12 weeks pregnant but only measuring 6weeks!

[80sGirl]

I had a miscarriage on 15th Feb 2023 (7.5wks), this lasted 12 days and was heavy.
I lost all my breast pain, but wasn’t really experiencing sickness.
(Second MC, first was after 5wks and lasted 5days. First pregnancies).

The EPU asked me to do a test 1wk, 2wks and 3wks after - All still positive!

The EPU finally saw me on 5th March, 18days after my MC started.
I had an internal scan and was showing a pregnancy sac, measuring 6wks (should have been 10weeks) but no HB.
I was sent home for the MC to possibly start again, but it didn’t - just some spotting!

I was scanned again 12th March and was shocked to be told I measured 6wks (wk 11) again but there was a HB.
No more spotting.

Today (19th March) I returned to be told there’s no change, measuring 6wks again, with what today’s nurse called a pulse.!
The only change was that the sac had previously measured 0.66cm and now 0.99cm. But no other change 😢
Today I should be 12weeks, no spotting.

I’m just feeling very very lost, very alone and I’m not being told anything apart from “this might not be a happy pregnancy”

I’m back again next Tuesday 28th March although they tried to fob me off with a date more than two weeks away! - I couldn’t wait and phoned up as soon as I got home today to make it sooner.

Anyone else experienced similar? I’ve read a few older threads but there’s no conclusions to people’s stories.

Happy Mother’s Day

I’m so sorry, I really hope you are ok and get some positive news xx

Thank you @OverdueFirstTimeMama x

I started to spot again two days after my 3rd internal scan (34 days after main bleed and what we thought was miscarriage).

approx 1-2 spots a day on a pad and brown/pinkish blood when I wipe (not red and doesn’t look fresh).

Thought miscarriage was completing but nothing yet.
Don’t know what’s happening at all & zero help from NHS.

Im 37 days after my main bleed (red blood and clots for 12 days).

scan not for another 4 days 😢

I'm so sorry. This is a horrible experience for you. I'll be thinking of you.

I'm so sorry. I would wait to see what the scan says.

Thank you. I’m just really struggling mentally with this. I try and find similar feeds, but none of them actually are ever updated with how the women got on - I can’t find a similar situation where someone has been miscarrying this long! 😢

The waiting is torture and the not knowing what’s happening to your body.

I can accept that it may not be a healthy happy pregnancy - but if not I really want answers so that I can try again soon.

I’m so sorry you are going through this OP, thoughts are with you for Tuesday xx

Hello OP. I'm so sorry you're going through this. I had a similar experience and I can tell you the outcome. I'm afraid it's not positive.

Mine was an IVF pregnancy, and you have an early 7 week scan with your clinic to check everything's OK. We were told at that scan that although they could see a faint flicker of a heartbeat, the pregnancy wasn't viable. Everything was very very small.

We were referred to the EPU, who scanned us two days later and told us the pregnancy was viable, but that we were measuring 2 weeks behind. They refused to give us any indication of the chances of success. I did loads and loads of research online and came to my own conclusions - I knew that the chances of it progressing were extremely slim. It actually made me really cross that the EPU refused to be open and honest with us. I don't know why they do that - maybe it's because the nurses aren't all over the research, or maybe they just don't want to raise/dash hopes.

Anyway, we had 3 weeks of going to and from the EPU until at the last scan the pregnancy had definitely stopped developing and there was no heartbeat. I decided to wait a week to see if I miscarried naturally. Nothing happened so I then booked the surgical management. I started miscarrying the day of my operation in hospital - cramps and bleeding. But I'm really really glad I had the surgery. I was really well looked after and I've had minimal pain and bleeding since (I only had the op last Saturday). I was just shy of 11 weeks, but measuring 6.

I hope that info is helpful to you. I'm sorry I can't tell you anything more comforting. I think I did a lot of my grieving in the weeks between our first scan and the final one. I knew in my heart it wasn't going to have a happy ending.

Take care of yourself, and free to ask me any questions.

@countrypunk Thank you so much for sharing your story and I’m so so sorry for your loss.
I’m day 38 after my first major bleed started and more blood this morning but only wiping - I know this pregnancy is failing but it’s just the torcher of the waiting and the fact the NHS nurses won’t help sooner.

On my last 3 weekly scans there has been no growth, if anything last week I was measuring smaller but again the nurses wouldn’t make a decision or tell me anything.

I know they are only doing their jobs, but the heartache and mental torcher is being dragged out longer than it should - I also want to try again and at 41 it’s prolonging things and I’m very worried.

I hope you’re ok and thank you again @countrypunk for sharing, xxx

@80sGirl I relate. I'm 39 and we've been trying for 3 years now. We started IVF in November.

It's so so difficult, particularly when you feel medical staff aren't being entirely straight with you.

I hope you get a resolution very soon. Xx

Just an update for anyone in the same situation might need advice.

