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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Pregnant after MMC,don't know whether to pay for an early scan?

17 replies

mumcah · 14/09/2009 14:48

I had a MMC in may @9 weeks.The pregnancy did not progress from 5 weeks and I had a scan after some spotting.

I'm now pregnant again and wondering whether to pay for a private scan or not.I'm 6 and a half weeks and think maybe going for a scan sometime after 7 weeks may put my mind at rest.

Any thoughts or experiences?

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blondieminx · 14/09/2009 14:53

Sorry to hear about your MMC. Ask your GP to refer you to your Early Pregnancy Unit and hopefully they will scan you for free! Congratulations and I hope this time things work out for you. Come over and join us on the Pregnancy after Miscarriage Knicker Checkers thread if you like, we're all in the same boat!

LittleOneMum · 14/09/2009 14:55

I am in exactly the same boat and have decided to have one next week (at 7 weeks). TOTALLY worth it in my boat.

EldonAve · 14/09/2009 14:59

See if you can get it for free on the NHS
Lots of EPUs will let you self refer
www.earlypregnancy.org.uk/FindUs1.asp

ponderingthefuture · 14/09/2009 14:59

IMO you should wait until at least 8/9 weeks. I had several early miscarriages and paid for an early scan when I got pregnant last August. I purposely left it until I was 7 weeks but no hb was detected. A repeat scan a week later was recommended.

I decided to leave it until the 12 week scan where a hb was present, but I was only 10 weeks. I'd put myself through a lot of anguish unnecessarily.

Even if you are really sure of your dates I wouldn't recommend it.

Good luck with this pregnancy.

VivClicquot · 14/09/2009 15:02

I am also in exactly the same boat - had an MMC in July and have just found out I am pregnant again.

The first thing I did after getting the positive test last week was to call the Emergency Gynae Unit where I had my ERPC.

They called me in for a blood test on Friday to check that it was indeed a new pregnancy, and not just leftover hormones from the last one. Now we know for sure that it is, they've booked me in for a scan in two weeks time.

TBH - I would have paid for a private scan if the EGU hadn't done this, but as blondieminx says, it's definitely worth calling your local unit, explaining your history and seeing if they will see you.

HeadFairy · 14/09/2009 15:04

I would go for one too, however do check to see if you can get one on the NHS first, and if you can bear it, wait until you are 8 weeks. Seeing a heartbeat at 8 weeks means the pregnancy is much more viable than even one week earlier. It's very reassuring when you're going through what can be very stressful to know you're through quite a big hurdle.

Original poster

mumcah · 14/09/2009 19:05

My GP would not refer me to the EPU as I haven't had recurrent miscarriages.Think I will leave it til 8 weeks and see how I feel then.
I'm feeling really rough today which is reassuring as last time I had no symptoms.Not that that means everything is ok!thanks for your advice and experiences.

OP posts:

echofalls · 14/09/2009 19:09

I had a mc at 8 weeks, on my next pregnancy I had a scan at 6weeks 6 days at the EPU. I wasn't offered another scan for the rest of my pregnancy, so it left me worrying that the baby had formed correctly. It really was just a small splodge on the screen. With my next pregnancy I just had my scan at the usual time (12 weeks here) and i felt more at ease with this.

good luck

QuietlyTTC · 17/09/2009 19:23

Check if you can self refer to your EPU - at our nearest one you just show up and wait

With my last pg I waited til 10 weeks before I could face a scan and it was bad news
This time the gynae said I should go at 6-7 weeks

alana39 · 18/09/2009 09:26

If you can't self-refer to your nearest EPU there might be other units you could go to (at least if you live in/near a city, otherwise this might be useless advice, sorry).

littlemiss26 · 18/09/2009 09:35

congrats on being pregnant again! i had a mmc - almost exactly the same as you, it grew to 6 weeks and i started bleeding at 9.5 weeks. when i got pregnant again i was refused an early scan at EPU so i paid £100 for a scan at 8 weeks - HB present everything great, but miscarried 3 days later. the scan in my experience wasn't worth it, but that is my experience. I personally wouldn't trust any scan before 12 weeks now!!

having said all that i'm pregnant again 7.5 weeks and have a scan at EPU tommorrow. I'm going because its free but i'm not getting worked up about it - experience tells me its not worth it. I definately wouldn't pay for an early scan again! good luck whatever you decide

MiniMarmite · 18/09/2009 10:51

Hi Pondering

Sorry about your MMC and congratulations on your new pregnancy.

I had an MMC at 10 weeks 2 years ago - found out that the baby had died at 6.5 weeks at an early scan I paid for because I was worried.

My second pregnancy felt very different but I still felt the need to have an early scan for reassurance so I had one at 8 weeks. It put my mind at rest a bit (although I have to say that I was still quite nervous until after the 22 week scan). As littlemiss says, unfortunately it is still very possible to miscarry. I think I just saw it as helping me get through a few more days. One word of warning though, I was absolutely petrified before each of my scans.

I now have a one year old DS and have just found out that I am pregnant again. DH and I have agreed that we will have an early scan again because, despite having our gorgeous little man safely with us, we still feel nervous!

Ask your midwife if she can refer you. I turned up to my booking appointment with my 8 weeks scan and the midwife said she would have referred me if I had seen her first.

Good luck

MiniMarmite · 18/09/2009 10:52

sorry, I mean hi Mumcah!

QTPie · 18/09/2009 15:28

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

Meglet · 18/09/2009 15:34

I MC at 6 weeks almost 2 years ago. I was pg again very soon and had some spotting and paid for a 8 week scan at the local private hospital, it was £100 and worth every penny. My gp wouldn't refer me to the EPAU so I thought to hell with the cost and stuck it on my credit card. I still worried but being able to see a heart beat at an early stage was bliss.

All the best with your pregnancy .

MiniMarmite · 20/09/2009 19:41

I've been thinking about this a bit more today and I think my main reason for wanting an early scan is that I'd rather know sooner rather than later if things are NOT ok, even though my mind won't be totally at rest if things are ok at the point the scan is done IYSWIM.

PracticalCat · 20/09/2009 21:15

I had a mmc two years ago, had DS last year and now pregnant with DS2. I have had early scans with the second and third pregnancies.

I know that the risk of miscarriage remains, but it made a huge difference seeing a heartbeat at 8 weeks. I couldn't bear thinking that I was growing a baby when it had ended a few weeks ago - really just couldn't do that again. It also made me think, although I really don't know if this is true, that if I did have a mc, it was unlikely to be an mmc, as these seem to happen earlier.

I think having experienced an mmc, it's really hard to commit to the pregnancy until you have a scan and know that there is life there. Well, for me anyways.

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