When to have a private scan?

[toomuchteaching]

I'm 7+1 after having a mc at 10+4 last year, it was a suspected mmc but difficult to tell for sure as I didn't get seen until after a lot of bleeding, long story.

So, this time I'm keen to have an early private scan (I can't get one on the NHS here), but am trying to weigh up the pros and cons of timing. I've waited until 7 weeks because there didn't seem much point before, but now wonder about waiting until after my previous mc date because there's still so much time for it to go wrong even if I do have a normal scan now. But by then there'll only be two weeks until a 12 week scan so surely I might as well just keep waiting.

Grr... what do you think? I know that no scan will give me absolute answers for the future, but 5 more weeks of waiting might finish me off. Then again, if I wasn't so scared I'd just go ahead and book one now.

7 weeks, 10 weeks, never?? Advice appreciated.

I was trying to decide too- I mc at 8+3 last time. Am currently 8+2 which is when it all began last time (though have lost more symptoms this time so fx) and have just booked an early private scan for next week. I was waiting for my scan date to come through to decide, it did this week and won't be until I am 12+3 so we have decided to go for it as I'm not sure I can wait another 4 weeks!!! Like you though know it won't give absolute answers but it's something...

With all of mine I had scans at 7 weeks as well as the NHS 12/13 week ones. After an initial mc at 7 weeks I find it enormously reassuring. Hopefuly they will se the beginnings of a little heartbeat which means your risk of mc drops significantly and you have the peace of mind of knowing that they are viale pregnacices before investing so much emotion. My forst mc dragged on for days and days not knowing what was going on (never had a scan) so I find it so much better to have an early scan to see what is going on.

With ds1 I had one a 6 weeks on the NHS as we were about to start fertility treatment and the lady offered to do one when we went to the appt and said I'd had a positive test. I had another one at 7 weeks when I had some bleeding and they saw the heartbeat and everything was fine.

With ds2, no bleeding and I paid for a private one at 7 weeks, again they saw a heartbeat, very reassuring.

With ds3 (current pg) I went to the EPU at 7 weeks and said I had some pain and they did a scan, heartbeat there, pain probably small ovarian cyst, so didnt bother paying for private scan.

So all mine have had 7 week scans when they saw the heartbeat and was very reassuring. I would go for it now if you need the peace of mind. Remember the EPU at your hospital may scan you if you go there - you may have to lie and say you have pain/bleeding so if that it ethically unacceptable you can pay for a private one (I do know wmany women who have don this after previous missed miscarriages etc)

viable sorry!

I've read if there's a heartbeat at 8 weeks mc chances drop right down.

I paid for a private one at 6 weeks where a heartbeat was detected and was so reassuring, then had the NHS scan at 12. There was no way I could have waited until 12weeks to check everything was ok! My EPU only accept people for scans if GP has referred them with bleeding.

Dont you have an EPU at your local hospital? If so, they should scan you as a matter of course if you are concerned. I had one miscarriage, and they scanned me the next pregnancy with no questions asked.

To get the slightly negative view out of the way first, my last pregnancy miscarried, even after an early scan.
Then 3 months later, when I found out I was pregnant again, I got angry and didnt see the point of another early scan ever again, as it made no difference last time, and very possibly gave me some false hope.
HOWEVER, I am now 13.5w, and this time I found the scan at 9 weeks extremely reassuring, as that is when the last one went wrong.

The 4 weeks between the 9w and 13w scan were the longest weeks ever. The day of the 13w scan, my husband and I were nearly passing out in the waiting room, we were so terrified. I cant even imagine what i'd have felt like if we hadnt had a scan before then!!

I have also hired a fetal doppler this time, and despite the few times I havent found a heartbeat, it has been a sanity saver. I have been so reassured by it. From 10w until now, it has been so wonderful to hear the heartbeat rattling away - especially since I have had some brown spotting (and two episodes of pinky red).

SO, all in all, I do think it is a reassuring thing to do. It reminds you why you're putting so much emotional effort into it all, and also reminds you how worth it it all is.

Lots of love and luck. x

I had an early scan with my first at about 7 weeks, heartbeat and all fine. Early scan with second, around 8 weeks, heartbeat and all fine. Am planning this time to have a scan 7/8 weeks to check the heartbeat. As others have said, if a heartbeat is detected I think the chances are something like 98% your pregnancy will be fine. I'm terribly impatient and like to know, waiting until 12 weeks would kill me!!!!

I've been wondering about whether the scan I recently had at 7+4 was a good idea. We saw a heartbeat, got enthusiastic and excited because everything seemed good, then I started bleeding a few days later, and have just got out of hospital having had confirmation that I miscarried. Maybe if I get pg again I'll just wait til the 12 week scan. Then again, I'm sure I'll be desperate for reassurance around the 8 week mark after this experience.

So sorry to hear that twolittlemonkeys, how awful for you. Big hugs.
I have an early scan booked for 8 weeks as the odds are so much better if heartbeat is detected then - not 100% obviously, but much, much better and it would be reasonable to hope all would be well, though of course as twolittlemonkeys says, would make it possibly even worse to be in the small percentage that will still suffer miscarriage. It is all about minimising the odds for ourselves in our brains at the moment...trying to stay sane!

i think early scans are fantastic for reassurance to know everything (thats there) has been looked at and is OK, but a scan wont make any difference as to whether you have a mc or not, sadly so.

i had frequent miscarraige when i was younger and i had 2 whilst TTC before this pregnancy (DD3), i didnt bother with early scans, but i was overly cautious about every twinge or discharge that could have been blood and called the midwife at everything, luckily i had a brilliant one who calmed me down.

if theres any doubt of worry that you could be having a mc, either go down to the EPU or even a+e if your bleeding.

