Scan with heartbeat says 6 wks but my dates had me at 8....

[newmum2020]

Hi ladies
I found out I was pregnant on 23rd jan and digital test said 2-3 weeks which is 4-5 weeks pregnant. For last 3 weeks I've had some on and off spotting. Fast forward today I had early scan and they told me I'm only 6 weeks but there was a heartbeat. I'm so confused as last period was 24/12 so I expected to be 8 weeks now. Going by their dates I conceived much later and we last DTD on 7th jan so I know that's not right.

Does anyone have any advice? I had a miscarriage in November and am just wondering if my cycle is still a bit off as we conceived first cycle after MC.

I should be thrilled today having seen a heartbeat!!! But I'm still scared as I know it's possible the baby has maybe stopped growing. They also don't measure heart rate (I've read so many threads about what rate it should be) so that doesn't give any further reassurance. They said there wasn't any obvious reason for the bleeding and it could be implantation, which would make more sense to be if I am earlier than I thought.

Ahhhhh why is this so hard 😥

I can only give my experience, but I had a private scan when I should have been 10 week 1 and I was measuring at 8 weeks 5, then at my dating scan I was still behind by about the same amount and they were unable to take the NT measurements and give me a due date. Ultimately it did not end well and I miscarried.

Hopefully you are just a bit off maybe with when you ovulated, sending positive thoughts your way.

When I went for my 12 week scan I was only measuring at 10 weeks but there was a clear heartbeat. She is now a 10 month old giant!

I was also confused as to the dates but it
Might be possible the egg was late to implant, hence the bleeding?

Sending you best wishes - my personal experience has gone either way on this one in that I’ve had one pregnancy with a heartbeat at 6 weeks but at 8 weeks it wasn’t progressing, and then my current pregnancy (and from memory in my 2 pregnancies that went to term) I had a heartbeat at 6 weeks when I thought I was more like 8, and then everything since then was absolutely fine touch wood (currently 16 weeks this time round) so it looks like I’m just a late ovulator and you may well be the same. Your timeframes sound v similar to those in my current pregnancy when I was also able to very accurately date conception because of when my husband was in / out of the country. I would say that especially as you’re not able to be sure of your ovulation dates this month, it’s a bit too soon to tell - I know it’s unbearable waiting but in 2 weeks time you’ll know more. Also bear in mind everything is so small at the moment that measurement is tricky (we’re talking fractions of millimetres sometimes) and you might find things even out later on. For both my successful pregnancies that went to term, I had a similar issue with the early dating being uncertain but by 12 weeks they’d “caught up” a bit - for the current one I’d caught up a week by 12 weeks (went to scan thinking I would be 12-ish weeks based on early scan, turned out I was 13+ 5). So - grit your teeth and wait and hopefully all will be well. I know these early days are hard - current pregnancy I went in at what I thought was 7 weeks and all they could see was a gestational sac and yolk sac and I was convinced that was the end, but a week later lo and behold everything looked perfectly on track.

Also, the digital tests with the weeks are really unreliable and I urge you not to put too much store by them.

Hiya
It is because they go off measurements of the baby on scans not necessarily the date you have in mind.
For example working out from my period I should be due 27/08/2020
But at 6 week scan they told me 30/08/2020
Then at 12 week scan I was told I am due 23/08/2020 which is a whole 5 days more than I thought. Which definitely would not add up to when we DTD I would actually have still been on my period at that point. But they explained it goes on measurements. I wouldn't worry too much. It will be more accurate at 12 week scan, they told me at 6 week scan it's hardly ever right x

Thanks all. I just feel something not right as there's no way I can only be 6 weeks pregnant. This would put conception at 21st jan and I know for a fact we last had sex on 7th jan. Even if I ovulated later, say 12th, and the sperm was still alive this would only put me back 5 days not 2 whole weeks. So The way I'm looking at it, either there are issues with the baby growing or the scan was wrong (which I guess is unlikely?)

I thought today would give me answers after 3 weeks of uncertainty and spotting but this is worse!! The sonographer was so matter of fact, telling me (like I was stupid) that I'm just a bit further behind than I thought. I can't stop crying 😢

Try not worry to much for now!

Like the others have said the dating process is by size at the scan. So, for example, I am due on the 18 July which would have put ovulation/conception at the 24
October or there about, except there is absolutely positively NO WAY that could be the case because I was away with work that entire week and don’t remember having sex with anyone so 🤷‍♀️

I had a MC in July and I have been terrified every day since I got pregnant again! Please just try and relax as best you can!

Also those clear blues as BS I had THREE false negatives and I’m happily pregnant now! You’ll probably get to your next scan and have jumped forward OR you bab is just a petite one and not as big as the “norm”. As it happens mine is a chunky boy and 5cm larger than she “should be” for 19 weeks!

