Until tomorrow morning...Easy at home 20DPO.. opinions please

[Anon1983fox]

Hey,
I've had a lot of losses in the past and so I understand that a "line is a line".. doesn't always work out.

Has anyone experience with the Easy at Home brand please? I had dark lines on a FRER a few days ago.

This was 5pm urine but I'm pretty sure if I'm 5 weeks pregnant that the line should be showing darker and at any time of day. Nothing to compare it with yet but whilst I sit anxiously for tomorrow... has anyone had similar looking lines? (Sometimes cheapies take a while to go dark.. I dunno..) Or maybe it's starting to get lighter and hcg dropping Xx

(I meant to say in previous comment that implantation can take 24 hours from blastocyst stage but may also take a little longer.)

Notwithstanding, the tracking all becomes rather moot if you don’t know the date of ovulation. I am cautiously optimistic for you OP and think it might be alright. 💐

Thanks @Shalley and I'm so grateful for your knowledge here! It's the maths with my dates that's baffling me tho.. as I have test points in time.

Last sex day = 17th Dec
First v faint line = 27th Dec

So I worked out the absolute latest I could have ovulated was 21st Dec...as the sperm wouldn't survive past that point from 17th?
Therefore the absolute earliest it would show on the test would be 6DPO which was 27th Dec.

But that all seems way too optimistic and 6DPO on a cheapy is almost impossible? Even so.. it still makes me 6 weeks rather than 5 weeks as per scan. Xx

OP, with the greatest of respect, fertility and pregnancy are not an exact science in terms of dates, timing, tests, HCG levels, etc, in the way you seem to think it is. This is what I tried to convey previously, and is why recurrent testing is not sensible as none of this is an exact science. There are plenty of stories like yours which have ended in a viable pregnancy, and plenty that haven't, you can't know which way yours will land at this point (in the same way you can't with any early stage pregnancy - you are no different to others, you just happen to have done a lot of tests and have had two scans when most people wouldn't, giving you more to read into).

For your own well-being I would really try to just take the factual evidence you have which is that you have a test and scan confirming you are currently pregnant. Nothing can tell you what the future holds in terms of this pregnancy so trying to read into everything to get assurance re viability or confirm your worries re miscarriage is not sensible.

Try to take each day as it comes. I have found the mantra 'today I'm pregnant' helpful in the past. Saying this as someone who has been through a lot of fertility treatment and loss, so I do understand. Hope all works out well for you.

My dates were out and I measured 5w5 with yolk sac and no pole. Went back at 6w4 and heartbeat was there!

I'm 35 weeks now so it was fine..try not to overthink it. Your pregnant now and that's all you have to go with until told otherwise x

6DPO on a cheapy is almost impossible?

It is actually impossible. Read my PP! 😄

Just wondered how you are OP?
just had my early scan (meant to be 6w3D)
inconclusive scan so yolk sack but no embryo. Measuring at 5+4.
have to go back in two weeks so just stuck in limbo until then.
when is your next scan? I hope you’re doing as ok as can be expected.

Hi @Mooey89 I'm sorry to hear that, hope you're ok x

We've had a bit of confirmation.. I went for another scan 4 days after the one that said it had grown/ yolk could be seen (but still 6 days behind). Drove myself crazy a few days afterwards and just felt that I needed to track it sooner. I don't know why people get so uppity on Mumsnet for waiting 2 weeks for scans.. leaning on the "NHS advises it". Great.. but we still can have a peak if we want to.
In my case, it's really helped to process as the scab 4 days later showed zero growth. Ive known all along since the pregnancy tests were lighter than they should be at 4 weeks.

I do hope you have better luck, and that you ovulated late and everything else everyone suggests might happen on these threads. Xx

Hi I'm just updating the thread as promised. Still on the rollercoaster... I'm still expecting to miscarry and still can tag this all the way back to the pregnancy tests being light at 4 weeks and slow to progress.

I'm measuring 6 weeks 1 on a hospital scan. I'm about 7 weeks 2 by ovulation/LMP. Yolk and fetal pole seen, no heartbeat. CRL 3mm.

Hi, I have been thinking about you. One of the reason scans are recommended to be spaced out by a fortnight, especially in the early days, is due to measurement error. The size being measured at this stage is so tiny.

Your scan on the 15th measured four weeks, and your scan today, two weeks later, measured six weeks and one day. That is two weeks of growth, in two weeks. I am still holding hope for you 🤍

OP, I can't believe this is still going on for you. Are the hospital being clear about the chances of this pregnancy being successful? Presumably there becomes a point where they will offer you options to help resolve the pregnancy?

Don't want to give any false hope but it does sound like things are progressing as they should be up until now?
In 2 weeks you've had proportionate growth and a yolk sac and fetal pole have developed.
Has anyone said to you that the pregnancy does not seem viable?

What are the next steps? A follow up in another couple of weeks

Thinking of you, what have the hospital said about growth but a week behind what it should be? Are they positive?

Thanks @Strictlymad , yes they were more hopeful than me. I'm not hopeful at all.. I think it must be a nailed on pending MMC. Slow progression and I'm sure of dates... it doesn't make any other sense than chromonsal issues.
They said they're governed to guidelines and so can only say what's on the scan today and they don't see a cause for concern. They're scanning me in a week's time to compare growth and look for heartbeat x

@TheQuietestSpace I know right, absolute torture. I just want to move on.. I've even got a frozen embryo transfer (this was natural pregnancy but I have younger embryos in freezer), booked in for march! I don't want it to get bigger if it's inevitably not viable, as it will be more painful for me to pass when it goes.

