Confused About My Ultrasound

i totally understand your concern. here's what i think: if they wait a week or two and repeat the ultrasound, chances are very good that then they will be able to see a heart beat. i'm with you, i didn't think it was even possible to see a heartbeat until 5-6 weeks. also, they should check your beta hcg, which is a pregnancy hormone. a non-pregnant level is less than 5, and a normal pregnancy should double every (other?) day-- i can't remember for sure. either way, it should be elevated, and continue to until it levels off somewhere around 18 weeks (again, i'm pretty sure, but don't quote me on the weeks. the other thing i find interesting is that they are saying 3-4 weeks pregnant, and to be considered exactly 4 weeks, it should be 4 weeks since your last menstrual period, at which point the zygote isn't usually implanted (but sometimes is)-- once implantation occurs, that's when you see a rise in hcg. anyway-- i wouldn't be too hasty with a d & c until they can tell you for sure absolutely that there is no cardiac activity. and i wouldn't trust a doctor too quick to do one. i hope everything turns out great for you, and i hope that i've helped a bit! good luck! (and congratulations!)

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I'm currently 28 weeks pregnant and my doctor said it was not uncommon to not hear or see on an ultra-sound the heartbeat that early. The severe stomach pains could be a sign of a mis-carriage- but could also be indigestion. I wouldn't do anything drastic until you talk to a real (non-ER) OB-GYN- who is more familiar with what to look for in early pregnancy. Don't worry until you have a reason to worry. At 3-4 weeks the "yoke sack" is a baby, but doesn't have features that would be easily recognized on an ulta -sound. They kinda look like a blob. When my husband saw his first ulta-sound- he said it looked like an alien and joked that I was abducted and inseminated.
Call your OB first thing in the morning. God Bless! J. <><

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You are right to be a little concerned. Most emergency room doctors are not trained on ultrasound machines. In fact I went to the emergency room several times in early pregnancy, and they warned me that this was not there area of expertise. One time they made me wait untill an ultrasound tech arrived.

If I was you I would wait untill you had the opinion of a ob/gyn. You want to be sure. It could be that the heart beat is just not visible yet, or the ER doctor could not detect it.

If it is the worse case scenerio, and there is no heart beat, most of the time your body will naturally miscarry. I miscarried at 9 weeks, and found out that it was a blighted ovum. In other words there was no baby only a yolk sack. So I don't think that you have to make the D&C decison so early. Let your body do it's own thing, and hopefully nothing will happen.

I know it is hard, but for now try to relax and not worry about it untill you talk to your OB. At least they know that it isn't an etopic pregnancy. Good luck. I hope everything works out.

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When I was pregnant with my son I knew before I missed my period. I was so excited that the first thing I did was call and make an appt with by OB. Of course at this point it was way early. When I went in for my appt the dr did an ultrasound and couldn't find anything. He sent me to do a pregnancy test again in the Lab and told me to come back in a week. So I waited, it was the longest week ever. When I went back he could find a little sac and the blood test showed that I was pregnant. I was very scared but it all turned out just fine. I think you need to see your OB and talk to him/her they will know more on what to do but don't rush to make any decisions. Good luck.

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Don't panic yet. The person that did the ultrasound...they're not allowed to read the ultrasound so they really can't tell you anything. They're just there to take the picture...then someone else reads the ultrasound and sends the results to the doctor. You can see the heartbeat sooner than you can hear the heart beat. But being an emergency room doctor, I would wait until you talk to your doctor for real. As far as a DNC goes...if there is no sign of life at all, then you would have to get it done. But if they tell you that the baby is currently alive and for any reason that you need an abortion...you may want to take time to really weigh your options. I was supposed to abort one because he was going to rupture some ovarian cysts and the poison would spread through my body and he would die for sure and I might die too...I can't tell...I'm still here and so is he. I was supposed to abort another one because I was showing signs of miscarriag...ok, granted she was born way early (7 months) and we had a hell of alot therapy to go through to straighten her out, but she's still here and doing remarkably well...you can't even tell she was premature. Then there was the abortion that I was supposed to have because I tested posative for Trisomy 18 and they said that she would miscarry, be still born or only live for a year due to massive physical and mental defects...she's 4 years old, she's still here, there are no defects...she did stroke on the way out, but she's fine now. Then there was the abortion that I was supposed to get because they almost lost me when I had my 4 year old and they were sure that I was going to die with this one...ok...they kind of had a point with that one, but that's why man made the paddles (defibulator) and it brought me back just fine. But after that close call, I did get the tubes tied. Point is...sometimes you just have to go with your gut...you have to decide what's best. But don't panic until you get a couple other doctor opinions.

