I am 14 weeks pregnant with my 2nd child. At 6 weeks I started bleeding, clotting, and cramping. I bled for about 3 days and then spotted for about 2 weeks. When the clotting started I knew that I had miscarried. I went to the dr a week later and explained everything and he said that it did sound like I was miscarrying. He took a preg test and had my HCG levels checked. I was shocked to find a positive result and the levels were fine. My dr then said that sometimes those symptoms are normal. In my heart I knew I had miscarried. I'm wondering now if I was carrying twins, and lost one. I know this is possible. I'm wondering why my dr didnt do an ultrasound at that time. My question now is will I ever find out if that is what happened for peace of mind. Am I too far along for an ultrasound to show anything? I will be having one (with a different dr) in a few weeks.
I just want to say that I appreciate everyone's input on my situation. At 17 weeks (to the day) I started having lower back pain and cramping. Later that night, I started bleeding. I went to the emergency room and was told that my baby was not alive. I was given two options... 1) have a d&c or 2) let my body take it's own course and have the baby naturally. I was told if I wanted to have the d&c procedure to show up at my dr.'s office at 9:00 the next morning. I felt that I needed to have the baby naturally to help with the grieving process. For some strange reason 30 minutes before I was to be at the dr.'s office I decided to go through with the d&c. As they started the procedure I began to hemorrage massively, the dr decided to to an emergency abdominal surgery to stop the bleeding. What happened? I had a fairly rare condition called placenta percreta. The placenta had grown through my uterus and was attaching to muscle tissue and my bladder. My bladder was punctured from removing the placenta, and my uterus removed. I was given several blood transfusions. So to sum it up... I lost our baby and can no longer have children. My husband was told that if I had not made the decision to have the d&c, I would not be sitting here today. As thankful as I am to be here, it's a struggle every day. I'm still recovering, and continue to get better physically.
What has your new doctor said? How have your current HCGs compared with previous? If you are not getting the answers you want, you can ask a more specialized doctor - from family practice to ob/gyn or from ob/gyn to perinatalogist (at Swedish and UW). Honor your gut feelings and keep asking the question until you have an answer that is helpful to you.
At 14 wks, your dr should be able to hear a heart beat with a dopler, so you can hear it during your appt. No need for an ultra sound if he can hear the heart beat. If you were pregnant with twins and lost one, what difference would it make for the surviving twin? What if you didn't miscarry? and your dr is right about this being within the broad spectrum of normal for a preganancy? Focus on the positive. You'll probably have an ultrasound soon. And you'll see this baby growing and thriving. Don't borrow trouble or worries. Relax, enjoy your little girl. Prepare her and the rest of your home for this new arrival that will be there in about 6 months. Time will rush by.
Congratulations on your pregnancy!!!
Hello G.,
I actually just studied this in my Child Development class. I learned that in the case of twins, if one is lost, the body does not pass it as a normal miscarriage because both fetuses are sharing the same amnio sac and placenta. What happens is that the other twin or the placenta absorb the tissue matter from the deceased twin.
Normal single and twin pregnancies do have bleeding and spotting occasionally, this bleeding and spotting come from other parts of the uterus. Some pregnancies even have a menstrual cycle for part or most of the pregnancy.
So, from what I learned in class, it seems that you're bleeding came from excess in the uterine lining, not from passing a miscarriage twin. It would have been impossible for your body to pass one twin through the amnio sac without losing the other as well. You could have been pregnant with twins and it has been absorbed, but the bleeding has nothing to do with it. I hope this helps, and I value your intuition about about your body and pregnancy. Good luck and best wishes!
B.
Important update!-
Marda just sent me a message, and it is true, I am so sorry I forgot this info...it IS possible to miscarriage a twin vaginally. I was thinking only of identical twins, which are from the same egg and share a sac. Non-identical twins are from different eggs and form their own sacs and placentas. I wish the very best for you for the rest of your pregnancy, and would like very much to hear what your update is from your doctor.
Maybe your insurance doesn't cover an ultrasound that isn't medically necessary and your doctor knew that. I would concentrate on the baby you still have and ensure you are doing everything to make sure it is healthy.
You may never know for sure but it sound just like what my mother in law went through when she was pregnant with my sister in law. She miscarried a twin and they were going to do a DnC and decided to do a prego test first and that is when they found she was pregnant still. she was on be rest for 7 months until my SIL was born. It just may be a mystery you never know the answer to but at least you still have one to look forward to.
