6 1/2 Weeks Pregnant and No Heartbeat.

At 6 weeks gestation, you can see the heartbeat about 50% of the time with intravaginal ultrasound. Scanning through the abdomen is less sensative and often you won't see a heartbeat until another week especially if you are not a thin woman. Usually, when no heartbeat is seen, the Dr/midwife will order quantitative beta-hcg blood tests every 48-72 hours to see if your levels are rising. If they continue to rise and are above 10,000, another ultrasound will be done in a week to check for a heartbeat. If the levels do not double every 2-3 days (or even 4 days once the levels are in the thousands), it's likely your pregnancy is at risk for a miscarriage. I know the wait is difficult and my heart goes out to you. So sorry for your loss in Oct.
It is possible for your dates to be off. I have long cycles as well and with all 3 of my pregnancies the due date established by ultrasound at 8 weeks was off by at least 2 weeks from the one first given using first day of my last period. Ovulation can happen very late in a cycle and pregnancy can still be healthy --I have 3 to prove it.
Nurse Midwife Mom

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It's still too early, especially if you miscalculated. This is why most OB's that I've ever known make you wait until you're calculated to be at least 8-to-10 weeks for the first ultra-sound to see the heartbeat. You can't hear it that early, but you can usually see it at 8 weeks.

I suspect it's just way too early.

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I also had a miscarriage prior to see my dr when I was to be 8 weeks along. Also no heart beat.......because I was not dealing too well after the miscarriage, sent me for a vaginal ultrasound.......TWINS! Who on March 2nd turn 18! Relax and Good luck!

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RELAX. If you doc is freaking you out this soon, change docs. Everyone knows it takes 10-16 weeks to hear the heartbeat. This is how the entire pregnancy is going to go....freaking you out and gaining control until it's not your birth...it's his, how HE will tell you it will go.

I just had a friend who was told her twins in utero had massive things wrong based on ultrasound and they would probably die. I told her the doc was wrong. She needed a 2nd opinion, but she didn't. She ended up listening to him, got a c-section at 35 weeks and the babies were perfect....just small. NO KIDDING?????? They had to stay in ICU and mom could go home.

Makes me sick.

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Nope, too early to worry. Sometimes they can't detect a heart-beat this little. When I went in with my second, they couldn't find a heart-beat, and it worried me, too. They found it next time, just needed the baby to get a bit bigger.

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I think its common to not hear it until 8-9 weeks. Have they found out why you miscarried? I miscarried once and they found out it was because my progestine was low so I had to take a pill when i was oregnant with my daughter?

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Hang in there...6 1/2 weeks is really early to hear a heartbeat which is way the doc usually won't schedule your appointment till 8wks. Try not to stress if the doc didn't seem to concerned at this point then try to relax...I know easier said then done. Good luck! Keep us posted. :)

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I'm really sorry, but I agree that it doesn't sound good. Last year I had an internal ultrasound at 6 weeks and we saw the heartbeat just fine. My OB said the baby was measuring a little small, but looked great. When I went in for my 12 week checkup, they couldn't find a heartbeat. Turns out I had a missed miscarriage, and I had to have a D&C. I had test after test done, blood work for the next 6 months. It was a very long year for us.

What kind of ultrasound did they do? If it was external, it very well may have been too early to detect the heartbeat (which I pray is the case). But I definitely would call the doctor back--making you wait 3 weeks is ridiculous. I'm sorry that you're going through this..I do think you have a reason to be worried, but I pray that it's just a fluke and everything is ok. You're in my thoughts.

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A lot of times if the ultrasound machine is not one of the super sensitive ones, they can't hear a heatbeat until 7 or 8 or 9 weeks. Hang in there...

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Sorry L., but I agree with Lucky on this one. If you have long cycles then it's true that your dates are off and you're probably more along the lines of 6 1/2w instead of 7 1/2w. However, if u/s measures a fetal pole and comes up with 6w0d or greater then a heartbeat should also be seen. It sounds like the baby measures 6w3d or 6w4d....in that case a hb should've been seen.

Making you wait 3 wks is bull****. One week is all you should have to wait for a repeat u/s. or at this point bloodwork can give you an answer. Your pregnancy levels should at least double every other day. So if b/w was drawn today and then they repeated it on say Monday, you'd have your answer that day as to whether or not this is a viable pregnancy. I would not wait 3 wks, that's for sure. If you have to call up the drs early next week and tell them you're spotting...they'll do another u/s and you'll have your answer.

Good luck.

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I agree with Lucky, it doesn't sound good. I had two back to back miscarriages. Then when I got pregnant again I started bleeding at 6 weeks and was brought in for an ultrasound immediately. We were able to see the heartbeat on the ultrasound with no problem at all.

From my experience with my older two kids, they can't usually pick up a heartbeat on the external dopplar thing until between 10 and 12 weeks. But with the ultrasound, it should pretty obvious unless the baby was completely obstructed. But if they couldn't see it from an external ultrasound, why didn't they do an internal?

I pray that I'm wrong and that your baby is fine. I can't imagine having to wait for three weeks! I would start calling the doctor and ask lots of questions. Why three weeks? Why not an internal ultrasound? How long for the blood work?

