Gestational Sac Measuring Small at 8 Week Ultrasound

I am honestly surprised by your doctor's reaction. This type of thing happens ALL the time. My best friend thought she was 8 weeks pregnant, but turns out she calculated her cycle wrong (due to a trip to Italy) and she was only 5 1/2 weeks. She was freaked out at her ultrasound because, according to where she (and her doctor) THOUGHT she was, she was measuring small. They couldn't even see the baby at all during the u/s, just the sac. She feared she had a blighted ovum or some other defect. Well, let me just say, her baby was born in July, perfect as can be!

If you are supposed to be 8 weeks and the baby is measuring 7 1/2 weeks, I am not sure what the issue is. It is very conceivable that you could be off on your cycle calc by a few days...hey, my friend was off by a few weeks! And doctor's measurements are off too, so don't let them tell you they have it down to an exact science. Neither of my pregnancies measuerd exactly in sync with how many weeks I was supposedly along anyway. They were always off a little bit. The key is how they are growing and developing as you move along. This is WAY too soon for anyone to be throwing up a red flag...you're measurements are too close for that.

Please try not to worry. Know that you ARE pregnant and keep in mind how jaded some doctors can be these days. They see this stuff everyday, so to them it's just a job. They become numb to the fact that this is a person's BABY, so they don't always realize when they are telling us things that could potentially devastate us. When I was pg with my first, I was told at 5 1/2 weeks along I had a greater than 90% chance of miscarriage because my progesterone was dangerously low. I thought all hope was lost. My beautiful daughter will turn 5 in February...so keep the faith! Doctors don't always know. Trust that everything is going to be fine.

Hang in there and keep us posted! Best of luck and congrats on your baby!!!

i know of this happening to someone but she was absolutely sure of the date and she was measuring far off than you are. she did lose the baby, In your case you are not that off and are you really sure of the date? you are hardly off at all! First of all whatever happens is for the best, and worrying isnt going to help at all!!! as with any pregnancy you are 50 50 until after the first trimester, I wish you the best and whatever happens know its for the best!!!

I was 8 wks pregnant and went in for my dr appt. Couldn't find a heartbeat which they said was normal this early, however, I had a failed pregnancy before so they sent me for an ultrasound for my peace of mind. I ended up with two sacs, but one was significantly smaller. I was told I had at least one and we had to wait a month to see if both continued to thrive. (they said one could be dimising). Long story, short, both thrived and I gave birth to twins (6 lbs 3 oz, and 7lbs 4 oz). Today they are 16!
Wish you much success and prayers for a strong healthy baby!

I have a theory that at least once during a woman's pregnancy the Dr. will give her an unneccessary scare. With mal-practice being what it is I think Drs want to cover themselves the best they can.

Take it easy, try not to worry.

Take care
J.

I'm with CS. Do you know when you ovulated exactly? That could be all there is to the "small" factor. Seeing a heartbeat & it being that strong is very positive.

As for spotting. My SIL had spotting all through her first pregnancy & my niece is now 4.5. I spotted at 12.5 weeks & my son is 2.5. So you can totally have spotting & carry to term with a healthy baby.

I'd just relax & hope & pray for the best.

First, you are talking about 5 day difference here. Not a big deal. I thought I was unable to conceive for 2 years (after 2 early miscarriages) but finally got pregnant (found out 2 days before our appt with the fertility clinic). With both of my kids my DD was changed by 3 days because I evidently ovulate late in my cycle. My doc still went with my LMP date because they typically feel that is more reliable. I had some spotting at 11 weeks with my second baby, the ultrasound changed by DD by 3 days, and he was born 8lb 9oz and he is a 3 y/o bundle of headstrong energy.
A friend of mine was told by ultrasound that there was no fetal development and her doc scheduled a D&C. She called my Mom in the parking lot of the hospital that she felt pregnant and was sure the tests were wrong. My mom told her to go home and rethink the situation. That baby is 14 years old now. Ultrasound is far from an exact science.
With pregnancy you never know what is going to happen, you take care of yourself best you can and hope for good results. Good luck to you!

The only way to know for sure is to wait until 12 weeks or something happens before then... Just treat your body like its pregnant (because it is) and try not to worry about it. You heard the heartbeat, saw the baby, maybe you are off on the dates and everything could be just fine. The sac is only measuring a few days small, under a week so I would not be too worried at this point. I am sending good thoughts your way!
Best of luck to you.

S.

Yes, this happened to me with my last one. They could also not see the heartbeat at 8 weeks and the sac was small, we had to wait another week. An ultrasound is NOT an exact science, there is a +/- factor to consider. Are they running blood tests for your hormones every couple of days to see if they are rising as required? By the way, my daughter is 20 months old and full of energy. Good luck to you and I am sending some prayers heavenward for you and your little miracle.

At 8 weeks we all have a chance of miscarriage. In fact, I had a perfect ultrasound at 8 weeks and at my 12 week appointment there was no heartbeat. It was devastating, but we got through it. A year later we tried again and now I am 23 weeks pregnant. With this pregnancy, at 19 weeks the ultrasound showed that the amniotic fluid was on the low end. I freaked out for the entire 3 weeks until the follow up ultrasound. But 3 LONG weeks later an ultrasound showed everything was normal.

From these experiences I would encourage you to: visualize a healthy pregnancy. Every time you start to worry, just think, nope, I'm not going to go there, and visualize the baby growing bigger and bigger. Also, distract yourself. Find whatever it is you love to do and do it as much as possible. During the three long weeks in between my ultrasounds, I think I read 3 or 4 novels, because for me, reading relaxes and distracts me from everything. Be good to yourself, take it easy and baby yourself a little. Keep in mind, no matter what happens later, you are going through an emotional stressful time right now, and try to keep all other stressors to a minimum.

You have no way of knowing if this pregnancy will turn out ok. But, neither do any of us, at any point of our pregnancies. The best we can do is stay positive and hope for the best.

Good luck

I had the same thing happen to me. I am so sorry for what you are going through. I had naively thought that it would not affect me prior to the 12 week mark and I was sorely mistaken. It was really hard for me and even two years later and also a baby later it makes me tear up. I promise you it gets easier, but it is really hard. I will say a litle mommy prayer for you tonight.

Are you postive you are 8 wks1d? That could be a big factor in the size!! Take care, be positive, rest. Your baby needs you to stay calm!! I wish you nothing but the best!

I feel really bad for you. My prays are with you and I hope you have a healthy baby.