8 week scan showed empty sack but blood test said still pregnant... when will i miscarry?

[Milliemuffin]

Due to a slight bleed the other night i had an internal examination yesterday at the hospital and they said all was ok, def still pregnant, bleed was probably due to possible vaginal infection but baby as far as they could tell was ok. Had emergency scan today which showed the sack just contained fluid, no baby so def no heartbeat and only measured 5 weeks however last period was 3rd Jan 09 and baby was conceived 16th jan so know 100% without a doubt we should be 8 weeks. So now I just have to wait to miscarry. Anyone ever experienced anything like this?

I'm so sorry that you are going through this.

In my first pregnancy I had no idea anything was wrong until my routine scan at 13 weeks which showed a small sac and no baby. Basically, the baby had not developed past a few weeks, but the placenta etc had kept going which means the hormone levels in your blood look normal.

It could be days, or it could be weeks before you miscarry tbh. Did the hospital not offer you the choice of what to do ?

OK, I'm not an expert on this, but I think the only answer is: no-one can know for sure.

I miscarried at six weeks. First sign was dropping HCG levels - I started bleeding about 2-3 days later.

But I know many women who have not found out till their 12 week scan that they lost the baby weeks before. Sometimes your body does keep thinking it's pregnant even though the baby has already died and been reabsorbed.

Did the hospital check your HCG levels? Did they discuss with you the options of waiting or having a D&C?

So very, very sorry you are going through this. I know how awful it is.

I don't have any answers, just wanted to say how sorry I am that this happened.

I had exactly the same experience as cmotdibbler at 13 weeks. And have sadly had 2 other miscarriages and I am certain the hospital should offer you the choice of what to do.

My hospital offered me a 'natural' option (wait til it happens) which can take weeks to be honest, surgical (ERPC), or the option of taking a pill (I think!) which moves things on more quickly)-you then return to hsopital to be checked and monitored.

I opted for the ERPC each time, purely because it meant nothing was prolonged and I could get back to 'normal' sooner. I also have other DCs to think of. But it truly is up to you. Often the case is that the emotions still need time to heal long after the body has returned to normal.

There is no easy choice, each option has pros and cons but nonetheless it is not easy. I am truly sorry that you are going through this and hope you are able to make the right choice for you. x

Oh I'm so sorry - I had the same thing but didn't find out until my 11 week scan. I then had to wait another week for them to scan again before they would do the ERPC but by then I'd started to miscarry but I was 13 weeks by then. They reckoned the baby had died at 8 week though so my body carried on thinking it was pregnant for quite a while longer.

If you're only 8 weeks, I'd book yourself for the ERPC or you could be waiting for some time for it to happen naturally.

You poor thing - it's absolutely horrible.

Have some nonMN brackets (((Milliemum)

You poor thing, have no experience of this but couldn't read and not post. Hope you get some answers soon.

I am so sorry - I had a similar experience in that I started bleeding at 12 weeks - went for a scan and there was not much to be seen - the pregnancy had failed weeks earlier. That was the first I knew that a pregnancy test could show up positive for weeks after the baby dies. It's very upsetting to think that you and your body carried on thinking you were pregnant when you weren't any more.

I hope this doesn't come across as insensitive but you may be extra fertile after this and get pregnant again quite quickly if you wish to, and there is no reason to worry that the same thing might happen again. I did and my son is now a very healthy six month old.

Millie I am going through a very similar experience to yours. Last period started 4th Jan 2009, ovulated a couple of weeks later, should be 7 weeks 5 days today.

But had a bit of bleeding on Monday night, scan on Wednesday showed a sac sized for 5 weeks. They didn't say whether or not it was actually empty, guess that was irrelevant as it hadn't developed for over 2 weeks.

Same as you I was just sent home to wait to miscarry. I asked about surgical/medical intervention and was told the sac was so small that they couldn't guarantee getting it during an ERPC. I assume this was also the case for you as your sac was also sized for 5 weeks.

This is my first pregnancy and I don't know what's going to happen but from what I gather it varies from person to person. You/I could bleed for a week to maybe three or four weeks at a slowish rate or get a sudden gush and know that it was gone.