X

Thanks @MrsRose2018 i know I should 100% be focussing on the fact that there is a heartbeat. I think it's the danger of knowing too much and reading all these stories!! I see good and bad but choose to focus on the bad 😫have booked a private scan for 4th March by which time I should have some answers I hope 🤞 x

I went for a scan when I thought I was 7+5 according to my LMP but baby only measured 6+1 with a heartbeat.

Went for a follow up 2 weeks later and baby was 8+2 so had grown proportionately and there was still a good strong heartbeat.

Fast forward to my dating scan last week, I should have been 13 weeks exactly by the measurements from my first early scan (or 14+4 from LMP) but baby actually measured 13+6 so somewhere in the middle.

I'm in a LDR so there was only a week when I could have conceived that month but I do have long cycles so must have ovulated late that month. That's the only way I can explain it really.

Good luck x

@sel2223 thanks for sharing that's really reassuring to read! I am starting to come round to the idea that I maybe ovulated slightly later. As it was first cycle TTC after miscarriage I guess cycles hadn't had a chance to properly regulate yet....and I'm reading lots that early scans like these can sometimes be a few days out either way so I'm feeling more positive 😊x

@newmum2020 absolutely focuss on that heartbeat!! We were lucky enough to get a recording of it so if ever I had a moment of panic I would just play it back to myself!

Also be kind to yourself! We had private HCG bloods done AND private “reassurance scans” at 6, 9 and 11 weeks! You’re not being crazy or doing anything wrong! You’re just scared!

I would suggest try coming off these forums for a bit/unless you have a specific question! It actually didn’t help my anxiety seeing lots of posts about MC!

Also speak to your midwife about maybe getting seen my the perinatal midwife team! They specialise in mammas with mental health issues it just women who need a bit of extra support due to fears and anxiety!

End of the day you/we had MC as it’s scarred us so just do what you need to keep going strong x

Thanks so much @MrsRose2018 you're so right!! I think I will delete this app for a while and give myself some time and space to process it all!! Very good advice too about speaking to midwife, I maybe do need some additional support. I'm at first appointment on Friday so I'll chat to them then xx

Both times this happened to me the outcome wasn't good.

However, my obstetrician said that errors in measuring are very common, and they may just have measured wrong in your case. Certainly, I've known people where it has worked out. So I think really it could go either way. Could you afford a private scan in a couple of weeks?

Wishing you all the best.

So sorry your going through this uncertainty. I had this happen to me exactly I thought I was 8 weeks but only measured 6 with a heartbeat. They discharged me and said my dates must be wrong but I knew it was impossible for me to be 6 weeks. The outcome wasn’t good for me, although through my extensive googling at the time there were plenty of positive stories about late implantation etc xxxx

Thanks for sharing your experiences @Upsydaisyy @SylvanianFrenemies

I've booked a private scan for 4th March. Having spent the day googling (not good I know) I've established that there is a margin of error of around 5 days either way with early scan. It was really quite unclear, couldn't be see at all via abdomen so needed internal scan and even at that it was vague with tiny flicker that she told us was heartbeat (I didn't really see it, I felt like Rachel in that episode of friends lol - hubby says he saw it!)

I am also completely unsure about when I ovulated as this was first cycle after a miscarriage. I had assumed it was 14 days after period but when I looked at fitbit tracker my average cycle length has gone from 28 to 35 after MC so who knows when it happened!!

Anyway it feels better to write these thoughts down, thanks for listening/reading! I'm feeling much more positive this evening 😊xx

Hope the coming days and weeks have good news for you. Just double-checked my own dates re the late ovulation / implantation thing and:

• 19 Dec, early scan, was dated 6+4, but on LMP would be 9+4 (first day of last period was 13 Oct but I know I have a long cycle). As I’m sure you can imagine I was a bit all over the place even though the sonographer told me everything looked normal and even though this was very much like my experience in my previous pregnancies ie LMP has always been a very unreliable indicator for me.

• 30 Jan, nuchal scan, according to the dating at the December scan I was expecting to be 12+4 but nuchal scan actually dated me at 13+5. So the baby had caught up 8 days from the early scan.

@newmum don't forget if this was the first month since mc you're cycle could be well off what you thought. It took 7 weeks for my period to return after, so you may be behind in your cycle. Good luck x

I hope it turns out ok, op, I've had both situations. In my current pregnancy the private sonographer was adamant I was a week behind where I thought I was at 8w, she had me at 6+5. I am old and have a history of early losses so her insistence that I tell the hospital to change my 12 week scan was worrying. FF to 12 weeks according to her and guess what, 13+2, so there absolutely is margin for error. Fingers crossed for you.