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Get a second opioion. I was preg. with twins, at the time of my 6 weeks appointment, only one heartbeat could be detected, they sent me for another ultrasound 2 weeks later, sure enough, there it was. I have twin girls that are now 3 1/2 yrs old. and my 13 yr. old did the same thing. alittle cramping is normal and a little spottong is normal. however, go see an OB/GYN. . Good luck

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I will say that YES it is too early & u are correct on the ER doc. They are trained to USE such equipment, but not trained in all areas. I had same to happen to me with my 2nd & 4th... With the 2nd one, they told me that I had miscarried & that I was just gonna have to wait the process out & come back. Hmmmm~ I was told that everytime I went to the Dr as well as in the ER, but it never seemed correct. I mean I was gaining weight, craving foods, peeing nonstop, lol... and I could feel the baby moving. I even looked Pregnant. Just odd! So as I continued to go to the ER or doc when I would get sick or whatever, they would not do an ultrasound. Said there was no need to & that I was NOT pregnant. I even had a NEGATIVE urine & Blood test when I was about 5 months... Anyways, about 7 months into it, my dr. finally agreed to do an ultrasound. Whatta ya know.. I was very pregnant~ And the baby gave the doc a THUMBS UP.. That was the best part about that visit. Now, yes I was going to a great hospital and one of the best OB/Gyn in our county. I used him for my 1st as well. But I did have all the signs of a miscarriage & every symptom you could list on it. But I had an 8 pound 8 ounce beautiful boy, that astonished every dr & nurse in that hospital.
With my 4th & LAST... They were NEVER able to find the hearbeat. They never even thru the delivery got a heartbeat on her. But we knew she was there.She was just in an awkward position evidently... Her being my last, I never got to hear her heartbeat while I was pregnant with her. And I use to play the guessing of the sex with the heartbeat & I was correct on all 3 of them. With the 4th.... I prayed it was a girl.. Thank God she was. I had spent alot of money on pink stuff that could not be returned. ha ha
So I would not worry~
If you want.. go to a different hospital & complain with spotting & cramping... They will give you another ultrasound rightaway.
Best wishes & Good Luck!
J.

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You are correct about the heartbeat. You cannot see a heart beat until 6-6.5 weeks. All you see that early is a gestational sac and yok sac. I work in a hospital and I understand your concern about the ER Doc. If you have the prescription for blood work that may be what you want to follow up with and call your OBGYN for conformation on future ultrasounds. It might just be a good idea to follow up with them first before you do anything. Good luck to you and what a blessed family you have.
K. O
Mom of Livia 4 and twins 16mo

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HI! I'm J.. Hey I would just go to a OBGYN and they will tell you if they hear a heartbeat or not. They will also do another ultrasound and tell you. I had 2 miscarriages. The first one i lost and the second one my body was telling me that i was pregnant but there was no baby. I wouldn't give up. Go to a OBGYN and they will walk you through it. Keep me posted on your success.

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I would not worry too much. The ultrasound tech does ultrasounds all day long. If there were anything to be concerned about she'd have mentioned it to you.
Don't worry about having a procedure either, he wants for you to see your doctor and have another ultrasound. That means that far more than 1 person will be looking at you and your ultrasounds.
And you shouldn't worry about no heartbeat until the 5th or 6th week just like you said. Here's some info I found online:

The embryonic heart starts beating 22 days after conception, or about five weeks after the last menstrual period, which by convention we call the fifth week of pregnancy. The heart at this stage is too small to hear, even with amplification, but it can sometimes be seen as a flickering in the chest if an ultrasound is done as early as four weeks after conception.

