Early Private Scan??

[JM0934]

Hi ladies!

Found out I'm pregnant last week and according to my app I will be 5 weeks tomorrow. As I don't experience any symptoms apart from no period and slight cramping there and then, I am worried that maybe I have imagined it all? so I have booked myself in for a private scan in just over 2 weeks when I should be 7+4 hoping everything would be ok.

I read that they may do a transvaginal scan if it is too early to see anything. Both me and my husband are a bit worried about this, as we've seen quite few people talking about having a miscarriage after they've had a transvaginal scan (I have no idea if this relates to it or not) which is making us scared so we are thinking if they advice on doing one then we will say no and wait for another week or 2 then go back again. However, I desperately want to know how the baby is doing but I don't want to add any unnecessary risk.

Has anyone had this done before and what is you experience like?

I had my early scan where I thought I was 7 weeks but I was 7 weeks 6 days , and despite going in saying I was 7 weeks they didn’t do an internal scan it was abdominal and got a perfect picture of what looked like a seahorse with a very strong hear beat ! I had a friend however who had a scan at 5 weeks internally and she is now 35 weeks pregnant with a healthy baby girl, no MC there. They can’t cause MC as far as we are aware, and my husband works in maternity . They can do abdominal perfectly at that stage, if they can’t find a HB they may ask if they can do an internal one but you can say no and go back in a week or so if needed. X

I had two private early scans, one at 6 weeks and one at 9 weeks, both were amazing experiences and I would definitely recommend 😊 I didn't have any bleeding after either of mine and I know a lot of people who have had these and not had any problems at all! I don't think I would of managed well having to wait for our 12 week scan without the early ones.

Most likely people had early scan because of previous miscarriage or high risk or bleeding etc
So you would get higher proportion of miscarriage following early scan.
Having early scan won't change the outcome.
Try relax and wait.
Unless significant symptoms which mean you need early scan to check for e g ectopic

I had three early transvaginal scans due to spotting. I also had one at my 20 week scan to measure the length of my cervix and I have another in a few days as my gynae wants to measure again before providing a fit to fly letter. There is no risk of miscarriage associated with this type of scan.

This was at 7 weeks on the dot. There was a heartbeat. It was done at the NHS EPU due to bleeding for several weeks. There isn't a lot to see but it is reassuring.

Sorry forgot to add this was an internal (third one by time time as they thought I had a threatening miscarriage). I was bleeding for 3 weeks and filling pads up every day pretty much. I'm now 18+3!

I had one at pretty much exactly 8 weeks I think with DS. I was in the middle of being warned that they might not see anything this early and not to panic if she couldn't see anything straight away and it might need to be vag... "oh there it is!" Got a lovely picture and he looked like a tiny rubber duck! They will try abdominally first.

I sympathise with the need to check though, I felt like a fraud in early pregnancy what with being so careful with myself for no visible reason.

I've just found out I'm expecting number 2 and feel exactly the same. Only I think a bit more scared this time round. Morning sickness with a 3yr old to look after doesn't sound like fun.

We must be due pretty much at the same time, different online calculators have given me dates between 14-16th of Nov.

Just double checked and mine was 8+4 and obviously at the early stages a lot can change in a week.

Still, proof that DS once looked like a duck...

I’m 7+3 and had an early scan at 6+3 at the hospital, due to previous recurrent miscarriages. They could see the heartbeat, and “blob” sac etc... on a tummy scan, but did an internal for a clearer view. I have scans booked every 7-10 days, which they wouldn’t do, if it was a risk. I had no bleeding afterwards.

I went for an early scan when I should have been 7+5 according to LMP.
The scan was transvaginal and baby only measured 6+1 although there was a strong heartbeat.
I had no bleeding or any issues afterwards and I'm now 17+4

A scan at 7 weeks will probably not give you the reassurance you want.
My experience - early pregnancy unit will scan you abdominally. Then, if they can't see what they would expect to see (no heartbeat for example) they switch to doing a transvaginal one as it might be clearer. So a miscarriage confirmed at a scan in the first trimester will often involve an internal scan. It's not the scan that causes the miscarriage.

There is no risk whatsoever of a transvaginal scan causing a miscarriage, if that's what you're asking. You may have come across posts from people who coincidentally happened to have a miscarriage after having an early scan - quite often they will have had the scan because there was already some concern for the pregnancy. But nothing about the scan would cause a miscarriage, or make one any more likely.

Thank you all for your useful advice! I’m starting to think maybe I should just wait until my 12 weeks scan and give the private a miss! If they can’t find anything at 7 weeks then that would just make me worry so what will be will be! Although 12 weeks is such a long time but fingers crossed it will be worth the wait!

I had a private scan at what they dated me at 7+3 (but was actually 7+5 according to my official dating scan). Mine was done abdominally and although he/she just looked like a little blur on the screen, we could see the heartbeat flickering away and got to hear it 🥰 It put my mind at ease so much

Congrayulations! I had an early scan at 7+2 at my EPU due to some pain, they did it abdominally and could see the little jelly bean shaped baby and heart beat.
I had also had one at 5+2 (fell pregnant immediately after miscarriage so EPU wanted to scan me to check was a new pregnancy), again this was only done abdominally and we could see the sac and yolk sac and tiny flicker of the embryo. Not sure if I'm just lucky for such clear scans and not needed internal ones!

The internal scanner barely goes inside you - maybe 2 inches? So it's mostly at the base of your vagina, it wouldn't go far enough in to even come close to reaching where the baby is 🙂 I've had two before and never had any bleeding or discomfort during or afterwards. And with both of my pregnancies, I had internal scans before 7 weeks and we were able to see the heartbeat, fetal pole, etc.

Thank you all! Hope all of your pregnancies go well!

I had a transvaginal early scan on the nhs to investigate the cause of some bleeding (it turned out to be implantation bleeding and I now have a healthy, beautiful ds). Actually ended up having 2 early scans. Not once was increased risk of miscarriage or anything similar mentioned to me by the sonographer. Tbh I'd never heard of the idea that there is a connection until I'd read your post.

The place I went to said they are able to do abdominal from 7+ weeks. I don't know if you are already aware but it really helps if you have a full bladder as it lifts your uterus giving clearer pictures. It can be uncomfortable when they're pushing on it the get the images but I was the same and didn't want the transvaginal scan. Hope it goes well!

I had private at 7+4. The company I went to don't offer transvaginal and had abdominal scan that was fine. For me it was reassuring rather than stressful but it was a good outcome.

My early scan at 6 weeks +4 days On the 2nd March but peanut is measuring at exactly 6 weeks
Still doesn’t feel real as having no symptoms really, just bloated and tired