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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Early scans - 6 weeks versus 8 weeks

29 replies

sel2223 · 09/01/2020 20:21

Hi everyone,

I've seen a few threads about early scans and what to expect so thought I would share my 2 scan photos for comparison.

The one on the left was an internal scan at 6+1. We also got to hear the heartbeat which was 120bpm.

The one on the right was an abdominal scan at 8+2 (today). We heard the heart beat again and it was 175bpm.

We're in Turkey and you get a lot more scans here than you do in the UK!

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toomanyleggings · 09/01/2020 20:41

Lovely but is it really such a good idea to have lots of early scans that aren't medically necessary?

Original poster

sel2223 · 09/01/2020 20:46

@toomanyleggings I don't know the answer to that. All I can say is that it's been a good thing for me personally.

Over here they scan you at your initial appointment to confirm pregnancy then you get a follow up 2 weeks later. Next one is the 12 week one.

Anyway, this wasn't to debate the positives or negatives of early scans, it was just to give others an idea of what they can expect to see (and the difference 2 weeks makes).

OP posts:

Blindingpeaky · 09/01/2020 21:23

Thanks for this op. I was just talking to DH about when to have an early scan. Looking at your pictures I think we will wait until 8 weeks. Only a month to go

Beau2020 · 09/01/2020 21:36

It's personal choice if someone wants to have an early scan. If you don't want to have an early scan you don't have to, but don't make others feel bad about it if that's what they want to do to get reassurance.

Wudgy · 09/01/2020 21:53

Great thanks so much,have one tomorrow and I’ll il be 6Weeks 5days so hoping we find out all is ok in there!

Letsallscreamatthesistene · 09/01/2020 22:05

I think its wonderful that in Turkey you get more early scans. I paid for an early scan at 7 weeks. I know people sneer at those who get early scans but it gave me a great deal of comfort.

Echobear · 09/01/2020 22:49

Thank you for sharing OP I am booked in for an early scan, I'll be 7 weeks on the day and it's nice to see the difference as I'll be just inbetween these two scans!

kikibo · 09/01/2020 23:33

If early (internal!) scans to confirm pregnancy and rule out ectopics weren't medically necessary, they wouldn't do them as standard in nearly all countries I know of, would they?

Original poster

sel2223 · 10/01/2020 07:48

Congratulations to you all and wishing you all healthy, happy pregnancies!
I'm pleased this thread helped some of you x

OP posts:

Pretendbookworm · 10/01/2020 07:55

@kikibo I suspect the reason they don’t do them is because 1. They just let you know if you are pregnant or not which most people know and 2. Ectopics are often found before the 6/8 week mark, and 3. You can’t really check on the health of the baby and there’s still a huge mc risk even if things look good.

Saying that, I still had one both times. With baby 1 it was because we had been told we couldn’t have kids naturally, second because I had a bleed. They are reassuring.

toomanyleggings · 10/01/2020 08:12

There are some ladies paying private and having one every other week and we just don't know what the impact of that might be. The effects of exposing baby to strong ultrasound rays is still not really known. I had 'reassurance' scans at 6 and 8 weeks with my daughter because of spotting but this last pregnancy I had similar and baby's heartbeat was fine at 7.5 weeks but had stopped 3 days later. I don't think i would ever find a scan 'reassuring' again.

FebMama2Be · 10/01/2020 08:17

@toomanyleggings sorry to hear of your loss. However, I very very much doubt the scan had anything to go with it. In my current pregnancy I have had a stupid amount of scans - 4 by time I got to 12 weeks due to previous MMC and countless amounts since due to him measuring small. For me, scans have brought nothing but reassurance and joy of seeing my baby, but each to their own on their opinions etc

Original poster

sel2223 · 10/01/2020 08:18

@kikibo @pretendbookworm they didn't really explain why they have the extra scans over here but I'm happy they do. It's my first pregnancy and I had convinced myself it was a false positive so it was good to get confirmation at the very beginning.
They also check it's not ectopic, if it's growing correctly, that everything is where it should be, that there's no extra blood, that the heartbeat is strong etc. Obviously it doesn't rule out MC completely but it's a lot less likely which I found hugely reassuring x

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Original poster

sel2223 · 10/01/2020 08:21

@toomanyleggings just saw your reply. I'm so sorry for your loss x

These scans are standard in a lot of countries including Turkey where I am so i'm not having any extra. From what i've read, most countries offer more than the 2 standard scans offered by the NHS.
I personally would have found it very difficult to wait till 12 weekd but that's just me x

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ChicaXS · 10/01/2020 08:46

I am doubtful the scans cause harm to the baby. In the UAE, they scan almost every week based on parents discretion. The cut back of NHS is merely based on budget and funding.

