Chance of m/c goes down after seeing HB???

JCM052707 · January 2009

I was reading someone's blog who is much further along and she wrote that the chance of m/c goes down to 5% after seeing the HB.... At first I thought "sweet!!!" and then the more I thought about it, do you think that statistic (if it's true) is true because MOST people see the HB anywhere from 8-12 weeks anyway, when you're much later in the 1st trimester so the risk is obviously less anyway??

Or is it because most m/c happens at a time before the heart begins to beat so it doesn't matter so much WHEN you see the HB, but that up until that point all is good?

Anyone read more about this (so far I haven't see anything in my books) or know WHY the chance goes down after a HB is found?

madonnadouwanna · January 2009

My doctor said there was a 5-10% chance of m/c after seeing the h/b. Not to make you worry more, but I was reading that after 13 weeks, if you miscarry it is called something else (sorry - I forget) and it's another set of smaller-number statistics. It's easier said than done tho to not worry about all of it!

jjwheat1007 · January 2009

I don't know anything about that, but I hope it's true. I've been nervous and keeping a close eye on myself ever since I've gotten my BFP because I'm terrified of a m/c. It's like I'm just expecting things to go wrong. And I know I'll feel better after my first appt but that isn't until the 27th - I'm super anxious. Maybe you could ask the OB at your appt (when is it?) and then let us know?

LoveEeyore · January 2009

DItto PP- from 13-20ish (my numbers are NOT correct) it's something else and then from then on it's stillborn.

EAN · January 2009

I thought the chances go down once you can hear the heartbeat. Around 10 weeks is when the heartbeat can usually heard by the ob. It also is about when the baby becomes a fetus and the placenta takes over. So, 10 weeks is a big time and I would say that all of these things combined are what makes the chances go down. I guess if you have an u/s before 10 weeks and you can see it and it is in line and on time then the cahnces do go down. But the worrying never stops, so it is best to not focus on those things.

A M · January 2009

I heard after you hear the h/b, chances of m/c decrease to <5%. I really hope this is true, for all our sakes!

Vanessa11 · January 2009

Losing a pregnancy after 13 weeks is still called a m/c until you hit 20 weeks then it is a stillbirth.

After seeing a heartbeat your risk of m/c does go down but by how much is debatable. My ob feels your risk drops to about 10% vs. 20% before you see a heartbeat. Once you hear the heartbeat via doppler or see the heartbeat after 12 weeks your risk drops to closer to 1-2%. The risk of stillbirth is around 1%.

Of course all these numbers are just numbers and don't matter much if it happens to you. All you can do is be positive and enjoy your pregnancy.

sandollar · January 2009

A lot of the statistics are confusing and seem to sort of mix up with each (confounded? where did my Statistics course knowledge go?!)?

I have found that it is easy to go into a downward spiral looking up MC statistics and I am not going to go there anymore.?

Traycee1242 · January 2009

sandollar:

A lot of the statistics are confusing and seem to sort of mix up with each (confounded? where did my Statistics course knowledge go?!)

I have found that it is easy to go into a downward spiral looking up MC statistics and I am not going to go there anymore.

You are definitely right about that... however since my 1st OB appt is not until 10 wks I have been terrified about missed m/c since seeing a scene in a movie recently. I felt looking up info and statistics about it (missed m/c only happens to 1% of m/c) made me breathe a sigh of relief and brought some comfort. But I'm done researching....

I also think sometimes it's best to stay away from 1st tri.... it's been extremly hard to read the posts "please take me off July"..... I wish they wouldn't post on here. Not trying to be harsh and my heart breaks for them, but that's why I stay away from the preg loss m/c board. I simply can't let my mind go there. So sometimes it is better to stay off the boards.

HTH and wishing us all h&h pregnancies!

rrotem · January 2009

There is a Q & A on this site that answers the question:

https://community.thenestbaby.com/cs/ks/blogs/1sttrimester/archive/2007/04/10/q-risk-of-miscarriage-expert.aspx

?I think my dr. agrees b/c when I went to the first appt at 5 wks the whole dr's office was so excited for me and I felt like they were more excited than I was, so I was like, "well, I'll be excited after -" and the dr finished my sentence and said "the next appt when you hear the heartbeat" and I was like - "well, I was going to say after the 1st tri" and she said "ok, even safer." ?But, I am allowing myself to be excited yet cautious now ??

