Trying to crunch the numbers - possible loss

TheAerialist

So I could use some straight answers because I feel like I am getting the hedge from my midwives.  My US was Wednesday and nothing was seen, just an empty sac.  According to LMP I should have been 11w4d.  I have had no bleeding, but also no symptoms, so it wasn't a total surprise to hear this.  

My timeline:

1/25/14: LMP (just off BC and was not fully tracking yet, so not sure of cycle length)

3/1/14: VERY light spotting (implantation bleeding? Was expecting period, but that was all I got so I took a test but....)

3/1/14: BFN

3/10/14: BFP

4/16/14: First US (they did both an external and an internal at a radiology clinic, so I assume good quality equipment) US showed sac at 8w5d but nothing inside.   

TODAY 4/18/14 - Not a single bit of bleeding, only mild cramping, similar to what I have been feeling all along.

The problem I am having right now is that the dates could easily be 2-3 weeks off, under the right conditions, but i don't know if those 'right conditions' are even biologically possible.  I feel kind of dumb for even pressing it, and I am DEFINITELY not holding out for some miracle, I am totally OK if the fetus wasn't viable, but i don't want to do anything medical if there is a chance and no one seems to want to discuss the possibility seriously.  I have decided for now to wait to see what happens naturally, but I did make another US appointment for next Friday 4/25.  If we still see nothing, I am supposed to make an appointment with the midwives that afternoon to get Misoprostal to move the M/C along.  

Questions

- is it possible to be 9w today if I got a BFP on 3/10?  Not sure how long it takes after conception to get a BFP

- is is possible to not see the baby at 8w5d? (I don't know if I have a tilted uterus, no one has said either way to me, but seems unlikely)

Thanks friends, I am at a loss who to ask on this stuff, so hoping you can help!

jesswein9

So sorry you are going through this. You could get a bfp as early as 9 or 10 days after ovulation. You should be able to see something in the gestational sac by 6weeks including the fetal pole, yolk sac, and heartbeat. Unless you are about a month or more off on your dates it doesn't sound viable. T&p to you.

LisaG09

This is the exact same situation that happened to me. I should've been about 9 weeks along and the gestational sac was measuring 9 weeks but with no fetal tissue. I did the same as you in trying to figure out if they could be wrong. What really sealed the deal was when they did a blood draw and showed that my HcG levels were dropping very rapidly. Did they take blood for you? Even if you only count from the day you got the bfp, you would be almost six weeks...they should be able to see the baby. If you don't feel confident though, you should get a second opinion and I would definitely ask for a blood draw to check your HcG levels. The second the doctor turned on the ultrasound I knew something was wrong. I've seen enough early ultrasounds to know that mine was different. In my mind I knew the baby was gone right then but I wouldn't allow myself to be sure until the results from the blood draws came back, my doctor wouldn't officially confirm until the results came back either. She even scheduled the D&C for me but told me that she wouldn't do it until she confirmed my levels were dropping, this was after we'd already done three ultrasounds. I'm so sorry you are going through this.

KingLED

I'm going to be blunt, so read with caution.

If you got a positive pregnancy test on 03/10, you should absolutely be seeing a heartbeat by now. If they are 100% certain there is no heartbeat, it is not a viable pregnancy. I'm really sorry.

THIS LINK is a good resource for what is visible on an u/s and when. As for conception and pregnancy tests, after the egg is fertilized it takes 7-12 days to implant. Only after that will you start producing hcg to turn a test positive or start feeling symptoms. So with your +HPT on 03/10, the absolute earliest you could possibly be right now would be 8w5d. But it's much more likely that you're a little further along than that.

