fetus with no heartbeat?

Question

my sister is 11 wks pregnant...her pregnancy has been doing fine.today was her first ultrasound,her doctor said something about no heartbeat and the hasnt grown since it was 7 wks,its her first time with this doctor,and hes a little short w/her,so he didnt explain very clearly...so i suggested going to er,but does anybody body know why this happens w/out miscarring or w/out any physical signs,or has anyone heard of this before?

also this is her 3rd child...shes never had any problems before...

Answer 1

I went through the EXACT same thing back in May. I was 10 weeks along when I had the ultrasound. There was no heartbeat and they measured the fetus at about 8 weeks. It's a called a missed miscarriage when the baby dies but your body hasn't expelled it. My doctor asked me if I wanted to wait a couple weeks to see if my body would expel it on its own or if I wanted to have a D&C (dilation & curettage) performed to remove it. He explained to me that if my body hadn't gotten rid of it by then on its own he would only let me go another couple of weeks. If its not taken care of it can lead to infection or other serious problems. I wanted it to be all over with so I asked to have the D&C done...it was done a week later.

I'm very sorry for your sister's loss. If he didn't explain anything to her and just simply left her with the info you put in your question I would have her go see another doctor ASAP or even go to the emergency room and explain the situation there. If the fetus died 4 weeks ago she should have been offered the option of a D&C or something like that.

I don't believe there is a good explanation for it. Just about as good of one as why early miscarriages happen. Sometimes they just do and sometimes the body just doesn't take care of it on its own.

Answer 2

Sometimes people have what is called a "missed miscarriage", actually they don't know how often it happens because there are really no symptoms until you do miscarry. What happens is the baby dies but the body takes awhile to figure it out.

However it is also possible that the doctor is wrong. Doctors are not great at reading ultrasounds and even skilled technicians have been known to miss heartbeats, screw up gestational age estimates, etc.

If the baby has in fact died, she will miscarry all on her own at some point. The only thing she needs to watch for is fever, if she runs a fever she should get immediate medical attention. In the US missed miscarriages and in fact almost all miscarriages are treated with a D&C -this is generally riskier than watchful waiting but for many reasons in the US doing something is preferable. However a D&C has risks like puncturing the uterus, infection, scarring, and in the case of a misdiagnosis it will kill a healthy fetus.

A support group for women with a diagnosis of miscarriage:
http://misdiagnosedmiscarriage.com/

Answer 3

Yes, this happened to my neice. She went for her first ultrasound and there was no heartbeat and the fetus had stopped growing two weeks before. She had to have a D & C that evening. If your sister is unsure of what the doctor was saying, she should see another doctor or at least talk to the doctor she saw and try to get more information.

Answer 4

There arent any "signs" of a miscarriage, only things that accompany them. The baby dies before your body reacts in most cases. Generally its just a failure for the fetus to form.

In the first trimester, if the genetic material given to the fetus is corrupt, or if the fetus forms improperly, or if the mothers body is under stress, or otherwise feels its too risky to finish the pregnancy it will abort before it invests too much time and energy into it.

Its horrible, and I know how she feels, but in most cases theres nothing she could have done, or any way she would have really known until it had happened.

Her body will probably pass the pregnancy on its own, and her doctor will schedule her for a D&C.

For future reference, she needs a different OB, she's paying him for his care. He needs to provide it. That includes understandable explanations on whats going on, and answers to any questions she has. Its not a favor he's doing, he working for her money, he better earn it.

Answer 5

My SIL was told the same thing by an Ob/Gyn at about the same time in her pregnancy. Her son was born big and healthy in June. Sometimes doctors are incompetent. Your sister needs to seek a second opinion.

Answer 6

Its called a missed miscarriage. I had a nautral miscarriage at 10wks, because my twins heart stopped beating, and they stopped growing at 8 weeks. Unfortunantly there is nothing you can do, and Im so sorry she has to go through this. They will either give her medicine to induce the miscarriage, or give her a d&c, which is a procedure to remove the baby.

Your family is in my prayers

Answer 7

as someone else said you have plently of answers to go with and options.

I am so sorry about to hear about this news :( I hope everything turns out for the better once she gets a second opinion.

Answer 8

She should speak with the doctor or I would say get a second opinion else where.

Answer 9

it is a miscarriage and the same thing happened to me the babys heart stopped and it had stopped growing but i was 38 weeks so mine was called a stillborn god bless your family our in my thoughts.xxxxxxxxx

Answer 10

you have plenty of answers to this question but I wanted to send my thoughts and prayers out to your sister and your family I am sorry for your loss!