Best Wishes.

if i were in this situation, i would call my ob/gyn TODAY. explain what happened and schedule an appt ASAP. ob/gyn's will have more experience with the testing that needs to be done to ensure the safety of your baby. and about the ER visit, yes, ultrasound techs do know how to read an ultrasound, but they aren't doctors, so i don't know that they can definitively tell you everything about your fetus's health. the ER doctor would know more, but again, they are supposed to know general things about LOTS of different types of medicine, i.e. they may not know about when a baby's heartbeat shows up. so, don't get yourself set on anything until you talk to your OB. bloodwork and other ultrasounds will definitely determine the correct health of your baby, and you won't get a dnc if your baby is alive and well. my prayers are with you!! stay positive! it sounds like a scary situation.

I don't think I fully understand. Did they figure out what was causing your severe stomach pains? An early pregnancy shouldn't cause enough pain to send you to the emergency room so it sounds like a coincidence.

Also, sometimes doctor's are unclear about the age of the pregnancy. Is the fetus 3-4 weeks old or are you 3-4 weeks pregnant? If the fetus is 3-4 weeks old then you are 5-6 weeks pregnant and seeing the heartbeat should be possible. If you are 3-4 weeks pregnant then you haven't even missed your period yet and you should just wait a while.

I would see my OB/GYN ASAP. They will be more knowledgable about your pregnancy. I've found ER Drs to have little to no bedside manner. I didn't think you could hear the heartbeat so early in the preg. I went to the DR at 8 weeks & they didn't think they would be able to hear it, but we did. My Dr said it was rare that you get to hear it so early.
Good luck & I'll keep you in my prayers.

Go to your ob/gyn doctor before you do anything! They are the experts on that area not an er doc! I hope everything is ok! keep us posted!

Don't jump the gun!! I had bleeding and severe pain early in my pregnancy and it turned out I had low-lying placenta which caused both. Within a couple of weeks the pain was gone and the placenta was moving. You are way to early to know anything for sure, you know that's why they don't even usually schedule your first routing OB until 10-12 weeks. I would get the bloodwork the Doc recommended and then make an appt with your OB. Try to remain calm and rest until you know what's going on. Disregard what he said about the D&C, if you need it, your OB will let you know, but most miscarriages this early will expell themselves with mild cramping like with your period. Hope all is well.

Whatever you do, don't have a D & C. Even if God forbid you have miscarried, your body will not reject the baby yet. It takes a very long time. Trust me I've been through it. There is no reason to schedule something like that until you know for sure. I was supposed to be 13 weeks pregnant, and the baby showed up at 6 weeks with no heartbeat. We scheduled a D & C for two weeks later. A day or two before, I my body started to end the pregnancy on it's own and I bled a LOT. Then of coarse I had the D $ C as scheduled. So add up the number of weeks. My baby had miscarried for 8 weeks before my body did anything. So there is no rush. Just wait and see if the baby shows you anything in 3-6 weeks. And set up something with an actual OBGYN.
Good Luck!

T.,

You shouldn't see a heartbeat till 5 to 7 weeks, sometimes it's closer to 8. It just depends. The blood work should be a Beta HCG which should show you're pregnant, usually you get it done within 48 hours and it should double or at least come sorta close. Don't worry!! ER doctors aren't completely trained with this kinda stuff. I'd listen to the ultrasound lady!! Get your blood done and don't worry! If you do continue to have pains, go to your OB/GYN.

D.:)

This happened to me with my last pregnancy also. When I had my first ultrasound at 5 weeks, it was too early to see anything other than the sac. This is completely normal. I did have to go back and get blood work and another ultrasound (they waited 2 more weeks). The blood work is to make sure your HCG levels are rising and in another couple weeks they should be able to see a fetal pole and heartbeat. Not seeing anything at this point isn't bad, it's just too early. When I went back 2 weeks later we saw the heartbeat and our little girl was born a month ago. Do not get a D and C without seeing an OBGYN first!!! Don't worry and good luck!

