Possible Gestational Age Miscalculation?

Hi Everyone! Here's my story:
One June 25th I took a pregnancy test (well, 4) and they all came up positive. I had a feeling I might be pregnant because I was a little nauseous and the previous month in May I got my period on the 15th. The thing is, I usually have very normal periods that come around the 23rd-25th of every single month. May's period (on the 15th) was sort of a anomaly to me. Anyway, I thought well - maybe my cycle was changing or whatever. I didn't give it too much thought.
However, when I took that pregnancy test on June 25th I started to wonder how I could truly gauge when I got pregnant and how many weeks (or days) along I was.

I go to see the pre-natal nurse on July 8th (didn't even see a doctor that day) and she just sat me down in a room and asked me some questions. Naturally, her first question was "When was your last period?". I told her May 15th but I immediately followed it up with "THAT'S NOT THE NORM". However, I think that went right over her head because she said to me "Well that makes you 7 weeks and 5 days". Then she proceeded to schedule me for my 11th week check-up and ultrasound. (Apparently in this office they don't do anything before 11 weeks anyway). So, for me - I immediately got this feeling that she wasn't completely right about how far along I was. According to her "calculation" I would have had to have gotten pregnant almost the same exact time I was having my period in May. It just didn't make any sense to me. She told me my tentative due date would be Feb. 21st. I still didn't feel convinced I was that far along but I figured I'd just wait until my "11th week" check-up and ultrasound and let the doctor decide for himself just how far along I really was.

So, today I went to the doctor for my supposed "11th week" check-up. Up until this point everything seemed fine. I've been terribly nauseous but no vomiting. No bleeding. No cramping. Very tired. The normal first trimester stuff. I have one child already so it felt pretty similar. Actually feels worse! The doctor gave me a pelvic exam and checked me out and after looking me over and talking to me seemed to think everything was fine. Then, he pulled out the doppler to hear the baby's heartbeat. No heartbeat. So he says "well sometimes you can't hear it on doppler, let me send you over for an ultrasound - but I'm sure it will be just fine". I go next door for the ultrasound. Mind you, everyone still thinks I'm 11 weeks pregnant but I still haven't said anything about how I think I'm not quite that far along because I figure...here comes the ultrasound. So, the sonographer comes in and she does an internal or trans-vaginal I guess it's called ultrasound. (This woman had the bedside manner of a tree stump by the way and she was rushing through the whole thing). She had this look of horror on her face, and she said "how many weeks are you supposed to be? 11 weeks?" I said, "yeah I guess so" (Because again I still didn't believe I was 11 weeks). Anyway she says..well it looks like here the baby is 8 weeks...no 6 weeks...the size of 6 weeks...and no heartbeat. It looks like the baby stopped growing at 6 weeks. Then she told me I would have to talk to the doctor.

At this point the doctor left the office to go to another office in town because he assumed everything was going to be ok. So he didn't have a chance to actually SEE the ultrasound pictures. I'm assuming he was just taking what he heard from the sonographer and his nurse. So I go into his office and his nurse is there and he's on speaker phone. He tells me how sorry he is that he couldn't be there in person and that this happens in 1 in 5 pregnancies and that I'm miscarrying but my body probably doesn't know I'm not pregnant anymore which is why I haven't bled/cramped and that I should probably get a D&C right away.

So my initial reaction was like WOW, ok. Everything was moving so fast. He told me the surgical nurse would call me in a few hours and schedule my D&C for as early as Friday. I go home.

After I got home and started talking to my mother (who had a similar situation with my brother) and some friends who know people who also were told as early as 6 weeks that their pregnancies were not viable but then waited a week or 2 and discovered there actually WAS a viable pregnancy and baby in there - I decided I'm going to wait 2 weeks to see. The reason I say this is because (a) my last period was irregular so it's possible the OBGYN team completely miscalculated my gestational age (b) I have no other signs of miscarriage whatsoever (c) I have all the signs of normal, healthy pregnancy.

Here's another thing. If the baby had stopped growing and died at 6 weeks..and if I am in fact 11 weeks, that would 5 weeks now that I'm walking around with dead tissue in my body. Would I not at this point have had some sort of indication of miscarriage? 5 weeks of no bleeding? no cramping? no discharge?

I am not one to put false hope in anything but it certainly seems reasonable to me to wait and see - considering I have no other symptoms. I'm even tempted to get a second opinion from a different doctor who doesn't seem like their rushing me out of the office. If the pregnancy is over then so be it - but wouldn't it be terrible if I terminated a healthy baby just because a doctor/nurse would not consider that they miscalculated gestational age? What would you do? Tell me your thoughts!

[hkenny]

I havent even finished reading your post, PLEASE DO NOT GET A D&C!!

