HCG levels

[janefitz]

I am about 6 1/2 weeks pregnant and I had an ultrasound this monday that showed a sack but no fetus .  I had been having brown spotting plus some bright red bleeding over the weekend.  The ultrasound showed a 6 wk sack and a much smaller sack the the tech said could have been a second fetus that didn't develop.  My questions are:

Shouldn't they be able to see a fetus at 6 wks.  Is this empty sack-I had this before

My HCG went from 6500 to 15000 over a 4 day period and my doctor said it should double ever day and a half but I read once it reaches 6000 it takes 4 days to double.

What is going on-anyone know

This would be my 4th miscarriage but I also have 2 babies and they saw my daughter's heartbeat at 6 weeks.  

I know my exact conception date so I know I was 6 wks at the time of the ultrasound.  Plus I am 41 so i know my chances of miscarriage are higher.

[Elaine Brown, MD]

Hi!
I think you are on the right track--with the information you've given me, I strongly suspect that you have a blighted ovum.  That is also called an empty sac.  By 6 and 1/2 weeks there should be a heart beat on a transvaginal ultrasound or at least what we call a Cheerio which is a yolk sac.  The yolk sac should be inside the larger sac, and the next thing that happens is that a little grain of rice shows up on the Cheerio, which is the fetal pole.  That is where a little flickering heart beat should be.

It never hurts to wait a week and repeat an ultrasound.  If there is no heart beat at 7 and 1/2 weeks, and no new developments within the sac, you can be almost 100% sure that the pregnancy will not continue.

I wish I had better news.  I'm happy for you that you have your two!

Best!
Dr  B

[bebe05]

were in the same situation my dear,i really hate these doctors,they're not giving us even a little hope,they dont know how stressed we are.anyway all we really could do is to wait & pray.miracles do happen.there's this 1 web site that's really helping me  alot,coping up &bringing back the hope that i've given up...Check it up - "misdiagnosed miscarriage" ... GOD BLESS US

[janefitz]

I was about 6 weeks from my LMP the sack measured 6 weeks and there was a yoke but I spoke to my doc yesterday and my levels went from 15000 to 16000 over a day and a half so he said even if they saw a heartbeat on my next ultrasound the pregnancy will probably fail-am very sad.

[Chelsi83]

It all depends on if you are using gestational age or age since conception.   If it is 6 1/2 weeks from your last menstrual period, then it probably means that the fetal pole is just too small to see.  I had an ultrasound at 6 weeks (since my last period) and there was no fetal pole and the gestational sac was 5mm.  But one week later, there was a fetal pole (2.6mm) and a heartbeat and the sac was 11 mm.  They determined it was 5 weeks 6 days old since conception.  So don't get too worried the stress isn't good.  Wait until the next ultrasound.  Your HCG sounds like it was about what mine was at the time.  And it is doubling....so that is a good sign.  
What were the sizes of the sacs?  
Good luck!

[nettie7]

I had a transvaginal scan at 6 weeks which showed an empty sac & no heartbeat.  I returned for a second scan 2 weeks later & there was my bean with a heartbeat! So, not always bad news! Wishing you luck