gestational sac grow without an embryo?

[MelNIk]

Hi everyone,
I wanted to share what's been happening and get some thoughts from those who may have gone through something similar. On Sunday, I started spotting, and of course, I freaked out and ended up going to A&E to make sure everything was okay. I had a transvaginal ultrasound, and the doctor told me that my pregnancy might not be viable because there was no visible embryo. She mentioned that at this stage, an embryo should be seen on the ultrasound, and that my last period started on 12/10/24.
The doctor asked me to return in a week for another scan to confirm if the pregnancy has ended, but she didn’t sound very optimistic.
I’m just wondering if anyone has experienced anything like this and if there’s still hope? Maybe even a Christmas miracle? Any positive stories or advice would be so appreciated right now.
Thank you in advance for your support!

Were you physically tracking ovulation? If you have long and/or irregular cycles then LMP won't be accurate for you.

I don't want to give you any false hope but, at my first scan, I would have been 8+2 going from my LMP but baby only measured 6+1 so over 2 weeks difference! I'm now 24 weeks pregnant and everything is going well - the measurements caught up a bit and she's now consistently 10 days behind LMP

If you're actually less than 6 weeks pregnant then it is perfectly feasible that there isn't an embryo yet.
Normally the gestational sac appears just after 5 weeks, then the yolk sac and fetal pole after that. The embryo and HB is normally 6-7 weeks.

Good luck.

No I wasn't tracking the ovulation so there is a small chance that I'm less than 6 weeks pregnant fingers crossed . Thank you for your help I appreciate it:)

Hello! I had almost exactly the same on Monday. My LMP is 11/10 so a day ahead of you. Had spotting, went to EPU and the scan showed a gestational sac,yolk sac but no embryo - I was measuring 6 weeks 1 day instead of 7w 3 days. My sonographer wasn't worried at all and asked me to come back in 2 weeks as thought it was just too soon to see anything, but said embryos grow quickly. 1mm a day so it can all change in a few days. I too am worried but have read a lot of stories online that measurements at this stage are so small, even 1 pixel difference on screen could means weeks difference. I'm surprised the dr was so negative tbh. Some embryos are slow growers but catch up in a few weeks so all hope is not lost! Wait for your next scan and don't assume the worst yet. That's what I'm doing as I wait for my re-scan. Wishing you good news next week!

I would think if you had a vaginally scan they'd be able to see an embryo if there was going to be one? I recently had a scan at 6+2 and they could see the embryo and heartbeat and that was just a standard abdominal scan.

Sorry that I couldn't be more positive but I think you also need to prepare yourself.

The OP has already had bad news and is aware the slim chances, she doesn't need people sticking the boot in. That's why she's asked for hope. It's great that you saw an embryo and heartbeat at 6w2d but nhs guidelines say a fetal pole is most commonly seen 6-7 weeks and there's +/- 5 days variance on US scans. If you can't be positive it's best to not say anything that will make someone already struggling feel worse - not on the Pregnancy Boards.

@houwseevryweekend Thank you so much ! I appreciate it and reading your post gave me a hope ! I wish you all the best too thank you

I'm sorry that you're going through this, it's stressful waiting for results.

They can't be sure when you might have conceived without taking a second ultrasound to confirm, so you just have to wait to see what that reveals. I know that is easier said than done but it won't benefit you to be upset about it in advance. Right now you're pregnant, you have that.

One thing I would do is get an hcg blood test to see what your hcg levels are and then get one again the day of your ultrasound so these can be compared.

That does give more information for two reasons. One, they can tell roughly at what hcg threshold they should be able to see various features in an ultrasound and two, they can compare the changes to see how this tracks over time and if it is in line with the stage of pregnancy expected.

Knowledge is power and having that extra information might help.

Wishing you the best of luck.

Actually every day makes a huge difference in early pregnancy. If OP is indeed less than 6 weeks then that is totally normal that there wouldn't be an embryo and heartbeat yet.

The OP already knows she needs to be prepared that this could go either way.

Also very normal to not be able to see much/anything with an abdominal scan so early, so please don't let that poster make you feel bad with their insensitive comment. Wishing you the best of luck OP xx

If you weren’t tracking there’s a chance you could be fewer weeks than you thought. How long are your cycles usually and when did you get a positive pregnancy test? You wouldn’t usually get a positive test before 3.5 weeks so that will give you an indication.

I did the pregnancy test on 18th November and it indicated that I was around 1 to 2 weeks .my cycles are 28 on average but I can sometimes be late couple of days

@MelNIk the earliest you can get a 1-2 week pregnancy test is at 3 weeks pregnant from your LMP (mine was 3w2d). So if you got this result on 18 Nov, it would make you between 5-6 weeks pregnant at your scan (3 weeks at 18 Nov + 2ish weeks till your first scan). Which is where you're measuring on the scan and that can definitely be too early to see anything. You must have ovulated or implanted very late into your cycle and it must have been longer than 28 days this time - as you got your BFP (1-2 weeks) over 5 weeks after your period start date. Based on what you've said I don't think LMP is a good calculation to use and your scan measurements are likely more accurate, so there is hope.