I had my 8 week scan to day but they cant find a heart beat

hi i had my 8 week scan to day and i got told the baby as grown a bit since my last scan but it only look like 6 week scan and that they cant find a heart beat they told me that i got to go back for another scan in a week time to see if there any change i have have 4 miscarriages in the past too .
i aint got no bleeding and no cramps
is there a chance they got my dates wrong?

[Elaine Brown, MD]

HI!
I wish I could be more optimistic for you!  I must admit that the ultrasound results don't sound good to me.  There is always a chance the there is an error in the scan, but by 8 weeks, we really should be seeing a heart beat. If you were somehow a month off in your calculations, there might still be hope.
If this pregnancy doesn't continue, you definitely need to be worked up for repetitive miscarriages.  If you were my patient, I would check for antiphospholipid antibodies, antibeta1 glycoprotein antibodies, and lupus and thyroid disease.  I would also check for hereditary thrombophilias such as factor V leiden and factor 20210A.  Finally, I would consider checking karyotypes of both partners and possibly a sperm DNA fragmentation analysis.  You might also benefit from an ultrasound to check for a septum or fibroids in your uterus.  If all this is confusing (most people would be pretty confused!) you could print a copy to take to your doctor.

I hope I am wrong about your current pregnancy and all of this is unneccissary.  Good luck!
Dr B