- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Austin Babies
First time mom to be & confused.
I went to the clinic on Wednesday, I was told I was 9 weeks and 5 days preganant but they couldnt see the babies heart beat. They told me I may have conceived late or I am having a misscarriage. I do not go back until next Wednesday but was told to do some lab testing until then. Has anyone gone thru this?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: First time mom to be & confused.
First, I'm sorry that you're going through something so scary right off the bat!
How did they 'tell you' that you're 9w5d along? Did they calculate based on your last period or by the size of embryo? If it's by LMP, that can be very unreliable, especially if you have irregular periods anyway. Do you know when you ovulated? When did you get a + home pregnancy test?
Try to keep optimistic - there are lots of unanswered questions and things can definitely still turn out great. and there are lots of girls that have been through miscarriages too, that could relate to you if you end up needing that support as well (hope not!)
Was the ultrasound done externally over your abdomen or internally through your vagina with a want? If it was done externally, the chances of them seeing a heartbeat before 12 weeks is greatly reduced. This is especially true if you are overweight or have extra abdominal tissue.
I'm assuming that either your uterus measured 9w 5d or that was by your last period which as previous posters have indicated can be inaccurate. Based on your sexual activity, does it seem likely that their dates are "right"? Keep in mind that 9w 5d is based on your period. More than likely you got pregnant 7w 5d ago (ovulation is usually about 2 weeks after your period first starts but can vary by woman).
If the exam was done internally, with the dates being correct, then the outcome for the pregnancy is almost certainly a miscarriage or "missed miscarriage". A 9w 5d fetus should be easily visable on internal ultrasound and have a heartbeat. If the uterus measures for 9w 5d and the fetus does not and doesn't have a heartbeat, that means the fetus has died
(fyi - the baby is called an embryo until about 8 weeks and a fetus after that)
The lab testing is to check your hormone levels which can tell them more about the age and state of your pregnancy. One level doesn't usually tell you much but when the blood is redrawn 48 hours later, the numbers should double approximately.
I went at 8 weeks with my 2nd pregnancy and was told the baby had a slow irregular heartbeat and measured 6w. I knew that was bad because I was certain I was 8 weeks pregnant. They said to wait and see. 2 weeks later, my ultrasound showed a 10 week uterus and 6 week embryo that didn't have a heartbeat
. It's considered a missed miscarriage if the baby has died but your body isn't beginning the process of cramping/bleeding. I had to have a D&C - which is the same thing as an abortion, only the baby is dead so it's considered a theraputic procedure. I like to think my body was stubborn and didn't want to give up...
Feel free to ask more questions! Many of us have become unwilling experts in this area but if anything can come of what we've been through it's educating and supporting others through the experience.