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Pregnancy

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

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Original poster

Reassurance scans

37 replies

Babyontheway21 · 27/10/2020 18:50

Just wondering do most people get private scans done in the 1st trimester? I’ve seen lots of people
talking about them.

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TheDaydreamBelievers · 27/10/2020 18:57

Many do, I have not.

If you do, I'd recommend not before week 7 or 8. They can struggle to see anything prior to that and it just causes anxiety!

1940s · 27/10/2020 19:01

I had two, every single pregnant person I know had one

WindsorBlues · 27/10/2020 19:07

I did at 9 weeks. It was during lockdown when the NHS wasn't allowing partners to attend scans.

It was my first BFP after five years of trying. DH had been to every singe fertility appointment with me and even through we concieved naturally I thought it was only fair that we'd get to see the baby for the first time together.

happytoday73 · 27/10/2020 19:12

None of my friends did privately.. One did due to a bleed through NHS....was 8 weeks and very little to see. But that was 10 years or so ago.

I didn't because I just saw it as a snapshot in time that wouldn't stop anything bad happening/didn't make pregnancy any safer..and because 8-12 weeks seems to be most likely time to loose.

In my head I knew would still be worried again week later. I also didn't want to see if pregnancy was later unsuccessful. I know there is obviously still a chance later on.. But probability is better. Miscarriage clouded my judgement no doubt.. And may make other people more likely to have scans... But for me I only really relaxed at 30 weeks or so

JemimaTiggywinkle · 27/10/2020 19:13

I chose not to have one in first trimester as I felt like it would be a false sense of security as it’s so early on.

I read a lot of stories on here about people having early scans and then having a miscarriage before 12 week scan.

So I decided I wanted to wait until 12 weeks as the chances of having a loss after that reduces, so felt that waiting would give me more certainty.

Angeleyes555 · 27/10/2020 19:14

I was 10 weeks pregnant but unfortunately miscarried. I was going to get an early scan done but I read some forums saying that it can cause an early miscarriage so I cancelled it. I was due for my 12 week dating scan two weeks after I miscarried. So now I know nothing about my lost baby whether it had heart beat or how far along I was and I really regret not having that early scan. Hopefully if I fall pregnant again I will max out the early scans as it was just devastating!!!!! Good luck x

Coldwinds · 27/10/2020 19:15

Reassurance scans are actually very popular

Humpty11 · 27/10/2020 19:18

I didn’t have one with my son and I don’t plan to with this pregnancy either. I know lots of people who have and they’ve been pleased that they did. Also I think some trusts still aren’t letting partners at 12 week scans so I guess you could get an early one so they can be there for that too.
I figured that if something was going to happen to the baby (touch wood it doesn’t) having the early scan wouldn’t make that more or less likely so I might as well wait until 12 weeks. But that’s personal preference, you should definitely just do what you’d like to. There will always be people massively for and massively against them!

ShalomToYouJackie · 27/10/2020 19:19

Yes I had one privately at 10+1 which cost me £45 because I couldn't wait until my 12 week scan after a miscarriage last year.

I'm 12+6 now and will have another privately at about 15-16 weeks

Humpty11 · 27/10/2020 19:20

Sorry to read that @Angeleyes555 😢. I hope you have a chance at maxing out those Early scans soon!

EmilySpinach · 27/10/2020 19:25

No, not with either of my pregnancies. The only people I know who have had early scans were having fertility treatment or had a medical reason to be referred to EPU.

I wouldn’t take MN or any other online forum as a reflection of what most people do. There are always going to be a higher proportion of people with complex pregnancies or anxieties seeking help and support than there would in the general population.

elliejjtiny · 27/10/2020 19:33

I had one with ds1 on the nhs at 9+1 because I was bleeding. They wouldn't let me have another scan at 12 weeks though. With ds2 they brought my dating scan forward to 10 weeks because I didn't feel right and was convinced I was going to miscarry as I had done before.

sorrysaywhatnow · 27/10/2020 19:35

Lots of popularity at the moment as partners are allowed

penguin423 · 27/10/2020 19:45

I had one but that was because of bleeding and it was very difficult to get seen at the hospital due to the situation with Covid. Ended up having 2 NHS scans prior to the 12 week one too. Not sure if I would've had one without the bleeding but I think everyone should do what feels right for them.