Yday I had another scan, 42 days after I first started to mc. Unfortunately even after two major bleeds in Feb (15th) and this week the pregnancy sac was still there but no heartbeat.

Apparently the NHS need two no HB scans in succession to be able to intervene, but I was lucky I got the nurse that I had back in Feb and she spoke to a consultant who confirmed we could take the next steps to help the mc complete as the pregnancy had been shrinking and HB slowed down last week and stopped this week.

I was given one tablet yday to stop the hormones and 48hrs later I take 4 tablets (under my cheeks to dissolve) to start the bleed again. 😢

The hospital has also booked me in for a scan and MVA on Monday incase the tablets don’t work.

Praying the tablets work for me as I was told the MVA is very distressing, they only give you gas and air and you are not allowed anyone in with you.

Hopefully I can recover well and try again next month, this is mc no.2, but a very complicated one and I wasn’t given any advice from the nurses on each scan, just sent home. The unknown and worry was the worst. It’s been like having 3 mc’s in the space of 40days with the start stop bleeding.

😢

I'm so sorry to hear that. Thinking of you.

I'm so sorry, OP.
I had an MVA in August, and it's not very nice, but I had a midwife holding my hand the whole time, who played music and chatted to me throughout. I was really well looked after- I just wanted to reassure you a bit. However, if the MVA isn't what you want, you can normally opt for surgery. The MVA was right for me as it was all done in 20 minutes and once I'd had some toast and something to drink I was allowed to go home.
Thinking of you. I know this is a horrible situation to be in.

@ANiceBigCupOfTea thank you and I’m so sorry for your loss x

@80sGirl I'm so sorry. Sending you hugs and love.

Is there a reason you'd have to have MVA over surgery? I had surgery and it was as positive an experience as it could have been. Home an hour after the op and minimal pain and bleeding afterwards.

Go easy on yourself. Are you off work? Definitely don't push yourself to go in. You're going through an incredibly emotional and physical experience and you need to be in whatever place makes you feel most comforted and safe.

Lots of love. Xx

I'm so sorry to read this, OP. It's awful.

I was given the MVA meds home to take and 9hours on and they haven’t worked 😢

surgery had to be booked and they didn’t have any slots, so the nurse talked me into the meds with back up local surgery on Monday.

I just want to meds to work, it’s all been going on too long now.😢

ive not been off work @countrypunk as I don’t get paid if I’m not in. I am a supply teacher and we don’t have any rights to sick pay. Today I took a half day off to take the medicine and be at home.

I am off tomorrow and also Monday in case I need the surgery.
Its such a mess 😢😢😢

Meant I was given meds home and MVA booked Monday incase they don’t work - which they aren’t so far.

A surgery date wasn’t available yet.

18 hours after the medication and this morning I think I passed the sac in the toilet.
There has been no cramps, not much blood loss, so I am a bit worried there is still tissue that hasn’t passed. 😢

I’m so sorry @80sGirl Have you got anyone with you?

@YellowHatt No they only gave me the 4 tablets 😢

@YellowHatt Sorry my head is just all over the place, I read your message as if it said “have you got anymore with you?” 🙈

I have my husband with me and he is looking after me, so I am being well looked after. Wr are just so upset this has gone on for over 45 days now. X

No more major bleeding or tissue since the sac passed this morning. I was expecting more blood etc as that is what I was told to expect - but with bleeding since Feb 15th maybe there wasn’t much more to come away but the pregnancy sac. 😢

Update. Hopefully third time lucky now.
A positive test on Friday & Saturday after a few months of pure torture.
Will contact EPU this week to get a 6/7wk scan next week hopefully to check on everything.
lower abdominal discomfort at times and right back and hip pain has come on very bad :( Hoping all is ok x

@80sGirl sorry for your losses, and hope you have better luck this time

I can sort of relate with a long winded miscarriage, only mine didn’t have a hb so I didn’t have the unsure wait only type ‘how long until I miscarry, how long until it’s over wait’. It was last spring. I went for a scan at 9 weeks to find out there was no hb and it had stopped growing a few weeks before. It then took two weeks from the scan to start bleeding and a few days to then ‘miscarry some of it’. Three weeks later I still tested positive, it was an incomplete miscarriage - about 5 days later after that I opted for the surgery because I needed it to end after 7 weeks and 2 days since knowing there was no hb.

During all that I went to the epu a few times. I also caught covid which delayed being scanned again. I’m only putting this because many are straightforward miscarriages, unfortunately some are long winded.

I now have a 9 week old son. I had him exactly 1 year to the day of that private scan.

Congratulations @80sGirl - wishing you all the best for this pregnancy. I also had a long drawn out miscarriage (different to yours and I won't bore you with the details) but the psychological impact is quite horrible isn't it. And no-one you deal with seems to understand that having a miscarriage for months at a time takes a huge toll.