Help - My early scan has made me panic

[kwhitts]

Bit of an essay for my first post sorry but really hoping someone can help.

LMP - 2/3/19
Confirmed Ovulation - 24/3/19
Positive pregnancy test - 8/4/19
Clearblue test stating 2-3 (which means 4-5 weeks) - 12/4/19

I went for an early abdominal scan last Saturday (4/5/19) expecting to be about 8 weeks and she said I was way too early. I asked how far I could be and she said 5 weeks 4 days based on my gestational sac measurements. I started panicking and she said the sac was really high up/no signs of bleeding and pointed out a little pulsing spec for the heartbeat. I've been having quite bad sickness for about 2 weeks (previous two HG pregnancies so was fully expecting this) and I have felt so positive all week but all of a sudden last night I've had a melt down that my dates just cannot possibly be right and now I'm so scared something is wrong. I am going back again next week but that feels forever away 😫. Has this ever happened to anybody else?

This happened to me. LMP was 31/01/19. Went for an early scan when I was what I thought seven weeks. There was just a yolk sac but no pole or heartbeat. Was told I was maybe only around 5 weeks or that the pregnancy was not viable. I was hysterical and convinced something was wrong and my dates couldn't be out . They told me to come back in a further two weeks but I decided to just wait for my 12 week NHS scan, which was on Thursday where we saw a wriggly baby with a strong heartbeat. I know it's hard to stay calm because I have been there but sometimes we ovulate or implant later

Abdominal scans are not accurate at this stage. Why didn’t you go for a transvaginal scan? Was it an option? Suggest that next time.

I sometimes think that technological advances in obstetrics create more anxiety. In the old days we'd just plod along and have to wait and see. Try and put it out of your mind and see what happens. The reality is it could go either way, like with every pregnancy. I had four pregnancies and now have two strapping teens. It's the way it is. Good luck.

I remember when I had an early scan for my second dc. I knew my lmp and also knew the only time we had dtd that month! We were living abroad at the time and the Doctor who scanned me was adament that the baby was ten days smaller than the dates I gave him. I'm sure my dh was beginning to think I had been up to something. So annoying. Ultrasounds are definitely not that accurate so early.

Judging by your positive pregnancy test result it's not outside the realms of possibility that you were 5+4 ish a week ago. How did you confirm ovulation? Only temping really confirms. Tests can show a surge but you still might not ovulated and get an older surge. I was told 5+4 ish when I should have been 6+2 by my dates. Baby now measuring (at dating scan) as if it was over 7 weeks at that point. Small measurements especially abdominal scan are notoriously inaccurate. Ignore the digital indicater - hcg is highly variable between women and if you have high levels could have shown a greater number of weeks far too early...
The heartbeat / fetal pole is a great sign. Have you a repeat scan booked? Xx

Agree with @Teddybear45 an abdominal scan that early is not accurate, you'd be better to have an internal (they are fine and not uncomfortable if that puts you off)

Also early on it is hard to date accurately. My 7 week scan was 3 days out I think and mine was an ivf baby so no doubt over dates! By 11 weeks baby measured exactly right

The other thing that strikes me is that we are always told it's not certain to see a heartbeat at 6 weeks and it's better to wait to7 weeks when it certainly should be there. So the fact you've seen one at 5 weeks???? Makes me think they haven't measured accurately!

Thank you for all of your replies xx
@Pamplem00se I was confused by the dates side because 5+5 would have meant I conceived around the 6th April and I got a positive test on the 8th. Plus it means I have been being sick since 3-4 weeks. I have another scan booked for next Saturday but I just wanted to try stop panicking before then 😫

@Teddybear45 @PrayingandHoping it was a private scan and they wouldn't offer internal when I asked. The heart beat thing confused me a lot because everything I've read says you wouldn't see this so early but there was definitely one there and she pointed to it on the screen.

Hey. I had an early scan at what I thought was 6 weeks and a few days. They dated me at 5 weeks even though there was a heartbeat and said the CRL was 1.9mm. This made me panic as they didn’t ask me to go back but google said that was way too small measurement. I booked myself in for a private scan a week later and I was 7 weeks and so many days - just like I thought I should be and we heard baby’s heartbeat :) I have my 12 week scan in two weeks when I’ll be almost 13 weeks so will see how the dates are then xx

Thank you. I'm hoping this is what's going to happen to me. If they had put me a couple of days out I would have been okay but there's two weeks difference from ovulation and 3 from my period dates! I don't mind if my dates are wrong.. as long as healthy baby doesn't matter when they arrive but im just scared I'm behind because something's wrong x

One thing that might help you feel better is that there’s research that says that once you’ve seen a normal heartbeat on a scan the miscarriage rates drop off dramatically and that’s for women who have had multiple miscarriages.

It’s so common for the dates given by a very early scan to differ from what you expect and things still to turn out well.

I hope you get a more reassuring picture next week.

I dont think they are dating the pregnancy correctly. The chances of seeing a heartbeat that early are slim, and the chances of seeing a tiny little 5 week foetus from an external scan are even slimmer! I think your dates are right and the scan is wrong.

I just had this, this morning. Just got back from the clinic. By the dates I'm 7+0 today. The scan just showed the sac and yolk and she put it at 5 weeks and booked us in for next Saturday.

I'm convinced it's all over.

I'm so sorry you are feeling like this @Eliza9919 .. one things that's reassuring if it's continuosly happening perhaps these early scans just aren't very accurate. Hopefully next week we will both have better answers x

I had the internal scan.

Fingers crossed 🤞

Hi Kwitts

I hope you’re as ok as can be. Unfortunately I know from experience how scary this all can be. Sending hugs and hope.

For what it’s worth, our dates are very similar. LMP 5/3/19, ovulation I think 26/3/19, positive test 9/4/19. Got a 1-2wks on a digital that week. Ended up in EPU on the 15th April due to pain. They couldn’t find the pregnancy. A rescan the following Saturday (20/4) showed an empty sac. Finally Tuesday the 30th an internal EPU scan found heartbeat. Measured me at c.6 weeks ish (CPL 5.0mm) but refused to date me as they said early scans are easily out 5-7days. I’ve been ill (vomiting several times a day) since before that scan!!

It is possible that the early scan was a few days out and you could just be a bit behind. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for both of us!

Unfortunately, I’ve also experience with it not turning out ok (MMC at 11+5 in Dec, 9 wk scans measured me behind but they weren’t worried). However, there is no way of knowing other than waiting and it seems many people have success stories so, I’m holding out hope!

Just wanted to say I hope you’re as ok as can be. Take care of yourself over the next few days and weeks (early pregnancy sucks!) xxx

@SunshineandPessimism thank you so much for your message. It's so horrible all this waiting around. I'm still being sick several times a day also and I don't have any pain or cramping so I'm just holding on to those dates being wrong somewhere 🤞.. if only we could fast forward to 12 weeks. I hope you are okay too xx

Hello.. I had similar to you but I thought I was about 7 and a half weeks but when I went for an early scan I only had a yolk sac visible so no fetal pole or a heartbeat to be seen. She said I must be only about 5 and a half weeks Cause there was literally just the yolk sac.. I was sooooo worried and assumed the worse! I was convinced my dates were right because I'd been logging everything down including ovulation, last period, days I had sex the lot. I'm now 18 weeks with everything looking amazing so far. It's so easy to worry, I still worry now even though I've been told so far everything's fine! Just enjoy being pregnant and don't think to much into it!

Thank you @preggohelp .. I guess all you can do at the start is wait it out. I don't think it helps that's I'm so sick because I think it making me feel more tired and emotional! Only 6 days until my next scan now🤞