Shocked at difference and errors between NHS and private scans!

[Squicklesmith]

I’m about 7 weeks and had an early scan last week due to spotting. They said it was too early to see much so wanted me back yesterday to check for progress.

Went for a private reassurance scan Sunday and saw a lovely little healthy baby measuring about 6.2 mm and were very lucky to see and hear the heartbeat 🥰

yesterday went back to the hospital for them to say there was no progress since their last scan (measured about 2.6mm) and no heartbeat could be found. They said at this stage they would offer medication to expel the no longer viable pregnancy!

we obviously challenged based on what we’d seen 3 days earlier and they had no explanation but agreed to rescan next week and delay any action till then. They also advised us not o have any more private scans as they would only refer us back to them if it was bad news

we ignored this and managed to get another private scan yesterday as we needed to know one way or the other (fully expecting it to be bad news)

private scan once again showed grown (now 8.2 mm, and we again saw and heard the heartbeat! I told her what had happened and asked her to check and confirm there’s no way it could be a mistake etc! She even took my pulse while listening to baby’s heartbeat to confirm they were different

so obviously we are very relieved but also very angry! If it wasn’t for our first reassurance scan on Sunday. . . I would have believed the MHS and taken the medication to expel a perfectly viable pregnancy!

im due back at the hospital Thursday but what if they still can’t see my perfectly healthy baby?! In their eyes I’m no longer pregnant? But my little Squickle is fluttering and growing away like a trooper!

has anyone else heard of such craziness????

It’s not necessarily down to errors. But down to private having better equipment I’m afraid!

I'm sorry for the poor experience with the NHS OP, I had a very traumatic labour and even worse (lack of) antenatal and post natal care. I would stick to private if your insurance covers it.

Wow!! That is actually really scary. So happy for you that you had a private scan. Congratulations on your pregnancy!

Hi @Squicklesmith
I have had a similar kind of thing happen to me but not quite to that extent.

I went for a private scan on sunday, again for reassurance due to previous MC. Was told i measured around 5 and half weeks which is about right but they could and also i could, clearly see the pregnancy sac and yolk sac. This was just a normal ultrasound on my tummy.

Had my early scan with the NHS yesterday, so only 3 days later but enough for me to feel some growth should of been seen and they couldn't even see the yolk sac. I immediately started to panic and think the worse. They then did a transvaginal scan and were able to see what they believed was a fetal pole and some flickering ( potentially the heartbeat) The pictures were so so unclear.

I couldn't quite get my head around the fact that i saw less on the NHS one when i had seen it so so clearly on my private one.

I have my private scan rebooked for a couple of weeks.
I also believe this must be down to the private clinics having better equipment

Gosh I can’t believe this @Squicklesmith
I had the smallest amount of bleeding on Monday and had a scan at the hospital Tuesday. They said for how far along I thought I was ( 5+3 that day) there should be a viable sack and there wasn’t, proceeding to act very negative as though there’s no baby. HCG was at 170 and going back today for another blood test to see if it’s lowered as they expect. Meanwhile taking Preg tests every morning and the lines getting stronger and after speaking to ladies on here with my ovulation test dates etc I could just be earlier than I thought and therefore wouldn’t see the sac. It may just be wishful thinking from me but your post gives me hope they were wrong. Have a private scan booked in for next Sunday I was going to cancel but if HCG hasn’t dropped after todays bloods today maybe I won’t.
Wishing you the healthiest pregnancy xx

I couldn't quite get my head around the fact that i saw less on the NHS one when i had seen it so so clearly on my private one.

That's the equipment, you can only interpret what you can see.

OP

Take any printout or scan results they have given you.

Hands down better equipment. I'm a bigger girl, size 18 and during my pregnancy the NSH scans were awful, one dug that deep on me she tore and broke and bruised the skin. I was fuming. I paid for private scans throughout and everyone was amazing and it was down to the equipment. I even lost two stone in weight during my pregnancy! Weighted less after birth than going in! 16st to 14st! So honestly the equipment was awful. and my notes would always say that it was poor visibility etc

On the other hand my NHS (fairly recent) was pretty good. Let's not tar every bit of the country as bad as yours must be.

Take care. There are many who previously have been told that there was no heartbeat and the pregnancy medically terminated.

There’s a reason scans aren’t done routinely before 12 weeks, things are so small and there’s too much margin for error.

the nhs hospital I went to had very advanced equipment. Private isn’t always better, nhs isn’t always better.

take care and I hope your pregnancy is viable.

Update: bloods risen to 374 today (Thursday) from 171 on Tuesday. More bloods and another scan Saturday 8am. Please cross everything bloods have doubled ( or more ) and they can see something this time 🙏

Sorry you're right I shouldn't, I've just had way too many bad experiences with the NHS. I think it's where I stay though, they're the worst.