Sunbird24 · 27/10/2020 19:50

I’ll be having one at 8 wks with the clinic that did my ivf. After that I’ll wait until the usual milestone ones I think.

Angeleyes555 · 27/10/2020 19:50

Thanks Humpty11 it was awful but I'm moving forward x

Turtleturtle81 · 27/10/2020 19:57

I had two in this pregnancy - both via the NHS at my local EPU because I was under the care of the recurring miscarriage clinic.

LatteLover12 · 27/10/2020 20:02

I did with several of mine.

I'd never recommend going before 8 weeks because there's so much potential for 'dates' to be out as the measurements are so tiny & it causes so much worry.

Seeing a heartbeat at 8 weeks reduces your risk of mc to something like 2%. However, in one of my pregnancies that's exactly what happened. I'd had some bleeding, went for a scan at 8weeks, saw the hb and was reassured. Went for the 12 week scan and baby had died at 9 weeks. It was utterly heartbreaking.

I have a baby DS who's 6 weeks old. I went for a private scan at 8 weeks for reassurance but, like pp have said, I was reassured that day and went back to full on stressing the very next day & by the time I got to my 12 week scan I was a jibbering wreck due to previous experiences of loss.

I think if it's your first pregnancy and you e got no reason to worry then sometimes they can cause more stress than they're worth. For me, as someone who'd experienced several losses I'd never make it to 12 weeks without a nervous breakdown. It depends on the woman I suppose.

Semele5069 · 27/10/2020 20:51

I had 3. I've previously had two miscarriages and the only thing that made me feel more in control this time was wanting to know as soon as possible if something had gone wrong. For some reason the idea of being blissfully ignorant then finding a MMC at 12 weeks felt like it would be much worse than discovering it earlier. I went into every scan utterly prepared to be told it was over and knowing that I could deal with that.

I am aware a lot of this is anxiety driven but it let me keep a semblance of control over what I could.

Original poster

Babyontheway21 · 27/10/2020 21:13

So many mixed responses, I suppose it really is down to the individual. I’m only 5+5 just now so might just see how I feel over the next few weeks. It’s such a worrying time.

OP posts:

Skyla01 · 27/10/2020 21:48

I've only had nhs scans. As someone else said, it's likely women on this forum have more private scans than the average person.

Moo678 · 27/10/2020 22:13

I didn’t with my first 2 babies. Then I had 4 miscarriages which changed my whole view on pregnancy. With my next pregnancy I had a private scan at 8 wks. I’ve had a few since then but had a really bad experience during lockdown where there wasn’t a heartbeat - the sonographer clearly didn’t know what to say and there was no facility for counselling etc - I was basically pushed out onto the street 5 minutes later with a vague instruction to come back in 2 wks. I will probably stay clear of private scans from now on as I don’t feel they have the appropriate set up for dealing with anything other than a positive outcome.

LouisLitt · 27/10/2020 22:16

No. Also a lot of people aren’t as far along as they think so you end up coming away feeling even more worried. Pregnancy is such a long journey that I think it’s best to manage your anxiety in other ways. An early scan may provide brief reassurance but a week later you’ll be anxious again.

GanderousGoose · 30/10/2020 11:37

@happytoday73 what makes you say 8-12 weeks is the most common time to lose? Everything I have read suggests that the earlier in the pregnancy, the more likely a miscarriage and by the time you get to 8 weeks and have seen a heartbeat, the risk drops to around 5%. With every day that passes, the risk of miscarriage gets lower. I agree with you about not having reassurance scans as they don't prove anything other than a snapshot but I think it's important to be careful with what we present as fact to others. Do you have evidence of the 8-12 week period being the highest risk for miscarriage? If so, I'll happily take a look and eat my words! :-)

TheDaydreamBelievers · 30/10/2020 15:07

@GanderousGoose my understanding is it drops every week till week 12, with a more pronounced drop from week 7, then stays consistent (because the things that result in misscarriage/fetal death at week 12 are the same things that would cause that at any stage): www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322634#pregnancy-loss-rates-by-week

I have liked using this!: datayze.com/miscarriage-reassurer

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