OK finished, 1) they caculate gestational age ona  28 day cycle which alot of us just dont have, so that can be wrong anyway. 2) you dont know forsure when you concieved so I would not hestitate to get a 2nd opinion, there is apsolutely no way you should get a d&c based on that u/s. the Dr. wasnt even there? WT heck.get another opinion.
I have never miscarried so I dont have a clue but I just wonder if the baby passed 5 weeks ago wouldnt you have cramps or bleeding or even just feel different, maybe your symtoms (symptoms) would decreas?

get a 2nd opinion or ask that Dr for another u/s and ask him to be present, its in your rights to ask for another 1.

Good luck and keep us posted!!

[angelsrejoice]

I agree....please don't rush into a d&c...

I am going thru the same thing as you right now. My uterus was only measuring 6 weeks when should have been 7 weeks 6 days. They didn't see a heartbeat and my OB told me the baby had died at 6 weeks because I have diabetes and my blood sugar has been high (I found out I had diabetes at my first prenatal appt.) She wanted to do a d&c immediately and gave me no hope but I have chosen to wait. It's been 2 weeks and I've had no cramping or bleeding and my pregnancy symptoms are increasing. I even had HCG levels done at the hospital and my numbers are going up. I'm supposed to go back next monday for an U/S and I am getting more and more confident that they will find a healthy baby and boy will I have some words for my doctor!!! As long as you are not running a high fever and having signs of infection there is no reason to have a d&c immediately.

I also had this problem with my son. I was told that my hgc levels were not rising fast enough and they couldn't see anything but a sac for over 3 weeks and said I would miscarry. Well I waited and no miscarriage. I switched docs and when i went in for my u/s there way my baby....healthy and measuring right on time despite what the first doc told me. If I had listened to him and had a d&c my son would not be here right now. It breaks my heart to think of all the women who may have been misled by their docs and how many babies aren't here today because of it.

So I will keep you in my prayers and please keep us posted. I wish you all the best and pray for a healthy little baby!!

[spiritwolf31]

I am with these ladies...dont have a d&c until you have a follow up appt. I myself was rushed into a doc appt cuz my regular physician did an u/s on the outside of my stomach and said they saw no gestational sac in utero and I was supposed to be 8wks at this point. Two weeks after this I was in with an OB and the u/s showed the lil bean was actually in the uterus but I was only 6wks 1day. My doc's office was off by almost 4wks based on the LMP calculation and this was after me telling them that first my monthly was earlier than normal and secondly lasted longer than normal so it threw the ovulation time off.

I have also saw numerous posts on this web site where the same thing has happened to other ladies and their pregnancies turned out to be very viable and that the dates were just off. Also..I had one m/c in which I was supposed to be around 8wks but the u/s showed the baby had stopped growing at 3wks and the day after the u/s...I m/c. That was the only time that happened to me so I cant do a lot of comparison with it but I do know I have read alot about it and in your situation I would definitely get a second look!!

Good luck and you are in our prayers.

[ninamarie81]

Thank you both for responding. Thanks mostly to my mother yesterday, I decided to wait and I'm going back for another u/s on August 17th. However, in the interim I'm also going to see my regular doctor (an internist) who happens to be one of those doctors that really listens to people and wants to help lol, so he is going to do more bloodwork and check HcG levels. I am skeptical/scared to be optimistic about a future u/s but it really does seem odd to me that I have no other symptoms of miscarriage. I guess I have no choice to be on pins and needles until then.

And to angelsrejoice, I too will keep you in my prayers as well. :) <3

[ninamarie81]

UPDATE: Went to internist today. Took urine test which still comes up positive for pregnancy. Still no bleeding or cramping. Went to the lab for blood work. Will get results of quantitative HcG test on Monday afternoon. Doctor says if HcG levels seem appropriate, he will send me to radiologist for another u/s. Either way I'm not going back to that obstetrician. Prayers are greatly appreciated.

[Clysta]

Good luck!!! I hope that everything turns out to be ok, but remember if you have miscarried, you don't actually need "signs" of it. In a missed miscarriage, your body doesn't actually recognize that you've lost the child and doesn't do anything. So you don't cramp, bleed, and your levels don't drop. In fact some women report their symptoms got stronger as time went on. I hope this isn't the case with you, and everything turns out ok.

[ninamarie81]

yes I know that is why the whole thing is is so disconcerting. Even if the doctor calls me on Monday and tells me my HcG levels are within normal limits it's not a tell tale sign of anything because of the whole "missed miscarriage" possibility. It's so hard to sit around and wait but my only option really is to wait for another ultra-sound and pray. If it turns out to be exactly as the doctor had suggested I will be pretty upset and disappointed, but I'll want to get the whole thing over with and out of the way so I can figure out if I want to even try again.

[ninamarie81]

OK GUYS thank you all for prayers and support. The outcome is pretty much the same, I'm looking at a missed miscarriage. But I'm doing ok and I feel much better now that I know for sure and have a better Obstetrician with a more compassionate bed-side manner. I'll be going in for a D&C in the next two days and then it's a matter of time and healing before we decide to try again. Hopefully all will go well and I pray that others out there going through the same thing get the news they want to hear. Regardless, I pray that the Lord protects all of you on your journey - emotionally and spiritually, and that you never lose faith or hope. EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE OK!!!