No heartbeat at 8 weeks, is this definitely a miscarriage?

[mbemom1]

I have been on such a roller coaster, I need some sound advice.  I took a pregnancy test on March 23rd which came up positive.  Date of last menstrual period was definitely Feburary 22nd.  Because of a history of ectopic pregnancy, I have had multiple ultrasounds since then.  On April 8th, which would place me at 6 weeks, 4 days, my doctor saw no baby or heartbeat and said I needed to terminate.  At that point, hormone levels were 66000.  I was sent to the hospital and was given another ultrasound which DID find a heartbeat, although it was only 92 beats per minute.  The ER docs said that it could be normal and said to follow up with my doctor.  I did not have confidence in my doctor and decided to go back to another doctor's office I had left a few years before only because I moved out of the immediate area.

A few days before the appt at the second doctor's office, the first called me and said he had seen the files from the hospital and still thought I would need to terminate, even though they had determined no danger of ectopic.  April 21st, yesterday, I went to the second doctor and she said the embryo was at 6 weeks and 1 day development but saw no heartbeat.  She recommended taking more blood tests to determine what my levels are doing. She thought the likelihood of miscarriage was high.

Today, I got the results of the blood hormone levels, 96000.  The doctor who called, another doctor from the second doctor's practice group, said that things looked fine and that I should get another ultrasound.  She must not have read the file but now I don't know what to think.  I have to wait until Monday to get the second  set of blood test results back and I am out of my mind.  Is there ANY possibility this is a viable pregnancy, is it possible it is viable but will be severely falformed or disabled, or is this a lost cause?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Nicole

[Elaine Brown, MD]

HI!
There is nothing in the information that you have given me that would make me concerned about birth defects.  It is common to see a very low heart beat in a very early pregnancy, and many of these pregnancies DO go on to become healthy babies.
If you were my patient, I would not trust any of the information that I had, and I would repeat the ultrasound using a vaginal probe.  If there is a healthy viable pregnancy, you should see a gestational sac, a yolk sac, a fetal pole, and a heartbeat.
If you see all of those things I would DO NOTHING until something changed ( such as the heart beat stopped ).   Don't do any procedures until you are certain that there is something wrong!
Good luck!
Dr B

[mummysangel]

Hi i am 9weeks and 1day today. This will be my 4th pregnancy. i have had  1 baby n 2m/c. I was told that i had miscarried with my #1 m/c at 6weeks 4days they couldnt find the baby on a u/s in the er after i was experiancing sever cramping and redish blood. where i had seen it on a ultrasound 4days previously where i was measuring 7weeks 2days from the CRL. I wanted another opinion and sure enough they found the baby with a good heartbeat. They say the mess up was caused over the fact i have a retroverted uterus and that the sonographer who swore blind i had miscarried in the er hadnt taken that into account. i later m/c due to a accident at 12weeks (fell up a flight of stairs while carrying my 6mth old my belly took the full inpact protecting my daughters head) but up until then the baby was very much healthy happy and developing like it was suppose to be. I wouldnt give up yet just try stay positive as much as possible. they may be having problems positioning the prob if its abdominal. (they have had problems with this pregnancy with that as i will not have transviginal u/s due to my previous 2 m/c and wish to stay as less-invasive as possible this time round) if your hcg levels are still rising than wait it out for lil longer i waited 2 1/2weeks and they found my bubby only last week (i was 8weeks 3days measuring only 7wk 5days) after they told me that it wasnt looking good when i had my dating scan at 5weeks 4days only a gest sac nothing else.

your in my thoughts and i hope all goes well and you have a very sticky baby in there

[livelovelaughblessed]

my hcg level is a little under 65000 and iam 7wks 3days ...sorry i forgot to put that in my comment earlier

[livelovelaughblessed]

iam not sure whats going on with me with me iam suppose to be 7wks 4days they see the sac but nothing in the sac but my hcg levels are rising like there are suppose to as if iam having a normal pregnancy. i v been on a roller coaster since i found out ! the thing is i went into the er thinking i was having a tuble pregnancy and they said that i had a pendicidice and they did emergency surgry knowing i was pregnant the er said i was 5wk 5days then after the surgry the doctor came in and said that when they took my appenix out it wasnt swollen and it wasnt a pendicitis ever since then iv had problems i had a allergic reaction to pain medication that they kept me on untill my ob made them change it. i dont know if that has an affect on whats going on or not the dr said it might be a blighted ovum but a nother dr told me that my hcg levels wouldnt be rising like they are as if iam having a normal pregnancy . i dont know what to think or how to feel.

[wtf54]

I'm not sure about birth defects but if you're HCG lvl is going up and not going down you have nothing to worry about.

[lil_lady25]

Im sorry to hear about your loss and totally feel for you. I suggest that you listen to your doctor as they only want the best for you. Perhaps wait a week and go back in to see if they can find a heartbeat, maybe 6 weeks is too early. I wish you the best of luck and hope everything works out for you.

[Kristyingeorgia]

Hi, I am so sorry to hear what you are having to go through! I am sorry I dont have any insight into this however I wanted to let you know that you will be in my prayers! Take care and good luck! Please keep us posted on monday!