Private scans - would you recommend it?

[lolateddy]

I have a scan booked for next week, I will be 9 weeks. I had an early miscarriage with my last pregnancy and hoping having an early scan will reassure me. For people that have had one, would you say it helped relax you a little for your 12 weeks scan? Or would you say it gave you false hope that all was well. I am well aware I could still miscarry after the 9 weeks but I'm hoping it might help things become more real and stop me worrying so much.
I know no one can tell me what to do but it's just nice to hear other people's thoughts/stories. Thank you in advance x

I would say yes it did relax me..... but, it is short lived and you still have anxiety waiting for your next scan.

However, I think whether you have an early scan or hold out for the 12 week one you will worry anyway x

I would definitely recommend them just for some reassurance at first. For example, between finding out I was pregnant and having an early scan, my symptoms came and went. As this is my first pregnancy I liked the reassurance that even though my symptoms had disappeared everything was still ok. If I hadn't have had that scan I would have worried right up until the 12 week which would have been a very long wait!

As long as you are aware that anything could still happen (which you are) I think they are great x

I had one at roughly 9 weeks and it made me feel much better after previously suffering 2 MCs

Don't get me wrong I was still anxious for the 12 weeks scan but definitely less so than I would have been

Congrats & good luck. I would say no to private scans prior to dating scan. EPAU for problems then, yes.

I had a private one with my last. I was 8+3 by lmp but baby measured 7+4 with hb, the only movement was the flickering of the heart. I still felt uneasy about the pregnancy, 4 days later I started spotting and then passed baby in it's sac at 9+3 by lmp. I'm no stranger to mc, that was my 5th that made it past 6wk, had a lot of chemicals too but I took that one harder because of seeing a hb.
This time I held out for my dating scan which was an excruciating wait, baby was very active and measured 4 days ahead of lmp. I did have a private scan at 16+4 which I did find reassuring as I was not feeling baby move very often and I could see all was well. Had my anomaly scan yesterday (20wk) and found out I have an anterior placenta which explains why I've been feeling less movement than our others.

It’s difficult to say. I didn’t have any and my baby is here now and everything is fine. I did worry a little bit between NHS scans but as a PP has said, I think I would have worried whether I was having private ones or not.
What I would have wanted them for is reassurance if there were any concerns - but then you may be given extra if they have any concerns with your NHS ones or at your midwife appointments.
Having said that, if my baby wasn’t ok, would I have wished I’d had a private scan? Maybe.

It’s good for the reassurance I had an early scan at 6 weeks at EPU then a private scan at 9 weeks because I had miscarried at 8 weeks previously so it was a relief to have it and see everything was ok. The wait to the 12 week one then didn’t seem as long but still nervous going for the scans but I would really recommend the private ones for that peace of mind

I had an early scan with ds1 around 8/9 weeks and it did reassure me. If there's a heartbeat around that gestation then you'd be as 'safe' as you would be after a 12 week scan.

I think at nine weeks then yes. I had one at eight weeks with my first because I wanted to check it was in the right place- health anxiety- and that there was actually something in there and I did find it helpful. Didn't bother the second time around though.

I found it help

Sorry ... accidentally posted ... was going to say I found it helpful. I had a MMC in my first pregnancy and was really anxious all through my subsequent ones, scans don't give you peace of mind for long, but I did feel it helped provide extra milestones, especially until you can feel movement.

The MMC was picked up at 12 week scan, but was measuring around 8 weeks ... it's a strange thing to say but thinking about the 4 weeks in between when I wasn't pregnant but living as if I was made me feel worse in a kind of "foolish" way. I had an EPU visit at 7 weeks and then a private scan at around 10 weeks and they were reassuring

I had 2 reassurance scans at 8 and 10 weeks. I'd recommend them in the sense that it does make the pregnancy feel more real in the early days but they didn't stop me worrying. I don't think I really allowed myself to relax until after my 20 weeks scan.

In my experience, I would go for it if a proper private hospital, but not one of the high street scan places. Very different experience, capability and understanding in the staff.

I had an average of one scan per week while I was pregnant, though I didn’t go to term. They weren’t private, just because the baby wasn’t well. It didn’t make me worry any less as half an hour later you have no idea what’s going on in there. So unfortunately I think you have to find other ways to cope.

You have to do what’s right for you. In my first pregnancy, I had an early scan at around 6.5 weeks - saw heartbeat. I went on to have a MMC at 11 weeks, found out just before 12 week scan. I then swore blind I wouldn’t have one again as it gave me false hope.
This pregnancy, I ended up having one at 7 weeks due to bleeding. It reassured me for a very short amount of time.

If you are going to have a private scan, I’d recommend using a reputable company that the NHS refer to - it can be a little more expensive, but definitely better than the conveyor belt ‘cosmetic’ type places x

@Shamoo

In my experience, I would go for it if a proper private hospital, but not one of the high street scan places. Very different experience, capability and understanding in the staff.

Depends. Mine was a highstreet one and the lady doing the scan was an NHS sonographer who did private scans on the side to earn extra cash.

I had a private early scan in each of my three pregnancies - good news in the first and third, MMC in the second.

I found the successful ones reassuring as the risk of miscarriage is so much lower once the heartbeat is seen. There are never any guarantees in life but I found I could relax a bit and if memory serves the risk was similar to the risk after the NHS 12 week scan so we told close family at that point.

The MMC was discovered at a Baby Bond clinic, who dealt with us kindly and sensitively. We were referred to the NHS who again treated us well. Obviously you'd rather not go through a miscarriage but I was happy with how mine was treated.

I had no regrets about going for any of the scans.

Very mixed views it's a tough one! Really not sure what to do! The private scanning place is the only one in my area so they get booked up very quickly. I don't really have any other options it's either scan or no scan. I just want to make sure the baby hadn't stopped growing earlier on... but then I guess after the scan that could still happen. I will have to have a think about it tomorrow and make my mind up.