Been talking to my DH about this as I'm now expecting after an mc in March. The thing is, if an mc is going to happen, it's going to happen whether or not we have the scan. The question for us was whether we would rather put up with worrying until 12 weeks than having an early scan, making a deeper connection to the foetus and then losing it again.

It's a really hard choice to make though, I expect I'll change my mind several times over. For now I'm going to wait...

In my case, I didn't want to wait til 13 weeks to find out something might have gone wrong many weeks earlier. For me, that would hv been far worse. After a mc or two, u tend to expect the worst

If you are having symptoms like nausea there really isn't any point in wasting money on a scan. Perhaps wait and have scan if symptoms stop (although normal for them to reduce at 10 weeks onwards).

A scan is not going to make pregnancy more likely to proceed... but what if the scan made the pregnancy less like to proceed?

link

Might be worth reading the AIMS booklet before proceeding with early scan?

To the OP: if you'd had a scan at 7 weeks last time it was may have shown heartbeat then getting your hopes up further. If you are getting NHS scan at 12 weeks only week and half after when you had a mc last time then surely most sensible to wait until then?

or see here www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/114206594/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0 where they concluded the effects of ultrasound on the foetus in the first trimester were negligible.

Sorry to always put a negative point across, but having nausea etc does not mean everything is ok. There is a better chance things are progressing, but there are lots of us who did not lose our symptoms until well after something had gone wrong.
I don't believe a scan would be a waste of money at all, esp if it saves your sanity for a few weeks. As I said previously I am sort of in two minds about early scans, but this time round it has helped me a great deal.

I'd wait until after 10 weeks - you may have had a MC at 10+4, but things might have stopped developing a bit earlier - think I've read that in most MCs, the embryo stops developing before 10 weeks, but of course you can have missed MCs that only start coming away later, or that only show up at your dating scan. As was my experience.

Last pregnancy, I had a private scan at 10 weeks after 2 previous MCs, because I was too stressed to wait until the 12 week scan, and also because we were about to go on holiday and I was terrified of a MMC happening while out there. Everything was fine. No, of course it won't stop a MC from happening, but at 10 wks, the chance of one is a lot lower. Good luck, whatever you decide.

I had a miscarriage at 7 weeks. Next month feel pregnant again (this pregnancy) and wasn't offered an early scan with the NHS. Debated a private scan, but as others have said, it won't stop you miscarrying again. 13 week scan was fine. But I hate to say this things can still go wrong. As an insider (anaesthetist) I've had to deal with ladies who've lost their babies after a successful 12 week scan. I'm having my 20 week scan today and am still terrified something will be wrong. Haven't bought anything (not even mat clothes) or thought past today so far just in case. I know this is a really negative view but unfortunately these things do happen. AT they end of the day it's your choice if you think it would give you reassurance. But nothing will reassure me I'm afraid until bump is a baby and in my arms

i'm in a similar situation op.

i have mc'd 4 times now and my local epu will not offer a reassurance scan.

i have had one reassurance scan already at 6+3 and saw hb, but i had a scan in last pg and i still lost it.

the main reason i want a scan before my 12 wk nhs scan is that i really dont want to go to the antenatal clinic and sit in a room with a load of other pg women. the chances are i will have mc'd again and i dont think i will be able to come out of the scanning room seeing all those happy couples and seeing the pity on their faces.

i lost 3 of my 4 pg's at 8+5 weeks so i will be probably be having a scan at 9+5.

good luck with whatever you decide to do and i hope everything works out well.

I think the posts have shown that we will ALL be feeling a bit negative and down after a MC, and therefore we tend to assume things will go wrong the next time (and look for things that could go wrong).
The choice is yours whether you feel it would help or not. Maybe dont book one, but see how you feel as the days pass, then book one if you feel you are needing that reassurance.

As splatt said, things can go wrong after 12 weeks, but it's important to remember that it is FAR less likely that anything will happen after this, and the chance of miscarriage is MUCH lower, esp after 13 weeks, I believe.

When I had my DS, I didnt know half of what I do now, and I had told everyone by the time I was about 11 weeks. I still havent told my work colleagues this time, and keep thinking, "Maybe in a few days, I'll tell them". I'm 14w tomorrow.

Thanks everyone, I've booked it for 8+3 next week. I just don't think I can keep on waiting for what feels like forever. I know it doesn't change a thing, and doesn't provide any guarantees even if it does all go ok, but i think this is what I need.

Thank you for the advice, and lots of luck to the OPs who are in the same position!

I had one at 8+3 and was so, so glad I did. It's made me a lot more relaxed and there's no way I could've coped till the 12 week scan without going mad. Plus I'm showing already so not telling people would have been really difficult and after the great scan I've felt more confident about telling some people.

Fwiw, many EPAUs will not scan you unless you've had bleeding in this pregnancy or have had 3 or more consecutive MCs. Some are nice and will, but it certainly isn't usual.

Forgot to say - I've had 2 MCs, both before 6 weeks.