No heart beat

[jay77]

My wife is 5 weeks pregnant, she had ultrasound last week and no heartbeat found, Dr wants her to clear uterus by operation...my wife had histroy of misscarriage ... so do  you think i should wait few more week or go for DNS

THanks

[mommyqs]

NOT ALL ULTRASOUND MACHINES ARE CREATED EQUAL

This is really important for you all to know...LONG -- but I think important (MC scare mentioned).

I had m/c scare this past week.... Last Monday I had more than just spotting, some cramping, backaches... went in to see the Dr. on Tuesday morning (Kaiser HMO).

The Dr. checked me, did an ultrasound, and saw no heartbeat and indicated that there is a good chance that my pregnancy was not viable... She put in an order to do bi-weekly blood test and told me to make a follow up appointment for the next week. I did the first blood test last Tuesday, and another one on Thursday. My levels did go up, but I had some spotting on Thursday and then again on Saturday but the Dr. encouraged me to keep my second appointment which I had yesterday.

Yesterday was a roller coaster ride for me. First I was told that indeed there was no heartbeat and this is probably not a viable pregnancy and then I found out that it is probably not the case.

I went to my appointment.... got my "check in" paperwork done and put it in the slot at the nurses station.... figured since the lab was down the hall, I would go get my blood test done while I wait..... I should the nurse their the huge bruise on my arm from Thursday and said in (in a nice way) "I hope we can avoid one of these today".... somehow I guess I communicated to her that I would like the results as soon as possible since I was going to an appointment... I figured they would have them in 3-4 hours.

After that I went back to the waiting area, and was put in a room and told to undress from waist down..... I think I was sitting half-undressed in that room for at least 15 minutes before the Dr came in...

She had apparently reviewed my chart and previous week's blood work and asked me a bunch of questions.....and proceeded to examine me taking a few minutes -- looking and looking and then she said that like the other Dr. (who examined me last Tuesday) she couldn't see a heartbeat... which she would expect to see by now....

I was pretty emotional during the exam (crying).... when she finished she asked me to meet her in her office after I got dressed. We went over the options and implications, and I signed the disclosure forms for surgery risks.... she was very nice and answered a lot of questions. She then said that I should go see the nurse to my options and she gave me her number and told me that I should call her later in the day to review the lab results.... and that they would do a final ultrasound before any procedures were done. I didn't feel pressured, but I just wanted to move on, so I told her I would probably schedule something for Friday.

Somehow, while I was waiting at the nurses station to fill out a second form, the Dr came back and she just got my lab results...

She said that my numbers went up (doubled).... and she wanted to take me right then to the "COMP OB" dept (comp=complications/high risk) down the hall to take a second look since they have better machines there (Higher resolution, higher quality).

We had to wait for about 20 minutes for a room (during which time I called my husband and told him that things are not looking good) but then she proceeded to examine me and this time she DID find a heartbeat. She said that it looks like I'm 6 weeks along and from what she can see for now, things are OK. I realize that I am "not out of the woods" and for the past week, every time I wipe, I'm looking to see if there is something there and I will probably continue to do this for a long time.

I just want to mention that as much as I wanted to "move on" I wasn't going to rush into a procedure today or tomorrow... In the past week, I found another website called http://www.misdiagnosedmiscarriage.com/  which as another great source of information and hope... and helped me not jump to conclusions...

So please remember and keep in mind that especially with the "older" ultrasound machines, you may not see a heartbeat until closer to 7-8 weeks.....

I'm still concerned but I'm trying to remain cautiously optimistic. I hope this information gives other women hope and peace of mind if they don't see a heartbeat in their first ultrasounds.....

[slapkick1]

i never heard our babies heartbeat untill 11 weeks.

[girlybuff]

Definitely wait.  I saw the heart beat et al. at 5 weeks but I know lots of women who didn't see anything until at least 7 or 8 weeks and I also know a few doctors who won't even perform an u/s until after the 8th week.
If you have a history of miscarriage (3 or more) you might want to consider a peri-natal specialist who deals with recurring miscarriages and high risk pregenancy.
I wish you all the best!! Keep us posted!

[Keith Downing, MD]

Hello,

Not knowing the details of the u/s it is hard to know.  But considering it is a highly desired pregnancy, waiting does no harm.

Best regards,

Dr. Downing

[sosa_1223]

Absolutely, WAIT! WAIT! WAIT! More often then not dates are off, heartbeats don't show up till about the 14th week if not earlier or later. If your wife is healthy then you guys should just go along as if all is well think happy and positive thoughts and wait. I'll be here waiting for the good news. GOOD LUCK AND MANY BLESSINGS.

[Baby3149]

I would wait. I had an u/s at a clinic at 5 weeks and was told not only no heartbeat, but the sac was empty and to wait for a miscarriage. When no m/c by 12 weeks I went to an ob/gyn who said I measured (phys exam, not u/s) 5 weeks and no heartbeat was heard with doppler. I was told to get u/s to confirm so she could give me a d&c. At 14 weeks I had that u/s which showed my now fetus kicking and moving and measuring (fetus and my uterus) 14 weeks.  Wait. If my ob had given me the d&c I asked for without making me get another u/s I would have accidentally aborted my baby.

[Leanna26]

I agree, I think you should wait. My doctor told me we wouldnt be able to see or hear a heartbeat till at least week 6. 6 weeks 2 days sure enough there it was. Good luck to you.

[HomeMakinMommy]

I would wait I didn't have a heartbeat on US at 5 weeks i didn't see a heart beat until 7 weeks. But I am no dr and that's just my personal opinion and experience