Hello T.,
I happen to HAVE a medical baby myself. And in all honesty? Consult YOUR OB/GYN first before ANY (I mean ANY) tests to be ran. There are brochures/pamphlets available to SHOW what your baby is doing during the growth process in your pregnancy. That the heart and lungs are formed at this time. The baby is able to swallow at this time. The genitalia is actually seen after the 19-21st weeks of gestation. The information you get from your doctor or any Maternal Health facility are readily available to answer questions about your baby. Even going ONLINE and doing a google search about the baby growing process is very effective. My first ultrasound was done at 19 weeks pregnant (gestation is the medical term). My daughter had a LARGE bladder, after doing several blood work tests and even an amniocentesis (not fun), they found nothing medically wrong with my daughter until I gave birth 5 weeks early. I was spotting and felt I had to pee, when in all reality I was leaking amniotic fluid. My daughter eventually pushed me into labor and I had her. She does have a large bladder and even though she does pee on her own, I still have catherize her. However that wasn't the problem until AFTER my daughters birth. At 2 days old and in the NICU, they found my daughter bowel was very tiny and she wouldn't make it. Well she's 3 yrs old now and had a 5 organ transplant. Through prayer and God's Grace, my daughter became a medical miracle celebrity. Her situation is a VERY rare genetic mishap. I'm not saying your child is sick or not, I believe it is VERY premature to make ANY assumptions at this time.
So MY advice with all my medical trials and tribulation is to consult your doctor. If THERE is ANYTHING wrong with your child, YOU will know it. As a mother of 2 kids and this one being your 3rd, you will have that maternal instinct. If you don't feel that ER doc was correct, then TRUST it. But there are ways to find out more information and that is to put the brakes on and talk to your PERSONAL OB/GYN.

I am 27 yrs old and the mother of two boys, 6 & 2 yrs old. I have had two miscarriages, so I am familiar with your situation. You will know for sure what is going on when they complete the blood test. They are looking for your hormones to rise and it will also tell you pretty close to how far along you are. Then they will be better to say when they should see a heart beat. Don't let them rush you to a D&C, if something is wrong you could possibly just miscarry on your own, then have a D&C if necessary. Watch for any spotting or abnormal discharge. Otherwise, hope for the best and keep a realistic attitude. Hope this helps.

just go to yuor regular OB/GYN doc. That's the one who's really gonna know, and can help you understand what is really going on.

ok i know you are very worried, with reason, but calm down and go see you OB-Gyn. It so early in the pregnancy and im no dr but i have a hard time thinking that the heart is developed enough to see on the ultrasound at 4 weeks. Wait till you see an OB before you stress yourself out which is the last thing you and your baby needs

First of all, I highly doubt they will have you do a D & C that early in a pregnancy, even if there isn't a heartbeat. I was 7 weeks pregnant and they did an ultrasound, couldn't find a heartbeat and basically told me to give it a couple of weeks and I should spontaniously miscarry. Sure enough, I miscarried in the next 3 days. They usually want you to pass it on your own. I also had a D & C when I was 12 weeks pregnant, b/c I had what they call a Molar Pregnancy. To make a long explanation short, my tummy was getting bigger faster than normal b/c my embryo "turned into" a tumor rather than a fetus.

Now, as far as not hearing a heart beat. I agree that is probably too early. If the tech who did the US said it was fine, then it was fine. Seeing the yolk sac is a very good sign, however, what's more important is that she saw something IN the yolk sac. Again, it may be too early. Whatever you do, give it some time and keep checking with you OB dr.--someone with true experience who knows what they're talking about and doing! :)

Good luck and I hope everything turns out well for you (and baby).

Don't worry i had my ultra sound with my twin boys at 6weeks and they could just make out the heartbeat my specialist said they don't usually see one until around 6 weeks.

i dont think i could be of much help to you..other than to say ask your obgyn....but i wanted to wish you the best of luck and hope that all goes well for you and your family.

yes go see your ob gyn... I didnt see my baby heart rate til 6-7 weeks.. and I had alot of ultrasounds...with my pregnany
and relax take it easy.... you baby doesnt need you stress

T.,

Stress does not help in these situations, go to your regular OBGYN, let them know your concerns, they will know your medical history when it comes to pregnancies, you obviously have had 2 other pregnancies, so relax call them, let them tell you what you need to do. Rely on your own instincts, don't panic and let your stress take over your body, that alone can cause miscarriages and other problems in a pregnancy.
goodluck, NOW GO CALL YOUR DOCTOR!!!

What a rough night you had! I would slow down, see your OB/GYN and see what s/he says. Hopefully the ER doc is just jumping the gun and everything is fine and the pains you were having are regular pains many women get with implamentaion. However, if the pains are because your body is rejecting this pregnancy, there is absolutely no reason you would need a D&C because it's so early. Your body would most likely just absorb the sack, but if it didn't, you would pass it in a period-like flow.
Good Luck!