Good luck. I hope everything is ok.

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I find that some doctors, since they see it all the time, are kind of dismissive before 8 or 12 weeks. There was one I refused to ever see again in my OB's practice who was like "why did you even test yet?" and had no sympathy. Now, not seeing the heartbeat is concerning, but sometimes you can see it better when the baby is farther along. I'm so sorry they're making you wait 3 weeks. I would wait for the bloodwork and go from there. Hugs.

Also, what kind of an ultrasound? There are different levels and internal vs external. My first ultrasound with DD was internal and they could not hear her heartbeat. We could only see it.

Ive had both. I had 2 miscarriages in one year. At 6 weeks they told me they could not hear a heartbeat, but dont worry. Then I miscarried at 8 weeks. They said it was a re-absorption. The second also they could not hear a heartbeat at 7 weeks, but then later they found it at 9 weeks. I miscarried at 15 weeks.
With my stillborn son, they found his heart beat right away, and no indication of anything wrong till the ultrasound. He had a condition that caused his brain to stop growing. He eventually died.
With husband number two, and my first pregnancy with him, I was so freaked, that I went it a lot with my first. They heard the heart beat at 7 weeks. She was fine.
2nd daughter, they couldnt get it. I didnt get checked till 12 weeks and they could not hear it with the Doppler. They went vaginally and still didnt get a good pic. She was so far in the upper part of the uterus. They told me she was likely dead. Went back a week later since I didnt miscarry. They found her right away and she is fine, all went perfectly well.
My 3rd they had trouble finding him with the Doppler, also had to have a vag ultrasound, and they found him just fine. Its really sketchy at that early. Try to relax, no strenuous activity. Dont wait 3 weeks. If it really concerns you, voice it. Go back in, have them do another vag.

My daughter had lots of ultra sounds with her 7 children. That early on the only way they were ever able to hear a heartbeat was by using the vaginal ultra sound tool. It was odd to be in the room while they were doing that but it worked sometimes.

I didn't hear the heartbeat until 15 weeks (tried at 9 weeks and 13 weeks), with the Doppler on the stomach. And then he ran from the Doppler (we only heard it a few seconds), and every time after that, he would try to avoid the u/s noise [you can't convince me he didn't "hear" it or sense it somehow!].

If it's a vaginal/visual u/s, I'd be a little more worried, but would still wait. I just read a story of a woman with no heartbeat early in pregnancy, she was sent home to wait for a miscarriage, no miscarriage ensued, doctors recommended a D&C for "missed miscarriage", had another u/s and there was a heartbeat! Her little "miracle".

But if he didn't hear it from the on-the-stomach u/s, I wouldn't worry... rather, I would try *not* to worry (believe me, I worried a little every day after 9 weeks, though I tried not to, and worried constantly from 13 to 15 weeks! then we heard the heartbeat), because the baby is so small that it can be hard to find in your uterus.

We do not have health insurance so I get prenatal care at the health department. They would not even see you till you'r in your second trimester(I was 16 weeks with my 3rd by the time the saw me) , so I think 6 1/2 weeks is way way too early.Hang in there.( I am sorry about your miscarriage:(...)

I know it's going to be a long 3 weeks but this is fairly common-you probably aren't far enough along. I had it happen once at 11 weeks and panicked-turns out the growing placenta was in front and my baby was right behind that. That's why most dr's won't see you until you are at least 8 weeks. My midwife won't see anyone until 10 weeks.

How did you get an ultrasound so early? I have to wait until I'm 20 weeks. However, my doc used dopler to hear the heartbeat, and when he tried at 7 weeks, he had a very difficult time hearing the heartbeat, because the baby wouldn't sit still long enough to get an accurate reading. However, if you are really worried about it, you may be able to get your doc to use dopler between now and your next ultrasound, just to help put your mind at ease.

To be perfectly honest it does not sound good. Typically by 6-7 weeks you should hear a heartbeat. I am completely surprised that your doctor would make you wait three weeks. When I thought I had issues I had to go in every week. I would call back and go in next week for another ultrasound. 3 weeks is ridiculous.

i wouldnt be worried yet.. i didnt have my first appointment til i was 10 weeks and thats when i heard the heartbeat for the first time.. but i had the opposite happen that you did.. when i called to make the appointment i thought i was only 6 weeks along so they said ok we'll make your appointment 2 weeks from now so youll b 8 weeks when they did the ultrasound it turned out i was 10 weeks along.. but anyway i wouldnt worry my doctor said they dont typically make your first appointment until you are 8-10 weeks .. so i dont think theres any reason to be concerned that at only 6 weeks you didnt hear anything

Stay calm and treat yourself well for the next 3 weeks. My DR won't even do an ultrasound until 10 weeks, for fear that I would freak out if we didn't hear the heartbeat.

Hang in there. we heard no heartbeat with our daughter and the pregnancy was perfect.

I know it is hard to wait, but it is really early. I had the same thing occur with my second pregnancy and when I went back in at 8 -9 weeks the heartbeat was found. Good luck!