JCM052707 · January 2009

Thanks everyone. I agree, I just don't even want to go there even though it's easy to worry. I just found that interesting and wondered if it was simply b/c most see/hear the HB later in the first tri or it truly doesn't matter WHEN you see it (6 w vs. 10w), it's just that you saw it, you know? Either way, I am not going to worry about it.

Rinners · January 2009

This is sorta what my OB said. After having a MC myself back in May I was so scared this time around. We asked her the % on everything. She said that 1 in 5 MC. Once you see the HB your chances of MC go down to under 5% and once you hit 13 weeks they go down to under 1%. Not everyone knows that they MC. Some dont even know that they were pregnant. She siad that MOST women who do MC just have a hevier period than normal. I think we see more of this here than you would if you wernt on the site because we have a high number of pregnant ladies here (obviously). Dont freak yourself out about it though, worrying wont do any of us any good.

MattysGirl81 · January 2009

After seeing the h/b at 6w3d I obsessively researched and all I could find was somewhere between 3 - 13% chance of m/c. I know it's hard, but try not to worry. Seeing the h/b is a huge step! Besides, there is nothing you can do about it. I don't know if that's comforting or not, but for me, knowing that I had no control of the situation made it easier for me.

monica92603 · January 2009

my dr said the chances of m/c go down significantly after seeing the hb. (i didn't ask for specific stats) she was all in my face trying to calm me down after my 1st appt b/c I had a late 1st tri m/c last time. i her!

honestly, it's back to everyone is different. i thought I was in the clear the first time around b/c I had seen the hb twice, once at 8w and again at 9w 4d. I had a missed m/c at 11w 4d. so, if chances go down to <5% after seeing the hb and the chances of a missed m/c are about 1%, then DAMN! i got screwed! the only thing you can think are the odds are normally on our side!

CrazyRabbitLadie · January 2009

i saw that no one actually answered your question - but from what I've gathered, remember that its your first actual look/hear at the embryo at your first u/s or when you hear the HB. So, until then, you have no idea where the embryo implanted, how it implanted, if its growing, etc. etc. "Most" early m/c, as you can read elsewhere, happen because the fertilized egg was not able to grow much more anyways, for various reasons. So, confirming that there is a HB either visually or audibly, means that the embryo established itself successfully in the ute and is growing and has completed its first big step which is creating the circulatory system. So, its your first indication that you are actually pg with something that will grow into a fetus. No blighted ovum, etc.

Oh, so , to answer your other question - it doesn't really matter when you get that chance to hear/see the HB - but once you do it means you know that everything has established itself and things are going and growing along fine!

HTH!

JCM052707 · January 2009

CrazyRabbitLadie:

i saw that no one actually answered your question - but from what I've gathered, remember that its your first actual look/hear at the embryo at your first u/s or when you hear the HB. So, until then, you have no idea where the embryo implanted, how it implanted, if its growing, etc. etc. "Most" early m/c, as you can read elsewhere, happen because the fertilized egg was not able to grow much more anyways, for various reasons. So, confirming that there is a HB either visually or audibly, means that the embryo established itself successfully in the ute and is growing and has completed its first big step which is creating the circulatory system. So, its your first indication that you are actually pg with something that will grow into a fetus. No blighted ovum, etc.

Oh, so , to answer your other question - it doesn't really matter when you get that chance to hear/see the HB - but once you do it means you know that everything has established itself and things are going and growing along fine!

HTH!

Thanks That helps a lot and makes sense

Ceci_Momma · January 2009

I don't want to bum anyone out or anything but there are members on this board that had heard the heartbeat prior to that 12 week mark but still suffered an m/c.

I hold to God that those statistics are right though!

loveisallyounee · January 2009

I had a m/c at about 9 wks after seeing the HB and hearing it through an internal ultrasound. I asked my OB the same Q because I had heard the 5% thing. She said that that was only after hearing it through the Doppler.

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