@sel2223 thanks...I kind of disagree tho as if it was progressing as it should be, it should have measured around 7 weeks 1 yesterday.

The other bizarre one was that I went for my follow up private scan on the morning. That sonographer measured it completely different to the afternoon. She said nailed on pending miscarriage and not viable!
Measured sac at 12mm mean measurement... CRL 1.7mm and dated 5 weeks.
That's bizarre, as my scan last week dated as 5 weeks 3!
So she phoned the hospital to ask them to help medical manage... That's when I went for the scan in the afternoon.
Measured 12mm mean sac and CRL 3mm. Dated 6+1

So on the morning told a miscarriage... The afternoon told it's fine and see you in a week

Have you had three private scans now and two NHS? I get it because I was absolutely the same with anxiety and private scans etc, but it seems to me as though the private sonographer is muddying the waters both in their method of measuring (in comparison to the NHS) and in being so black and white about what they’re saying - it seems a little unhelpful?

Is your next scan with the NHS?

I’m sorry if I’ve misinterpreted your posts and again I really am hoping all will be okay for you.

@Shalley yea... it's all a bit of a bizarre set of results really. I can't compare the 2 NHS as it's different hospitals. So the one next Wednesday counts the most as it's comparative to the same machine. I've dipped between the private and NHS due to referrals from the private as they were so concerned about ectopic, then miscarriage.

The story is:

Private scan 1
Measured 4 weeks
Referred me to hospital with suspected ectopic.
(Should have been 5 weeks 3 days by ovulation/ positive pregnancy test)

Led me to book in at EPU hospital due to ectopic.
NHS scan 1
Measured 5 weeks 3 days... 6 days after private scan
Yolk sac seen

Private Scan 2
Totally different private clinic, 4 days after NHS scan. I freaked out, couldn't wait and wanted to see if growth.
Measured 5 weeks 3 so presumed pending miscarriage as 0 growth

Private scan 3
(2 weeks after original scan that measured 4 weeks)

Measured 5 weeks 0 days and referred to hospital that same day. Nailed on miscarriage she said.
Found it odd that she also saw a yolk sac and a fetal pole. But she is an advanced sonographer and is certain I'll miscarry.
CRL = 1.7mm and sac mean 12mm

NHS scan 2
The same day as private scan above.
Measured 6 weeks 1 day
Yolk sac and fetal pole seen. No heartbeat.
CRL = 3mm and sac mean 12mm
Back in a week.

Hi OP, this proves how changeable measurements can be in the early stages because the embryo is so small.

So both private and NHS got the measurements of your gestational sac right, as it's larger at 12mm. But they have differences in the embryo CRL - because it's so small, a pixel left or right can affect the measurement and therefore dating.

I do think you need to stick with the same EPU and private scan place so you're not waiting so much extra time, as each place can only reference the scans they took, not someone else's. And they always need at least a week between scans to confirm non-viability. The number of tests and scans isn't helping you get a definitive answer, and causing more confusion and anxiety, so you are better off just sticking with EPU from now on. In future, you're better of confirming your pregnancy with a test and then just going to EPU for an early scan at 6 weeks (which they'll do with recurrent MC) - because then you'll have more definitive answers or a fixed plan of action without the additional expense and anxiety.

As you know you can get dye stealers on pregnancy tests and still be undergoing a MC, so they offer false hope. My embryo stopped growing at 6+ weeks but even at 8 weeks, after my MC, I had dye stealers for a while until they faded.

@JurassicParkaha thanks very much for your response. Yes.. both sacs measured 12mm, 6+1

Even tho that means I'm still a week behind, I'm a tiny bit hopeful that the CRL is just too difficult to measure or it will catch up.

The hospital scan I went to wed afternoon was the EPU and I went to it, not to confuse scans... But because I was referred there from the private.

That concludes the private scans. I'm going back to the epu for the follow up on Wednesday.

Xx

I had similar experience at a private scan unfortunately :( they did a scan and said there's no fetal pole and they were sure id miscarry. When I was referred to epu the same day the sonographer asked if we had a photo of the scan and we did. He pointed out the fetal pole and said it was right there , he then scanned and checked himself and yes it was there😅

Yes you are right. I do think it's silly when people say a line is a line because I've tracked 5 mc using these exact tests.
With my successful pregnancy they never got properly dark though (same brand) so maybe adjust expectations on the infamous dye stealer. I personally never got one.
Also genuinely testing every other day is enough, try to limit yourself as every day is too much, you need longer to compare lines.
My advice is to contact EPU and see if they can scan you early to help pass the time. First tri after miscarriage absolutely sucks.

@Anon1983fox how's it going?

Just wondered how you’re doing OP?

Hey @Itonlytakesone and @Mooey89 how are you? I'm still in the horrid limbo but one more night. It's my hospital scan tomorrow morning so they can compare last week. I'll let you know how it goes... I'm not hopeful tho xx

@Anon1983fox at least you'll know one way or the other tomorrow then make a plan. I'll check here tomorrow to see how you got on.

I'm waiting for my first mega period post chemical (slightly scared 😱) so not great 😵‍💫