Early scan at 5 weeks - why??

[JBCG]

I got my BFP last night and worked out from my last period I should be about 5+2. I have been seeing my GP for some abdominal pain for a few months and had an appointment with him this morning. I advised of BFP and he said before he sent me for a consultation with a specialist (for the stomach pain) he wanted to send me to a gynaecologist for a scan to make sure everything was okay with the pregnancy first. This seemed a bit ridiculous to me as I'm so early but he was adamant he would need the all clear from them before passing me on to the other consultant.

So I got referred for an urgent appointment with the gynaecologist this afternoon (not in the U.K. so things moved quite fast). He did a scan and said he can find no evidence of a pregnancy and there was no way I could be 5+2 weeks. I took 3 FRER last night and all were clearly positive. He also said from my blood test results from the day before, my HCG levels were only at 27. He said that he wasn't saying I wasn't pregnant, but that he couldn't see any evidence that I was other than slightly elevated HCG levels (but they were a lot lower than they should be).

He has booked me in for another blood test tomorrow morning to check if my HCG levels have risen. But I am just so confused as to what is going on.

Also, my GP prescribed me Pregaday to start taking but after taking one, I read the leaflet (I know I should have read it first) and it said they weren't to be taken before 13 weeks.

I'm just so confused as to how I got 3 BFPs but no evidence of any pregnancy and there being apparently no way my dates work.

I don't really know why I'm positing, other than to just write it down. Sorry for the long post and slight ramble, I'm just very confused and scared. I don't know why they even scanned me so early, surely even if I were 5 weeks they'd have barely been able to see anything anyway. I wish I could go back and not have the scan - now I'm just terrified.

Are you basing 5+3 on date of conception or lmp?

@AriettyHomily LMP - I told the doctor that and when LMP was but he just said I must have forgotten the actual date of my LMP because I couldn't be that pregnant. I keep it recorded on an app on my phone and am very regular so definitely haven't mixed my dates up

LMP is just a guide really until you get a proper dating scan.

I was 11 days behind at an early scan (should have been 7+5 but baby only measured 6+1) and I'm now 33 weeks.

If you ovulated late this month and are actually only 4 weeks, then it's not unusual not to see anything yet.

They could be ruling out ectopic, and as you they havent found any signs of a pregnancy and low hormone I think this needs ruling out. However it may be still to early for anything to be seen, but at 5 weeks are would be a sac at least.

I had my first scan at 5 weeks, it was to check that it wasn't ectopic, and we also saw 'fetal cardiac activity'

Don’t worry you’ve more than likely ovulated later. According to my LMP I should be 7 weeks today but I know I ovulated late making me only 5.5 weeks.

Thank you all very much for coming back to me.

Yes it was to rule out ectopic - but the pain in my stomach started long before I became pregnant so in my mind that was not really a possibility (as the cause for my pain). And then I was told because I was so early they couldn't see anything to rule it out. He did an internal ultrasound and looked at everything and said he can't see any evidence of any pregnancy anywhere. Even my uterine lining is 15mm thick and he said in early stages of pregnancy he would expect at least 16mm. Obviously 1mm on an ultrasound is barely anything to worry about but the fact that he mentioned it means I have another one thing going through my mind.

I just really wish I hadn't gone for the scan as it's now made me worry about every little thing. I know the worst can happen at any point in a pregnancy but I just feel like it's inevitable now and it now just doesn't feel like I am pregnant at all.

I'm sat in the waiting room about to go in for my blood test to see if there has been any rise in HCG. Apparently I'll have the results tomorrow and I've got a follow up scan in two weeks to see if anything has appeared.

Way too soon for a scan, try to think positively - you may well just be very early. Hcg levels will give you a guide. Fingers crossed!
Pregaday is iron and folic acid right? You only need the folate part of it this early - you can buy over the counter or get a script for that. You don’t need the iron unless your levels are low already - it won’t do any harm to the pregnancy but might make you pretty constipated so I would avoid!

Ps your endometrial thickness is normal for early pregnancy, the hcg of 27 is totally within normal range esp if you ovulated a little late, and your doctors sound a little rigid in their thinking and not very empathetic at all! Sorry you’re having this experience

Yeah, I think I might ditch the pregaday for now and just pop to the pharmacy and get normal folic acid supplements.

The nurse who took my blood today genuinely said 'oh gosh, HCG of 27 - I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you. But we'll know more when these results come in'. They all seem to be lacking some bedside manner it seems and are determined just to terrify me!

She did say that they might get the results back this afternoon so to call up to check.

I think that I might cancel my follow up scan in 2 weeks. What happens with this pregnancy is going to happen regardless of scans and so I think I'd rather save myself the worry of the scan potentially raising more questions or not being all as it should be. I'd rather just wait and see what my body does naturally I think.

I also think I need to find a new gynaecologist! He's done nothing but put the fear of god into me!