The short answer is no. I know I've miscarried twice and suspect a third time, but there's no way to know unless you miscarry a single after a positive blood test. If your doctor had done an ultrasound at 6 weeks, you might have known, but probably not. It's also perfectly normal to have some bleeding and cramping early in pregnancy.
I love pure romance!! It may have been that or it could have been like the Dr said, no biggie. I had bleeding with my second and she is fine. You have so much going on do not worry about what you can not explain!
I would go with what your gut is telling you.Keep asking the questions until u get the answer u want or the Dr is certain he can't find the answers your want and your happy with his work.
My younger sister (born in 1988) was a twin and they were able to tell my mom back then that she lost the twin and that it's what the bleeding was from..Sooo if they can tell such answers back then then they surely can now and maybe even have better answers or be able to find out in more cases anyway.
Good luck and I hope u get to the bottom of this.In the meantime just try and relax :)
the first time i saw my daughter was at 10wks when they did an ultrasound on me inthe er after a car accident
You might never know. Some times you have to just live in the moment, or situation that you have been given. Count your blessings, not your losses.
Try not to dwell on it, and be happy for what you have. That said, I had my first ultrasound at 8 weeks, then again at 20. It sounds like your doctor did not listen to you or explain things to your satisfaction. If your doctor can not take the time with you that you need or explain things to you, or just does not listen to your concerns, then you should find a new doctor.
You should definitely change doctors because any doctor I know would have done an ultrasound just based off of those symptoms. That is beyond me why your doctor didn't and that alone would not make me feel like he had my baby in their best interest. I have suffered a miscarriage and first thing was the u/s. I bled and clotted too. I don't want to scare you because I experienced the same thing, but it is possible that you lost a twin.
Your blood can still show levels of pregnancy when you miscarry. It actually takes a couple weeks or so to get down to an HCG level of 0. I know because I was monitored for it by having my blood drawn twice a week. If you did lose a twin it is possible that your HCG levels were those of a single baby instead of double. If you had your blood drawn before you should ask what the HCG levels were to see if there was any indication to having twins, but 6 weeks or sooner might not have high enough HCG levels to tell you that.
You also hear stories of woman who get their period during pregnancy. My mother-in-law had hers for the first 3 months while she was pregnant with my husband. I know you're anxious, but try to stay calm and relaxed until your appointment. Seeing is believing and I hope that you see a healthy baby during your u/s with the new doctor.
You probably won't know for sure, but it is very commom (much more than most think) to have bleeding in the first trimester and go on to have a normal pregnancy. So it's statistically more likely that it was just a "threatened miscarriage" rather than a twin. Also, when people have a very early twin demise, they often have no symptoms. Your doctor should've explained that to you. Did you tell him/her you were concerned about the twin thing? Try to relax and enjoy your pregnancy!
Geez, first thing I'd say is change doctors! That's ridiculous treatment. Any doctor should know that even if you are in the middle of a miscarriage you'll have a positive pg test--DUH! Your hormones may stay high for weeks after a miscarriage so the blood tests are useless. The only thing that could have told would have been an US at the time. At this point, you can't know medically if that's what happened, but your intuition might be right. I think women really have a sixth sense sometimes for these things.
I'm sorry you had to go through that and hope you have a great ultrasound soon!
not to discount your gut feeling, but i was so absolutely certain i had miscarried because i spotted/clotted/bled for 9 weeks earlier in my pregnancy (i'm now 21 weeks along with a perfectly healthy baby and no sign of fetal remnants at any point to suggest a missing twin). the spotting started at 6 weeks, increasing to clotting at 9 weeks, and became bleeding at 10 weeks. at 10 weeks some of my pregnancy symptoms totally disappeared and because i have experienced several miscarriages in the past i freaked out and call my midwife. my midwife got me in right away to do an ultrasound and showed me that, in fact, my baby was alive and kicking! i had what's called a subchorionic bleed, and are actually not all that rare in early pregnancy. sometimes it's severe enough to warrant bedrest (which happened to me with both my living children), and others pose no risk at all. what you're describing sounds a lot like the bleed i had this time around. my bleed was finally considered gone at 14 weeks, and like i said, we're having a healthy (and already chunky!) baby girl in early july.
that said, your doctor should have done an ultrasound to rule out vanishing twin syndrome. i would discuss your concerns with your doctor at your next visit, and see if he can't order an ultrasound now. however, it would likely be inconclusive, as typically in vanishing twin syndrome the dead fetus is reabsorbed into the placenta and even by the remaining baby and rarely passed by the mother when it occurs in the first trimester.
good luck to you!