I have been bleeding at light period levels since Monday, with some cramps through the week and some pain in that area today. My plan is to stay at home for a few days to see what it does, not knowing whether I'm going to have a sudden heavy bleed.

Do you have a date for another scan in ten days to a fortnight to check how it's gone? I think you should have. If your womb isn't clear at that time obviously further options will be discussed at the hospital, but I would think the likelihood is that at this early stage it will hopefully pass naturally without excessive bleeding.

They told me at the EPU to contact them if the bleeding is unmanageable. Other than that I'm afraid it seems to be a case of waiting it out at home with painkillers and sanitary towels.

As I say this is my first pregnancy so what I say is based just on what has happened to me this week, which sounds so weirdly similar to you.

My sympathies.

Hi all, many thanks for your messages. I am booked in for another scan in 3 weeks time as the doctor seemed to think i'd just got my dates wrong but we know we haven't. The doc seemed to think I'd just pass it naturally, unless it's still there at the next scan then we'll probably discuss what happens next. We are desperate to try for another so I just want things to happen asap but in the safest way. I'm trying to see it that it means I can spoil my 19month old boy for a bit longer so am looking at the positives. At least i found out at 8 weeks and not 12.
Altagloria - can't believe we're going through the same thing at the same time!
Keep in touch xxx

Hi
I am so sorry this has happened to you. I had a very similar experience but didn't find out until I should have been 13 weeks. I was offered all the options mentioned above-pessary (acts in the same way as a termination) and a D&C and then the "natural" way, i.e. wait for your body to "expel". The hospital made the "natural" way sound best, and I opted for that, but did find it VERY traumatic in the end. I don't know if that was because my body had continued to grow everything apart from the baby, so it was very painful and involved contractions etc. After it was all over I felt angry that I'd had to go through what felt like a double trauma (baby was a BIG surprise and very much wanted-we had been an "infertile couple up til this point) of first losing the baby and then the awful stuff that I'd had to deal with at home with my husband via the natural method... I won't go into details, but I would advise lots of support and discussing things more with the hospital, so that you have as much information as possible at this difficult time. I felt a bit dumped by the professionals, but could probably have been more assertive.
In keeping with what someone else said, you may get pregnant quite quickly again (if you can deal with the "what if's") and a successful pregnancy has in my case at least, soothed the sorrow from that time.
Good luck and sorry again.

Yes you really just have to look at the positives... I'm telling myself it's ok as I got pregnant the first month of trying so if my next one is just as quick and is successful, it's really just like it took me three or four months to get pregnant which is what I would have thought it would take anyway...

Except I won't be able to forget how awful this week was. But it was an early loss and better to happen at 7-8 weeks than later on.

I think the natural mc will be ok given that you're only 8 weeks and the sac was only 5 weeks. A couple of weeks longer at this stage makes a big difference.

Like you we're going to try again as soon as we can, I don't even want to wait for my next period. It's very reassuring to read on this site about the experiences of so many women who've had mcs and gone on to have healthy pregnancies. I don't know how I'd have got through this without it!

I hope your body sorts itself out as quickly and painlessly as possible!

Likewise the same for you! Do keep in touch and let me know how you're getting on. It was also our first month of trying so another positive is that we get more practice which i know my boyfriend will be happy about! I'm so glad I started this post, you really do feel so alone but it makes a world of difference knowing that others have gone through and are going through the same in amazingly similar circumstances!! Xx

I went through the same thing last year and went for the pessaries option. We have just found out I'm pregnant again so fingers crossed this time!

Keep positive. It does get easier but the baby that never was will always be with you. I still wonder "what if" but console myself that it happened for a good reason. I hope that you feel better soon chick x

You're not the only person going through this at all - I think it is more common that people realise,sadly

I should be nearly 9 weeks now, but had a scan at 7 weeks as is normal with an IVF pregnancy. There was no baby there, just a pregnancy sac measuring about 5.5 weeks. I've had blood tests since then, and my HCG levels aren't dropping yet, but I don't feel pregnant any more, I have fewer symptoms, and am just waiting to miscarry I guess. As the scan and blood tests were all done privately I'll have to find my own way around the NHS if I don't miscarry naturally I suppose. Not the greatest start to the year for any of us.

