correct for my date though

Hi Basil... I have heard of people being quite far out so wouldn't worry about it! Pleased to hear that you got the all important hb!

Oh and having had a miscarriage at 5 weeks 5 weeks ago I have every sympathy with you and appreciate that every day/week further on counts... hugs to you.

Posted for you on the other thread but I hope what these ladies are saying gives you comfort - at this stage, the scans just aren't as accurate as later on - think of it this way - do you think the NHS would pay for dating scans later on when we've had scans early if they could rely on those? chin up hon. All will be fine!

i got my bfp for my last pg at 7dpo, vv faint, but there! dont wish to upset you, but you may have been carrying twins and that would explain a high hcg level.

oh and with ds i had a scan at 5w (i thought i was 7w pg) which was then amended at my 12w scan and they added an extra week.

I'd go with the scan dates. Most fetuses grow at the same rate up until about gestational week 12. The difference in growth comes in after this point.

FWIW, I was two weeks off with DS (my dates versus scan), but he was born 2 weeks early, so not sure if he was ontime or early.

They dated my early scans differently from my 13 weeks one if that helps. My dates seemed a bit out when they first dated but I think very early on it is harder to be as accurate. THat is why dating scan usually around the 12 weeks I think. HTH x

Not sure how correct this is but when my little sis was on clomid she would get + pg tests when she was ovulating. Something to do with LH being very similar to HCG i think. could be that you were actually ovulating then.

spugs not heard of that at all. And was testing around the time I ovulated, which were all neg. I ov'd on CD40ish so was doing tests then.

Try not to worry. They dated my BF two weeks further on than she actually was!!! All was good though and she has a bouncing baby girl.

I m/c at 6 weeks first time and had two early scans with this pg due to bleeding. They didn't bother to date at the early scans because they said the bean is too small to accurately date and the important thing was the heartbeat and that it was growing.

Sounds like your little bean is doing just fine. Don't worry about HCG levels and the like. As someone else said, it could also have begun as a twin pregnancy.

Just try to relax and be thrilled with the knowledge you saw a healthy beating heart xxxx

Just a quickie as I'm off to France in half an hour!

Thank you so much for all your replies girls - you have certainly helped to relax me. The important thing is yes, the bean tripled in size and has a heart beat. And that I feel as sick as a dog

The twin theory is interesting, there are non-identicals on my mum's side so who knows...I read once that actually loads of pg begin as two and one is just "absorbed" back but we never realise (because most of us aren't weirdo nutters who test at 6dpo

au revoir