We expose ourselves to frequencies daily, I doubt scans cause any harm.

If it brings reassurance to the mother then so be it. Let her have her comfort.

toomanyleggings · 10/01/2020 09:21

I just think these private scan companies are exploiting women's worries. Unless it's a suspected ectopic there's no reassurance to be had. I was told that before 12 weeks what you see on a scan one day may be totally different to the next day so unless you're going to have daily scans there's not much point relying on them

Original poster

sel2223 · 10/01/2020 09:24

@toomanyleggings I understand why you feel the way you do but I don't agree that these companies are exploiting women. I think they are plugging a gap due to a lack of funding for the NHS. These scans are standard outside of the UK.

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Pretendbookworm · 10/01/2020 09:26

@sel2223 it’s not at all less likely to end in mc by having a scan. It definitely reassures you, but the baby can look healthy and have a heartbeat and still things happen. I have a friend who had an early scan at 9 weeks and lost the baby. Another had an ectopic at 5-6 weeks. It can certainly spot some ectopic pregnancies and early problems (noticed a bleed on mine) but that bleed had vanished by my 12 week scan, so I would never have worried about it for weeks if I hadn’t had one.

Original poster

sel2223 · 10/01/2020 09:28

Anyway, the purpose of this thread wasn't to debate whether early scans are a good or bad thing, that's personal choice. I just wanted to show others what they might expect if they do decide to get an early scan and the difference between 6 and 8 weeks (which I personally was surprised at).

Good luck to all you pregnant ladies. Just keep doing what's right for you x

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Original poster

sel2223 · 10/01/2020 09:33

@Pretendbookworm Not so. The odds of having a miscarriage go down quite a bit once you've heard a heartbeat, I've had that confirmed by several medical professionals.
Of course there is still a chance things can go wrong at any stage of pregnancy and no scan will change that but it is definitely less likely after a heartbeat. That's a fact.

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toomanyleggings · 10/01/2020 09:43

@sel2223 I was told that too and read that research. I'd be surprised if it was correct as we never really know the true numbers as many women don't report their pregnancies and even less talk about miscarriage

Lozz22 · 10/01/2020 09:48

After 3 previous early miscarriages I had early scans. First one I measured behind and measured only 5 weeks so didn't see anything apart from gestational sac and yolk sac. second one at 7 weeks showed the embryo but no heartbeat. Sadly we were told the pregnancy wasn't developing as it should at our next scan and that the Baby had dropped onto my cervix. Part of me was relieved to have found out early enough and not at the 12-14 week scan. I'd also being told bleeding for me would be normal due to having a SCH and because my bleeding wasn't really that heavy wouldn't have being overly concerned either so wouldn't have gone back to the EPAU

Original poster

sel2223 · 10/01/2020 09:53

@toomanyleggings we all have our own opinions on these things and, obviously, having had a MC after hearing a heartbeat, you will feel the way you do. I don't blame you at all for that.
As previously stated, these scans are standard outside of the UK though so I didn't pay for any extras. But it does beg the question why we don't do it in the UK and it's my opinion that it's a lot to do with funding.
Bad things can happen at any stage of pregnancy but they would happen with or without extra scans. Nothing can be taken for granted but I personally found it very reassuring and I trusted what the medical professionals told me.

OP posts:

Original poster

sel2223 · 10/01/2020 09:55

@Lozz22 thank you for sharing your experience and I'm very sorry for your losses x

OP posts:

Pretendbookworm · 10/01/2020 10:40

The chances of a mc go down if there is a heartbeat purely because if there isn’t one then you have had a missed/early mc. However, the risks of early pregnancy only go down around the 10-12 week mark once the placenta begins to work. There is a huge % drop around that time.

The NHS isn’t just about budget it’s also evidence based. Around the 12 week mark you can tell a lot more about the health of the baby as well as be more confident about its viability. Before that the NHS absolutely will scan you if you have problems or concerns but it’s not considered necessary unless there are signs of problems. The EPU will scan you if you have bleeding.

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