Suspecting Missed Pregnancy IVF

[AryaJane11]

Hi - I had my first scan this week, (7 wks + 5 days). They saw the gestational sac, yolk sac but my CRL is quite small for 7 weeks and sadly, they couldn't detect the heartbeat. They scheduled me for another scan in 10 days time if the size will grow between now and next week and to check the heartbeat.

I have been reading forums online and it seems there is a high probability that it may lead to miscarriage. I'm so down and been crying inconsolably. I'm not sure if anyone had a similar experience and was successful in the end(?).

This is my first pregnancy via IVF. I feel guilt and self pity. I don't have any miscarriage symptoms but then again, I know it is possible not to have any for missed pregnancy. I don't really know what to do, I have done all the things I believe will help keep the baby healthy. I'm so sorry to sound so lonely.

@AryaJane11 I'm so sorry for the situation you're in. I had a missed miscarriage in February. I was 10 weeks and baby only measured 6 weeks with no heartbeat. As the dates were so far apart it was obviously a loss. I guess you're certain of your dates if you did Ivf. As you probably know the h/b kicks in up until 6 and a half weeks.

10 days seems like a long time to wait. Could you go in after 7 days? They will be able to confirm by then. It's important you get confirmation as early as possible. Hopefully all will be ok though.

If you have any questions about what happened next in my situation I'd be happy to help. I know I was really scared of the uncertainty.

Above all do not blame yourself. You did nothing wrong. If an embryo is viable it will grow. There's not much you can do to stop it. In most cases it's decided at the point of conception and you just have to ride it out and see what happens.

I really hope all is ok! Xx

So sorry. I agree by 7 weeks you should definitely have seen a heart beat for an IVF pregnancy and would also push for a quicker appointment. These things happen and it’s likely the embryo was one of the 90% of all embryos that don’t work - don’t blame yourself and in fact view it as a positive. As you have gotten pregnant once during IVF you are far more likely to get pregnant again.

@Catconfusion Many thanks for replying and I'm also sorry to hear that you miscarry. I thought before it was an exaggeration of feelings, but I realised now how painful it is. It pains me to see my husband because I think he's hiding the fact that he's in pain too. I thought I am mentally ready for this.

I'll see if I can move the scan earlier than planned, I'm actually unsure why 10 days, the only thing they said was to allow more time for it to grow because it can happen that I'm delayed in weeks and the heartbeat will appear by then - But I'm pretty sure they're only keeping me positive.

@Teddybear45 Thanks for providing a different perspective, it is certainly one way to look at it. My husband and I are planning our next steps, provided things doesn't go well in the next scan. It's a hard reality but we really need to move forward and act sooner.

No problem @AryaJane11 it's an extremely painful thing to go through for you and your husband. Try and keep the lines of communication open between you. Allow yourself to prepare for the worst but keep a little hope just in case. People will say to be positive and look on the bright side but you are fully entitled to feel devastated. If the worst happens though you will be ok after some recovery time but not the same. It's life changing. It took me a few months to feel mentally well. I'm pleased to say I am expecting again at 40 years old and it's going well so every chance even if this doesn't work out you will have a baby.

With regards to the scan it would be helpful to get in earlier. To put it into perspective, a baby grows at 1mm a day in early pregnancy so if you go in 7 days from now your baby should have doubled in size if it's measuring small. There should be an obvious heartbeat too so there shouldn't be the need to wait 10 days. I hope they can fit you in because even those three extra days if you go to 10 days will be agonising.

Take care and do whatever helps to occupy your mind and get some rest! Xx