It's nice to know I'm not alone but sad to know that so many of us are going through it. Please all keep me updated and I'll do the same. Xx

Hi all, how you doing? still no bleeding, lots of cramping and still feeling very alone, my mum sent me a very short email saying 'u ok' this morning which was nice, nice that she's thinking of me. short but to the point. write soon, hope you're all ok xx

reading this is really horrid for you both - hope you're ok though (as ok as you can be)

Thoughts are with you x

where are you all from? i don't even know if this site is english or american? i'm from hertfordshire in england. xx

I had a missed miscarriage in December 05 and found out at the 12 week scan. Because I had fibroids I couldn't have a D&C so first of all waited a few days and was then given tablets at the hospital. The next day I passed my little bean. The pain was like a very bad period pain. When I found out I'd had a mmc I got hold of a book by Professor Lesley Regan : Miscarriage: What Every Woman Needs to Know. Found this very useful and from this book had the idea to have the embryo analysed when I passed it. DH then rushed it to The Doctors' Lab - I'm based in London. This showed that the embryo had an abnormal chromosome but didn't indicate any greater likelihood of miscarriage other than age related. I found this comforting - to be able to get some useful info from a horrible event. We had a dd who is 18 months old now. Best of luck to you both.

Hi there, I'm going through something very similar right now too.
I had a private scan yesterday when I was 8 weeks exactly. I haven't had any bleeding and my pregnancy symptoms have remained pretty constant. I am absolutely certain of my dates.
The only thing to be seen at the scan was a tiny empty gestational sac, no yolk sac and no fetal pole. I think it measured between 4-5 weeks. I had hCg bloods done this morning and it came back as 100,000 which is just right for my dates. Having them done again on Fri morning to see what its doing.
Am trying not to get my hopes up... had an internal scan too just to be sure so I'm sure he can't have missed anything.

Onlyaphase... what sort of level was your hCg when it was tested? Was it right for your dates? Has it just remained completely level from the start of testing? Sorry too many questions.
Millie, have you had bloods done?
Will be thinking of you both. I'm in Hampshire (UK) x

Hi, I did have bloods done when I was in hospital last Thursday and have been waiting for the hospital to ring but they haven't so going to ring them now...

They've emailed the results to my docs so i have to ring them 'in a couple of hours'...

I'm sorry to see your news. Sadly I have had this experience too. I went for a scan at 7+5 and got told the sac was measuring about 5.5 weeks and I was rock solid on my dates.

I had 2 sets of blood taken 3 days apart which showed my HCG levels were increasing but very, very slowly.

I accepted at that point (it was a Saturday) that the pg was lost and started to bleed the following Monday at 8+5. A week later I had the main mc at nearly 10 weeks.

I'm glad I miscarried naturally as I hate hospitals and am scared of being put under so I wouldn't have wanted a procedure, but a lot of people prefer the ERPC route as its over more quickly and you tend to bleed less.

Remember that early pg loss is very common so there are no reasosn why this should happen to you again, but you should give yourself time to grieve and come to terms with what has happened.

x

Hi girls, i've had quite a bit of cramping last couple of days and still only traces of blood, did you get cramping throughout or is it a sign things are going to happen soonish as in within the next week? i'm hoping... xx

Difficult to say Millie as everyone is different.

I am now on day 11 of bleeding but it looks like it's nearly stopped - the thing is it never even got as heavy as a period and the only day I had to take painkillers for cramps was last Friday. I've hardly had any cramps since then. I'm still expecting a sudden obvious heavy bleed but it may well not be like that, I've heard of people bleeding fairly lightly for a while and the scan showing that they have passed everything.

You really just have to take it as it comes until the scan when you'll know if it's all gone or not. Mine's on Monday so I hope I get the all clear then.

Horrible isn't it, bad enough having an mc without this waiting and not knowing what's going to come out of you or when it's going to be over.