Ultra-sound magic words?

Before a pregnancy test I knew I was pregnant and before I was spotting I knew I had miscarried.  Maybe it was instinct.  So, I went in for my first OBGYN apt. knowing in my heart that I had miscarried.  The nurse told me I would have an ultra-sound.  The doctor came in and literally laughed, saying that at 10 weeks nothing could be detected, that I would have to wait until 14 weeks.  I told her that the nurse had said otherwise, and she said she would need to correct the nurse.  Two days later I started bleeding, and the doctor offered an ultra-sound.  My little baby with no heartbeat COULD be seen.  Why does it seem the doctor lied?  What can I say to the doctor next time I get pregnant so that I can get an ultra-sound?  I really need this to ease my nerves.  I feel tempted to not even see the OBGYN until 14 weeks.  All they did was take down my medical history and tell me what not to eat.

[AnnieBrooke]

Here are the magic words: "I am getting a new doctor."  That behavior was preposterous.  Many docs will do an ultrasound in full expectation of seeing something very clearly, at 7 weeks.  The nurse was fine, the doctor was wrong.  It is very possible to change docs when you are preggers, one friend of mine did it in her final trimester.  It seems that this is just one of the examples of why one does it.  Good luck!!!

[myproblem]

What a jerk! I get ultrasounds very early, as early as 51/2 weeks a little blob can be seen, and you can see the heartbeat at 6 weeks or a little more. I agree, get a new Dr.

[ima1]

i agree with the two previous posters - get rid of dr mcjerky!!  Good luck to you next time around!!

[Facere23]

I must agree.  A new doctor is definately in order.  I had an early ultrasound and was able to see a heartbeat at 6 weeks.  I would ask around to friends and family to find a better doctor.  I don't know how i would have reacted if a doctor had treated me that way.  It's unbelievable.

[AnnieBrooke]

I do understand that a doctor's office is a business like any other, but for the doctor to laugh at the patient seems unnecessarily rude, and to tell her that nothing could be seen at 10 weeks was also factually incorrect.  (If the doc had said she wasn't authorized to do an u/s if the patient was not in distress until a certain date, that is a different thing.)  I suggested a new doctor because it sounded like the doctor either didn't know her medicine (of course you can see SOMETHING before 10 weeks) or did know her medicine and was lying to cover the insurance-payment issue.  Neither of these things would enhance my confidence in that doctor.  I would have more faith in a doctor who explained it even if it was simply by citing what the insurance company would cover, rather than this.

[Jenny77]

Definitely get a new doctor. I had a m/c last year, then moved so I had to get a new doctor. When I got pregnant again in Jan 2006, my new doctor looked at my history and knew that I had gotten to 12 weeks the last time when I found out I had a missed miscarriage. My doc offered me a u/s to ease my mind straight off. A good doctor will already know what you need. If you ask a doctor the next time to have an early u/s because you had a previous m/s, and he doesn't give you one, I'd say go to another doc until you find one taht will. Its really not that big of a hassle for a doc to do and if you ask for one, they should be willing to do it.
I'm sorry that doc was so rude to you at an already stressful time.

[AnnieBrooke]

After reading the comments of BabyNumberEleven, I would also suggest that you look into a different kind of health-insurance coverage, if you have a choice.  It might be that you are just on a plan that doesn't pay for much, and that is why you got such cursory treatment.  I'm in a HMO myself, which is very conscious of keeping costs down, yet I had my first ultrasound at 6 weeks.  If you cannot change your coverage, you might just have to plan for the level of care you are getting, by not only knowing your body as you do, but also knowing exactly what is to be expected at each stage of pregnancy, so you can keep your appointments simple and to the point while still making the best use of the time with the doctor.  Whether you change your coverage or not, I still would suggest changing doctors.  You deserved at least one sentence of clear explanation, not something that made you feel like she had lied.  Even if she had just said there was no way to justify an u/s until 14 weeks unless you had symptoms, that would have been clearer and less rude than laughing at you and saying you couldn't see anything at 10 weeks.  I don't think an explanation like that would have needed to go over one sentence, so it would not have taken her out of her normal schedule to say it, and at least you would have understood what was going on.   Annie