were you told twins and it was really triplets?

southernmommie · January 2013

If you had an ultrasound before 10 weeks and they told you twins but didn't really look for more and it only was for 5 minutes. Did you go later and they told you it was really triplets?

PurrCrasher · January 2013

That's pretty specific. I would be greatly surprised if anyone has experienced this exact situation. FWIW this did not happen to me.

macchiatto · January 2013

Nope.

southernmommie · January 2013

I've seen it posted in a more mainstream page, but wanted to ask specifically here. The thread that I read was she started out as di/di at an 8 week ultrasound. Went in for an ultrasound a month or two later and there was an identical hiding behind one of the di twins in the earlier ultrasound.

southernmommie · January 2013

In my case, (I'm not saying I have triplets, just stating the difference)... I didn't have an OB or a u/s tech do my dating ultrasound. It was some nurse with basic u/s training. I did not have any fertility treatments so didn't have the extra care that came with that in the beginning. I was there for 5 minutes and she did not look other than at the 2. Just took the first picture that showed the two, homed in on each heart to get a heartbeat count, and then end of the u/s. Very quick. So I can see how it could have happened.

However, I can see how if you had fertility treatments how it could be impossible. Don't you get like weekly ultrasounds and constant care once implanted?

southernmommie · January 2013

I'm not asking if I have triplets. Just want to make that clear, but yes it was only 5 minutes. I wasn't stating that in my previous post as a general assumption. It was actually 6 minutes. And I was in the hall sitting on a bench when she gave me the last picture that was left on the screen. I didn't even see an OB, midwife, MFM, or any provider my first visit. I got the dating ultrasound that was 5 minutes, and then sat across the desk from a medical receptionist while she took my history and entered it into the computer. Then she made my next appointment which will be with a high risk OB because of the twins.

I know some people probably come in here and exaggerate their story or their problems, but that isn't me. I'm pretty blunt. However, I did come and ask this particular question to see if there were any other moms in this group who the topic I posted about above if it had happened to them. I know it is not a typical experience and the majority of you would not have had this happen to you. Thank you for your insights though. I am not familiar with fertility treatments and the different variations that go with that. I am aware of how hard it can be for women.

The experiences here are wide and varied and that is what I am looking for. Smile

txcyclist · January 2013

to answer your specific question, no. This did not happen to me. I was told twins at my 7 week u/s and it's still twins at 24 weeks.

angelfire02 · January 2013

MrsLee04:
southernmommie:
I'm not asking if I have triplets.
You wouldn't be asking out of random curiosity if you weren't just a little bit curious for yourself.
And yes, I think all of us who have answered so far understood your question. No, it hasn't to happened to us, it is possible but not likely, and I'm fairly (but not 100%) sure it hasn't happened to anyone on this board so far. If it has happened to anyone here, it's maybe 1-2 people? It's just not that likely, even if you think the nurse wasn't thorough. It's not really up to you to judge the level of her u/s skills, even if you're basing it on time. She probably scans multiple patients daily, and you may not think the amount of time it was done was enough for her to see, but chances are she knows what she's doing and what to look for. At 8w it would be hard for another multiple to hide and would be fairly obvious (again, not impossible, just unlikely).

I agree with this, when you are going to your first u/s unless you are educated on what to look for, I can almost guarantee that you have no idea what you are looking at. Even when we were at like 20-22-24-26 weeks I still had no idea what was what up on the screen. You didn't have enough time to look at everything on the screen and work out what was where, but like Mrs.Lee said, I'm sure the tech did. It would be pretty bad for business if they kept 'missing' triplets on twin scans. And yeah, it probably has happened, but it would be just about as likely as having twins when they think you are only having one. Congrats on your twins!

TripMomma · January 2013

One onf my FB friends did IVF, they put back 3. First ultrasound they saw twins. Second ultrasound they saw a new set of ID's...so she went from twins to quads.

I do think it is pretty rare though. They saw my 3...with HBs at 6 weeks, very clearly.

pea-kay · January 2013

I'd say it's pretty rare, but definitely more common with spontaneous multiples. A girl I know was having twins until 16 weeks, when they found the third! But she didn't have any super early ultrasounds, so maybe that's why. And they probably stopped looking when they saw two.

(I also know of someone who thought they were having triplets until about 26 weeks, when they found a quad. Gaah!)

1+tripsmom · January 2013

I had an u/s at 7 weeks they saw 4 sacs 3 heartbeats pretty quick and easy. I would guess if you saw 2 there are 2 but I am not a dr.

Cinnamon Haze · January 2013

Im gonna say the same... it seems pretty obvious youre Hoping for triplets, you have mentioned no reason to suspect more, symptoms etc...

