OBGYN or Women only please!!?

Question

My first day of my last period was Aug 3rd, my date of positive pregnancy was Sept 6th, I went to the doctors today and got an ultrasound vaginally, they said my baby was measuring out to be 6 weeks and 1 day. I'm supposed to be 9 weeks pregnant according to my due date May 8th. The nurse told me my baby had no heart beat. The doctor said they weren't going to do any blood work. She said she would wait another week to give me another ultrasound. I have no spotting, cramping nothing. I still have all the signs of being pregnant. So my question is what's wrong with my baby? Should I let her give me a D&C before getting blood work done? And why is it that nothing showed on my blood test or urinalaysis from the week before?

Answer 1

Let them give you another ultrasound first and/or go to another doctor. Dont get the D&C without knowing for sure there is no heartbeat, maybe they just couldnt pick it up, dont give up yet. I would really make me another appt with another doctor. Good luck and be blessed!!

Answer 2

Any test on blood and urine needs the lab to be looking for something specific, so if you had a urine test or blood test last week they may have just been looking for other things (there is a set of prenatal screening work that gets done to see if you have antibodies to certain diseases, see if there's sugar in the urine, etc.). So those tests don't mean anything within the context of your question today.

I would not have a D&C without being assured that sufficient evidence could be produced that the fetus is not living. There is a blood test that can be done that is more accurate than pregnancy tests on urine.

It is possible for the embryo/fetus to stop developing and not be expelled right away. Look up "missed abortion" or "missed miscarriage" for an explanation. It is possible to go on for a while and have a placenta but to have no fetus in there because it stopped developing/living. In a situation like this the pregnancy hormones will eventually return to a non-pregnancy situation; but it can take a little while.

So many pregnancies end early (something like one in ten) because of a "blighted ovum" (there is just something wrong right from the beginning and normal development doesn't progress), and if a fetus dies it may take a couple of weeks before it is expelled (and, as I said, in the case of a "missed abortion" it may take so long that it has to be cleared out by the doctor).

Having no spotting or cramping doesn't necessarily mean anything. These days the ultrasound equipment is so good I would think you should be able to request to see the images and have the doctor/nurse explain to you what they don't see if there is still no heartbeat to be detected. That may satisfy your need to know for sure the fetus has no heartbeat.

If, in fact, there is no heartbeat there is a good chance that what is wrong with the fetus is nothing more than that something wasn't quite right from the beginning. Early miscarriages or fetal deaths are not necessarily associated with anything more than that, like genetic problems or problems with the mother. Its possible the fetus could have stopped developing a week or so ago, which would bring you back to 7 weeks along (a high-risk time).

If the baby "measures" to six weeks it would seem to indicate that it could have stopped developing at that time. Human fetus development is pretty uniform in the beginning.

Write down every question you have and sit down with the doctor and ask her to address each of your questions.

I know what you're going through. I went through a similiar version of events, only a little later. The most difficult thing is to find a way to be certain that there is no mistake being made by the doctor. I actually asked what would happen if I didn't have the pregnancy taken "just in case". The answer to that was that I would become very sick, and waiting too long was not an option.

Use this week to prepare for the worst, and if the worst doesn't happen then great.

Answer 3

Whoa! Slow Down. Your due date will change several times as your pregnancy progresses so you can't judge how pregnant you are by counting back from a date that is a guess. Wait for the next ultrasound and see what the results are.

Did the nurse say the baby had no hearbeat or that she couldn't find a heartbeat? Because if it's too early they can't hear a heartbeat.

You realize a D&C is a uterine scraping and would be done to remove fetal or placental tissue -- it is used for some elective or therapeutic abortions and to remove any remaining tissue after a spontaneous abortion (miscarriage).

If the doctor wants to do another ultrasound it sounds like they are not sure of the age of the baby and whether or not you have had a miscarriage.

If they are suggesting a D&C it sounds like they are sure you had a miscarriage. Maybe you need to give the doctor's office a call, speak to the nurse and ask outright. You were probably pretty shook up when you left the last appointment, you may have confused some of the things they told you and you probably didn't ask all the questions that you needed to.

Did the doctor suggest that your bloodwork would be more revealing of something AFTER a D&C? I'm not sure I understand why that would be. Take the next 6 days or so to make a long list of questions for your doctor and don't be shy about asking.

Good Luck!

Jen

Answer 4

well well well... i think u may not be as far along as u think u are. I would totally wait to see what the blood work and time has to say about everything. I would hate to make a bad decision to get a d&c and there be absolutely nothing wrong with the baby. my sister is 9 weeks and she started her last period july 25th. If u started ur period last Aug 3rd then u should have gotten preg around Aug 13th and that would make u 6 or 7 weeks preg. Ultrasounds calculate correctly mostly. If u are really conserned ask for an amnio. that tells eveything from problems to the sex of the baby even now at how far u are. I had that done when the ultra sound thought it saw something abnormal with my son. Thank God it was just the screen! ask for an amnio and if the results show a problem then make a decision. God Bless U and that baby.

Answer 5

If your doctor has planned a D&C, then that is what is needed based on what the tests show. Blood and urine tests don't show whether the baby is still alive or not.

The heart beat might have been too faint to pick-up, so maybe that's why they are waiting. The other reason for waiting might be that he wants your body to handle this. I miscarried twice, and I was glad I did not have to go through the D&C. He might be waiting for nature.

Hope for the best!

Answer 6

Leave it all up to the doctors. Do NOT get a D &C until the blood work is done. Miscarriages happen. Be prepared for the worst.

Answer 7

sounds pretty strange to me. i would call and get a second opinion. i would say maybe the baby is small or they miscalculated the due date which is possible. however what is up with the no heartbeat thing? you can always hear a heartbeat. that is worrisome. get a second opinion or switch doctors. good luck

Answer 8

THE LAST THING YOU NEED TO DO IS WORRY YOURSELF B/C THAT MAY CAUSE STRESS AND HARM THE BABY! ALLOW THE DCS TO DO A SONO! THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO ME 2WKS AGO I WAS 11WKS AN THEY COULDNT FIND THE HEARTBEAT! I WAS TOLD IT MAY BE TO SOON! I DONT FEEL ANY SIGNS OF MISCARRAGE AN I STILL GET SYMPTOMS TOO!I HAVE AN APPT. 2MORROW TO TRY AGAIN! I HOPE ALL GOES WELL! I HOPE EVERYTHING IS OK WITH YOU TOO!

Answer 9

I would be very very upset if i were you and would have demanded to know what is wrong with my baby right then and there! If you start to have any abnormal pain or bleeding go to the er!