KingLED

LisaG09 said:

This is the exact same situation that happened to me. I should've been about 9 weeks along and the gestational sac was measuring 9 weeks but with no fetal tissue. I did the same as you in trying to figure out if they could be wrong. What really sealed the deal was when they did a blood draw and showed that my HcG levels were dropping very rapidly. Did they take blood for you? Even if you only count from the day you got the bfp, you would be almost six weeks...they should be able to see the baby. If you don't feel confident though, you should get a second opinion and I would definitely ask for a blood draw to check your HcG levels. The second the doctor turned on the ultrasound I knew something was wrong. I've seen enough early ultrasounds to know that mine was different. In my mind I knew the baby was gone right then but I wouldn't allow myself to be sure until the results from the blood draws came back, my doctor wouldn't officially confirm until the results came back either. She even scheduled the D&C for me but told me that she wouldn't do it until she confirmed my levels were dropping, this was after we'd already done three ultrasounds. I'm so sorry you are going through this.

How are you getting that she could be only 6 weeks? She would have had to have ovulated several weeks AFTER she already got a positive pregnancy test. HCG levels are only really useful early pregnancy. After you can see something on an u/s, the u/s is much more accurate. Waiting for hcg levels to drop before doing a D&C doesn't make much sense if you can see what's happening on the u/s. It's very possible to have hcg levels that continue to rise even after fetal demise. Sometimes it just takes the body a while to figure out what's going on.

AggieBeth06

I think the bases have been covered above. I'm so sorry you're going through this.

TheAerialist

EllyD14 said:

I'm going to be blunt, so read with caution.

Thank you! I came here for blunt, so truly thank you! I just wasn't sure and I felt like when I asked "is this possible with these dates?" I got a mumble and a non committal answer. I needed someone to say exactly what you said, which is "nope!" (Ya know, or "yes! Totally" ) like I said, I'm not looking for a reason to hope, I'm looking for cold hard facts. So thank you! I already scheduled another US for Friday and then will go to the birth center and will try the misopropol first. I actually went ahead and scheduled myself a massage between the two, because, ya know, might as well make he best of a shitty situation. :-)

Thank you all for the kind words and frank advice. I'm sure it's hard here because some people want hope beyond hope and I'm sure not everyone appreciates frank talk. I will be sure to help spread the help around with my experiences.

meredithcarole

Implantation bleeding generally happens about 7-9 days after conception. If you are unsure I would have another ultrasound in a week to see if anything has changed, but it doesn't sound good. I am sorry you are going through this.

LisaG09

EllyD14 said:

LisaG09 said:

This is the exact same situation that happened to me. I should've been about 9 weeks along and the gestational sac was measuring 9 weeks but with no fetal tissue. I did the same as you in trying to figure out if they could be wrong. What really sealed the deal was when they did a blood draw and showed that my HcG levels were dropping very rapidly. Did they take blood for you? Even if you only count from the day you got the bfp, you would be almost six weeks...they should be able to see the baby. If you don't feel confident though, you should get a second opinion and I would definitely ask for a blood draw to check your HcG levels. The second the doctor turned on the ultrasound I knew something was wrong. I've seen enough early ultrasounds to know that mine was different. In my mind I knew the baby was gone right then but I wouldn't allow myself to be sure until the results from the blood draws came back, my doctor wouldn't officially confirm until the results came back either. She even scheduled the D&C for me but told me that she wouldn't do it until she confirmed my levels were dropping, this was after we'd already done three ultrasounds. I'm so sorry you are going through this.

How are you getting that she could be only 6 weeks? She would have had to have ovulated several weeks AFTER she already got a positive pregnancy test. HCG levels are only really useful early pregnancy. After you can see something on an u/s, the u/s is much more accurate. Waiting for hcg levels to drop before doing a D&C doesn't make much sense if you can see what's happening on the u/s. It's very possible to have hcg levels that continue to rise even after fetal demise. Sometimes it just takes the body a while to figure out what's going on.

@EllyD14 I said even if you only count from the day she got the BFP. We all know that you are at least two-three weeks pregnant to get a BFP but when this situation happened to me it really helped me to remember that not even thinking about the weeks before I knew I pregnant, they would still have been able to see the heartbeat which is most likely the same situation for OP.

stephy1221

AggieBeth06 said:

I think the bases have been covered above. I'm so sorry you're going through this.

Ditto. I am so very sorry for your loss.