Please be happy with the blessing you have and dont waste time on hoping for even more.

Your uterus isnt a huge tricky playground that takes hours to search. Gestational sacs and hb's are pretty easy to see. Unless youre prepared to demand another u/s at this point there is nothing you can do but wait. Be at peace and think of your lo's. What if you lost one of the twins and realize too late that you spent the whole time you had the gift of carrying them both on thinking or hoping for a third?!

I think you might really regret not fully appreciating how special every day is right now.

lynn0926 · January 2013

At my 6w3d u/s, they were able to tell me the second they put the wand in me that there were two. My u/s was no more than 5 min either. There really is nothing to look at and investigate until the 12w u/s. They saw the flicker of the hb, measured it, and measured the size of the baby which was just a blob.

JenScott-4-09 · January 2013

It was clear on my 6 week u/s that it was twins. But since I did IVF, my RE did look for a minute to make sure there wasn't a 3rd.

southernmommie · January 2013

actually I am asking out of pure curiosity and not for my own self. And yes, I do know what I am looking at. This is my 8th pregnancy and 6th and 7th babies. However, thank you all for your responses. I think you guys thought I was asking this as a more personal question and I wasn't. Just asking to see how common or uncommon it is. by having more than 2 people respond, it gives me a better idea if this was a made up story on another board or not. Yes, I am one of those people that like to dig a little more than just hearing a random story and believing it as stated.

caden · January 2013

We clearly saw 3 babies at just before our 7w u/s, but none were ID and we did IVF. LIke a pp said I think it's possible, but unlikely.

Going_from_Miss_to_Mrs · January 2013

We did IVF and put in 2 eggs.... once I got the positive pregnacy test from bloodwork and saw my RE one time, my RE gave me her blessing to move on to a regular OB due to the expenses of seeing a specialist. I had a couple of sonograms and every time the "twins" were growing on track. At 13 wks I had the NST scan at the hospital, and that's when we learned we had 3 babies growing (identicals and 1 fraternal). So, it is possible but rare! The OB's technology was not nearly as sophisticated as an RE, I know if I would have stayed with my RE that 3rd baby would have been spotted much sooner!

MrsCali_Bride · January 2013

When my OB did my dating ultrasound and discovered that we were expecting twins she told us that she was going to look around a bit more just to make sure that there wasn't a third one hiding in there because she had apparently missed seeing a triplet on another patient in the past. She wanted to make sure that she didn't make that mistake again. So, I guess it is possible, but not very common.

imwithrebel · January 2013

We didn't find out we were expecting twins until our third ultrasound.

5w2d - 1 small gestational sac - It was so small, I can see how it was easy to miss a second sac at this stage.

6w2d - 1 larger, but empty gestational sac - My RE is usually very quick (in and out within 15 minutes), but this day they were incredibly backed up and we waited over an hour. The ultrasound tech was very rushed trying to catch up, so I don't think she looked around as well as she "should". Another factor that I think contributed to missing a twin was they were concerned about the sac being completely empty at that point in the pregnancy (possible blighted ovum) and focused on checking that sac from every angle for any signs of a yolk sac.

7w2d - 2 gestational sacs and heartbeats - After a week of worrying about a blighted ovum, we were relieved there was a heartbeat... and shocked to find two!

While they did miss one of my babies twice, this all happened during VERY EARLY ultrasounds. By the time you are 10 weeks, it is extremely unlikely that they would miss a baby.

TracyHyde28 · January 2013

I am 14 wks with twins. The u/s tech found them at my 7 wk ultrasound. My very first question was are you sure there is only 2! I haven't had another u/s yet but it really is something I worry about. I am confident my doctors office knows what they are doing but you never know.

southernmommie · January 2013

So this isn't a story made up then. Wow. How shocking that must have been.

mummyofsix- it is good to see another big family here I don't see too many of them.

MichelleDis · January 2013

nope, at least not so far. They specifically looked for three, since we transferred three embryos from IVF. But so far only two showing up- thankfully. I know twins will be hard enough at my age. 7 weeks showed only two and 10 weeks showed only two. Most u/s are pretty thorough and my u/s was very long, since it was with the RE's office, not the OB, they took a ton of measurements etc.

and not all fertility patients get constant care or u/s every week. I had one u/s after my beta- at 7 weeks with the RE and that was it. I was then released to the OB. Now I will be seeing an OB and MFM due to the twins and my age (39). I will have u/s probably once a month per the OB, again, due to my high risk with age.

Eriksgal · January 2013

1st u/s at 6 weeks showed twins and a third empty sac. RE was very confident that I was having twins. Next u/s at 7w showed three hb's and they all measured the same. So yes this can happen but I think it's more common if you did IF treatments. We put in three embies.

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