Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Ultrasound showed an empty sac.

I recently underwent IVF with transfer date of March 26/2007.  Yesterday's ultrasound showed an empty sac and a measurement of 6 weeks.  What does this mean?  Could it just be too early?  Doc. says not to woory, but has another ultrasound scheduled for next week.  Should I be concerned?  Is this a possible miscarriage?
24 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
209371 tn?1315946940
I had an u/s done at almost 5 weeks and another one done at 6 1/2 wks. and we saw a sac both times, both measuring the right size, but both times it was empty. I had another one done today and WE SAW A BABY WITH A HEARTBEAT!!!!! The baby measures 7 1/2 wks. The Dr. was confused about my dates, he thought I was a month earlier than I am and that's why he started the u/s so soon. The ultrasound tech (small hospital, same one), she was almost as excited as I was and she said that I'm the perfect example of why girls shouldn't get upset so early on, because a week ago we didn't see anything and now all of a sudden, there's a baby and a yolk sac plain as day!
Keep your head up and try not to worry yet. It's too early for that yet. Good luck, and keep us posted!
Helpful - 2
Avatar universal
A related discussion, hcg levels was started.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Took home prg test positive that same evening bleeding bright red but with no cramping, hospital visit hcg level 3600+ had another hcg level next evining levels rose to over 7000,  booked in for ultrasound 9 days later to find 2 perfect sacs but were empty and were measuring correct with my last mensratl cycle,  a) 5 weeks 5 days b) 6 weeks 5 days but told me it was to early and a follow up ultra sound in 2 weeks and not to worry. I had a liitle nausea, enlarged breasts and was starting to show had another hcg level done 12 days later up to 46,000+ started bledding heavly with no cramping, hospital visit hcg levels done again at 36,000+ and had ultra sound done to find out that either sac had grown and only a little yok sac in one. Seen ob gyn 2 days later another ultra sound one sac had disappered and the other still only had a liitle yok but said it was a blighted ovum. She told me to either book in for a D&C in two days or if I wanted to wait another week to see if anything showed on ultrasound. Had decided to wait the week but started bleeding the next morning and had to have an emergency D&C . It was so heart breaking realizing that you think you are pregnant with two and then in the end not even one had grown. I think the worst of everything and now am afraid to try again.I was in severe depression for a few weeks after. Hope I get my spirits up so we can consider trying again.
Helpful - 0
210400 tn?1325380570
How did this turn out for you? I had shown two empty sacs but a week later they found 1 baby with heartbeat and discovered the other "sac" was a bleed.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
i just got my ultrasound today and the results are perplexing:

gestational sac(s)
A - 2.39cm - 7weeks 3 days
B - 1.98cm - 6 weeks 3 days
C - 1.31cm - 5 weeks and 3 days

cervix 3.36 cm

comments : there are 3 poorly decidualized fgestational sacs showing no yolk sac or fetal pole

impressions :
early multiple pregnancy
trichorionic, triamniotic

what does this mean?? should i expect a miscarriage? i am really scared and i wanted to research online so i'll be prepared for a doctor's visit. abortion is illegal where i live, and to be quite honest, i am seriously considering this option. due to my present life circumstances (supporting myself through college and masters), there's no way i can afford triplets =( the sight of those 3 empty sacs were very distressing...