Best of luck with the results. And gosh I think there are more tactful ways to approach things - all the nurse needs to say to you is “good luck” or something along those lines!
If the hcg is rising well then you could consider waiting until 7-8 weeks for a scan (ie 3-4 weeks from now) but depends how anxious you feel. A scan in 2 weeks would show a gestation sac at the very least so you would still get some idea of progression. But there’s no hurry with scans unless you get a new/different pain or other symptoms that cause concern about ectopic.
Fingers crossed for you.

I had a scan at what I thought was 5 Weeks and some days, for medical reasons. Nothing to see on the screen. At 8 weeks there was a heartbeat - and all dating proved that what I thought was 5 weeks was 4 weeks and it was too early!

I never had a blood test - but 27 seems to me to be early stages of pregnancy. Definitely worth going to the next scan in case it is ectopic.

Thank you very much.

HCG results had increased to 121 so that's great news! I spoke with the gynaecologist and said I'd rather put off a follow up scan for as long as possible so I'm booked in for mid July. Hopefully I'll be about 7/8 weeks by then so will be able to see something.

I just didn't want to rush into another scan so quickly and risk being left with more questions etc - so I'm happy it's a little later now.

Thanks again! Sorry I have just rambled on - my head was well and truly scrambled!

That’s great news OP :)
I think they scrambled it for you!

Lovely to hear. Yes, a later scan should be more reassuring. My obs consultant was great - as I had no ectopic type pains, she gently reminded me that scanning a lot in early stages was not of great use as there was nothing they could do!

I've had 2 early scans now and both have disappointed me and made me extremely anxious. My first early scan i had some spotting and I thought I was 7 weeks they told me I was only 4/5 seen yolk and yolk sac.
Second scan was a few nights ago where I had recalculated my dates and made myself 9 weeks. Pregnancy progressed and fetal pole and sac seen with scanner saying she could 90% see a flicker heartbeat bug they put me back to 6 weeks. It's so confusing. They advised me to go to early pregnancy but I'm just going to wait for my dating scan I can't keep putting myself through this torture of not knowing. What will be will be 😔

@STCMB it is so scary isn't it!

I had a similar experience to yours with DS - they pushed my due date back at least three times and I had lots of spotting and cramping so was regularly scanned in my first trimester (not as early as they're trying to scan me now though!). It is part of the reason I'm so hesitant to keep having scans and risk going through all that stress and confusion again!

DS is now a healthy 1 year old though so all worth it in the end!

Keep having early scans I mean. I would prefer to wait for the dating scan I think.

My gynaecologist has now booked me in for the 13th July so I'll still be very early.

I'm booked in for 13th July aswell for dating scan. If my dates were correct I would be 11 weeks today, so then pushed back 2 weeks after first scan to make me 9 weeks today. Then they told me this week I'm more like 6/7! Feel like I've been 7 weeks pregnant for months 🙈 good luck with ur scan. It's a very anxious time my kids are 12 and 7 I've forgotten how stressful this first trimester is 😔

@STCMB

I'm booked in for 13th July aswell for dating scan. If my dates were correct I would be 11 weeks today, so then pushed back 2 weeks after first scan to make me 9 weeks today. Then they told me this week I'm more like 6/7! Feel like I've been 7 weeks pregnant for months 🙈 good luck with ur scan. It's a very anxious time my kids are 12 and 7 I've forgotten how stressful this first trimester is 😔

Try not to worry too much about the dates, I had the same thing where I was put back at an early scan and it's so disheartening, especially when you are desperate to get out of the first trimester so there's less worry and the nausea etc eases up! But when I had my dating scan I was put back closer to where I thought I was again!

Then I read that dating is most accurate between 11-14 weeks and anything before or after this is not very accurate at all!

Sorry - meant to add good luck with everything 😊

@STCMB @TJ17 - I hope you both are right. Similar situation. Thought I was 12w but went in yesterday for scan and they put me at 6w1d. They said they will call next week for follow up. I have very very irregular periods. That is the only hope I’m clinging on to that due to my v irregular period the dates could be out by this much but no idea how I will wait for another week

[quote Firevie]**@STCMB* @TJ17* - I hope you both are right. Similar situation. Thought I was 12w but went in yesterday for scan and they put me at 6w1d. They said they will call next week for follow up. I have very very irregular periods. That is the only hope I’m clinging on to that due to my v irregular period the dates could be out by this much but no idea how I will wait for another week[/quote]
My advice is just wait and see. What will be will be. We can't stop a miscarriage and the stress of not knowing has made me so ill the last few weeks I've decided to just not worry till there's something to worry about. And the early scans have been a waste of money and time for me as they haven't given me answers. Try and not worry too much. It's helped me also reading these threads xx

@STCMB thank you. You’re absolutely right! It is just so hard! I literally don’t feel like doing anything, just want to curl up and cry! When do you have to go back in?

I'm back in for my dating scan on the 13th July. Keep in touch xx