does anyone have similar experiences? what happened? and how could they be from different weeks? the ultrasound clearly that they are of largely different sizes. i have never taken any fertility drugs, there are no twins at all in my family and my partner's immediate and extende family.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
thank you for your reply..I was so upset when i wrote this yesterday.I live in europe and have non-english speaking drs..it is frustrating..I will call today and speak to a woman about scheduling a D and C.The dr yesterday asked if I could be wrong about the dates and I said no-I had a positive read on an ovulation predictor on April 18th and my first day of last period March 25th.I think he is basing my time on last period and not ovulation...I had an agonizing sleepless night trying to crunch the numbers in my favor. I will make sure they do an ultrasound before ruling out a viable pregnancy..waiting will be very difficult.Thank you for your support and good luck to all..
Helpful - 0
209371 tn?1315946940
Since you didn't ovulate until 4 wks. after your lmp, that would make you about 5 - 5 1/2 wks. So maybe the 4 wk. sac is right. I had my lmp on 3/25 also, with ovulation one week later and I'm 9 1/2 wks. I don't know, you're a confusing one! If it were me, I would wait and see what happens naturally for fear of aborting a baby. I have had two natural miscarriages, I don't know what the consequences are for not doing a d & c if you don't miscarry naturally after "so long". I would ask for another u/s in like two weeks, BUT I didn't see anything at all in my sac until 7 1/2 wks.  I'll be praying for and thinking about you. Keep us posted.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
help!!!  I am so confused...went to the dr today..I ovulated around the 20th of April(an ovulation test showed) I have had only a few periods since giving birth to my son last May..the periods were 40 days and then 38 days apart and then i conceived. My first day of last period was March 25th, almost 4 weeks before I ovulated. I am not sure how many weeks pregnant i am then. I just know that the dr said that unless i am wrong about the dates I will most likely have a miscarriage within the next few weeks.He suggested I schedule a D and C if i don't miscarry. I am so scared that because my period has been so irregular that the dates are off. He showed me an empty sac or what he said would be more consistent with a pregnancy closer to 4 weeks..has anyone had something similar?Could I still be pregnant.I was so cruched in the office that i didn't say anything..
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
talvoe...
good luck with your ultrasound tomorrow i'll be hoping and praying for you.  please keep me posted as to what the news is.

waiting4ever...
sorry for your loss, i know it's hard to go through something like this.  my thoughts and prayers are with you.

as for myself, things are going well.  i am in my 9th week i think.  really tired lately, and a little green somedays, but it's getting better, i'm not nearly as sick as i was with my first son.  i am already in mat pants...i did this early with my first as well....makes it such a long 9 months!!!  i have an appointment with my obgyn on the 5th of june...am hoping she'll take me off work, i just can't physically do it anymore and my back keeps giving out on me...what's the next year going to be like with a brutal back!!!  if i had an easier job i would stay. i don't want to leave this early, but i think i should if i want to be healthy for the remaider.
Helpful - 0
209371 tn?1315946940
I'm very sorry to hear your news. I know how heartbreaking it is, I'll be praying for you for healing (emotionally and physically) and for a happy healthy pregnancy in the near future!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Just wanted to give everybody the latest update.  Bad news.  Dr. has confirmed that i have miscarried at 9 weeks.  Stopped growing at 6 weeks.  Feeling very sad and disappointed.  Good luck to everybody here!  Thanks for your words of encouragement.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I went in for an u/s 4/17 and my doc saw a fetus, which he said looked small, but no heartbeat was heard. I'm hoping that I'm just not as far along as I think I am. My lmp was 3/25 which made me 7w3d at u/s, audible heartbeat should be around 6w doc said, I go in again 4/24 and hopefully there will be a heartbeat. All the postings I read people see empty sacs, I don't know if this is worse in my case or not. I've had no miscarriage symptoms. Since ovulation happens around 2w after period I'm hoping my babies only actually 5w3d, too early for the heartbeat.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thank you very much for your comment and support.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
hi.... i would try not to get too worried!!!  i know, i know, i sure did as you can read from all of my posts...lol.  but going by ovulation and lmp doesn't always mean that's when you get pregnant!  according to my due date and the fetus size...i didn't get pregnant until the day my period was due!!!  so i hope this helps you a little and just wait it out til your next u/s.  take care and good luck.  if anyone wants to talk about your pregnancies email me at ***@****  
Helpful - 0
209371 tn?1315946940
YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Congratulations!!!!!! I'm so happy for you! and our due dates will be almost the same, mines 12/28. Hey we both might have New Year's babies! Oh, wait my husband just said that no, baby has to come in Dec. (taxes!). Congratulations again!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
hello all.  well i just got back from my u/s, we were expecting the worst, but fortunately...things turned out great!!!  we saw our baby, i'm 7 weeks, 3 days and we saw and heard the heartbeat, it was 154 bpm!!!!!  we are so thrilled that it is not the blighted ovum, i just wasn't as far as we thought!!!!   thanks for all the help with everything.  i will keep you all posted.  i pray that things work out for each and everyone of you and your pregnancies. take care:)
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
i really do pray that it goes well with all of us. i am to go bak to the hospital on monday. i thought i was 6 weeks but they did not see anything.so another u/s will explain it all. cheers
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
thanks for your words of encouragement.  it really is a crazy thing to have to deal with for so long and not know the outcome.  i have had a few miscarriages over the past few years and i had a dnc done last march.  we have been trying since the surgery to get pregnant and finally i have reached a pregnancy where i am supposed to be 9 or 10 weeks... and i can't get excited about it!  there's always the chance that i'm not as far as i thought.  sometimes i don't think that the lmp is the very best way to determine the due date,  with my son, they were right to the date he was born!  but with all of my other pregnancies, i always thought i was way further than the u/s showed.  my fiance and i are really hoping that things will work out with this pregnancy.  i have had some pretty crazy symptoms lately so hopefully it's not the blighted ovum!  really sore back, headaches, nausea, moodswings like you wouldn't believe(LOL).  and ofcourse the scary things of spotting and cramping.  i did that with my son too, i bled the whole time and cramped, and he was perfectly fine!  my only worry is not seeing this baby on the u/s 2 weeks ago.  i guess tomorrow will tell all!  please pray for us.  i am so happy to hear that everything has worked out for you.  keep in touch, and i'll keep you posted!  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
hi everyone, ur posts are giving me a little comfort. thisis my third pregnancy after 2 miscarriages. I had my hcg levels taken on and they showed as follows:

757
1382 (2 days later)
2106 (3 days later)

My doctor is worried and told me to rest and wait to repeat the test again in 6 days. If the numbers show at least 5000 we'll be fine and he can do an U/S, if not, he will start to worry.

Can anyone help?

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
L J
I found this link - a hcg calculator:

http://www.justmommies.com/articles/hcg-levels.shtml
Helpful - 0
209371 tn?1315946940
Hi,
Read my story dated 5/12 labeled "High HCG, empty sac". Make sure you read my comment from 5/14 too. When my Dr. mentioned blighted ovum, it was when my count was 20,000 and we didn't see anything in the sac (twice), he sent me for another blood test, really not expecting for the number to go up anymore. But then my number came back at 51,427 and he ruled out blighted ovum. So from that I really don't think blighted ovum numbers go up very high, and I think you're too high for that and you'll be able to see something on Thursday. My family and I did a lot of praying! Good Luck and let me know!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
hi to all, please help me figure this out!!!! my lmp was around march 14/07. (i usually ovulate late). i found out on april 17th with a hpt that i am pregnant. i went for an ultrasound on may3/07, they found an empty sac measuring at 6 weeks, 1 day! no baby,just empty. after they did the vaginal u/s i bled for like 5 days, and have had brown spotting(which is subsiding and is now just discharge).  they said i may have a blighted ovum, or i'm just not as far as i think. my hcg levels on monday may7 were at 57000 which is over 7 weeks my doctor is saying. so i'm totally confused. they wrote me off like i was definately going to miscarry and that it is a blighted ovum! i still have pregnancy symptoms, i have a 3 year old and i've had a few miscarriages in the past, but i'm definately starting to show already...crazy! can anyone please help me figure out what is going on. i have a repeat u/s on thursday may 17. i am soooooo nervous, but i'm trying to be hopeful. i have been and helpful. i can't wait any longer. i just don't know what to think, is there hope that the baby is okay and that i'll have a normal pregnancy?  do hcg levels get as high as mine were a week and a half ago with a blighted ovum?  any advise will definately help, thank you :)
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
L J
I received a positive hpt on Apr 2. BT on April 5 with hcg levels of 323, second hcg level was 1578 on April 13. Ultrasound on April 18 showed only five weeks, sac and yolk found. Follow up ultrasound on May 5th showed fetal pole with measurement of 3mm, estimated that I was in the 6th week. Heartbeat found but not confirmed. Tech showed small flickering on screen, but couldn't record rate. Another follow up ultrasound May 14th showed minimal growth and still couldn't confirm heartbeat-tech didn't show me anything this time. Report says due to minimal growth from May 5th and unconfirmed heartbeat possibly not a viable pregnancy. I have all the positve pregnancy signs and no negative ones - no cramps or spotting. I have read about many misdiagnosed patients. Don't know what to think...
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
the same thing is happening. they are checking my hcg level. i have another test tomorrow. the doctors says i might have gotten the dates wrong. so cheer up and believe in God you will sail through. faith my dear matters
Helpful - 0

You are reading content posted in the Pregnancy Forum

Popular Resources
Get information and tips on how to help you choose the right place to deliver your baby.
Get the facts on how twins and multiples are formed and your chance of carrying more than one baby at a time.
Learn about the risks and benefits of circumcision.
What to expect during the first hours after delivery.
Learn about early screening and test options for your pregnancy.
Learn about testing and treatment for GBS bacterium.