Dating Scan

[Maruschke]

What is the earliest I can have one?

I will be 6w on the 23rd, which is the day most ultrasound places close down. I just don't know if I would be risking going too early if I went then? It would be a nerve wrecking Christmas. I know quite a few women have gone at 6w at not seen a hb.

My FS has offered me one at 8w4d but that seems like FOREVER away.

[Bloom]

My FS said that not until 7 weeks can a hearbeat been reliably seen.

Is there another scan place you can go to? Even if you have to drive a bit?

I know you'd love to see one before Christmas. How would you feel if you went at 6 weeks and DIDN'T see a heart beat? Then the wait till after 7 weeks would be even worse?

Thinking of you.

[Mollie89]

My FS made me wait til just after 7wks so that they were sure there was a HB..

When do they open back up M? is there somewhere that opens just after Christmas? Like the 28th????

[Maruschke]

Yes I can go to a different scan place at 7 w - which also feels like a lifetime away! I guess the hb before Christmas would have been nice because I could have announced it, and I don't know if I want to risk announcing it and then have to make a second retraction in just a few months.

[Ahurani]

I saw a hb at 6w1d so I recon you might see one. Plus you'd be sure when you ovulated wouldn't you?

[AlligatorsMum]

i had a scan done very early at what i thought was 6wks3days and an OB did only a external scan (not sure why??) but there was no heartbeat and was measuring at 6wks. It was VERY stressful for me to then wait another week (after having a MC with our first pregnancy) to see my normal OB and then find a heartbeat and to see little man was measuring at the correct dates.

I think everyone is different as to whether they would find it more stressful not having a scan or having one and not seeing a heartbeat that early but i think in hindsight i would have preferred to NOT have the first scan and just have NORMAL anxiety lol if that makes sense!

[Ahurani]

I think at that gestation if they can't see anything they need to do an internal. They have done with both of my pregnancies. On the current one externally looked like an empty sack and I nearly cried. But internally was a healthy 6w1d with a hb. Your right though everyone is different

[peanutter]

I thought it was 7 weeks too.

Question: would you find it more reassuring if you got another blood test done, for HCG before the Christmas break, so you can see that your levels are still rising at the same rate? And then have the scan after the break?

Trying to think of a way to make the waiting less anxious

[Maruschke]

Peanutter I think that sounds like a great idea. Might do that and get a scan at 7w.

[OceanPrincess]

The gyn/obs I saw on Mon at the hosp said that if we conceive again, she would recommend an early scan at 7 weeks. That any earlier there's a risk of not seeing a hb.

I understand your concern/terror/stress... I get that you want to announce it... but maybe its better just to wait?



ETA: Snap, good compromise

Still so happy for you. Every time I see a post of yours in the pregnancy section I want to cry Happy tears of course

[Elocin]

Question: would you find it more reassuring if you got another blood test done, for HCG before the Christmas break, so you can see that your levels are still rising at the same rate? And then have the scan after the break?

I was just thinking the same thing.

With my first pg, I had an early scan to rule out an eptopic at about 5w. While the scan showed that the sac was in the right spot, it did nothing to ease my stress because I hadn't seen a heartbeat.

[Maruschke]

7 weeks is the 30th of Dec, so we can send out texts at midnight on new years I guess . My beta's are more than doubling so I am starting to relax .

[loulabelle]

I think your better waiting too. I had a scan at six weeks and we saw no heartbeat. it just ended up causing anxiety for the next 10 days until I had my next one.

[OceanPrincess]

7 weeks is the 30th of Dec, so we can send out texts at midnight on new years I guess . My beta's are more than doubling so I am starting to relax .

That sounds wonderful. "Happy New Year! By the way, we're pregnant!!!"

[*beannaithe*]

We had our first scan at 6w after a SCH and both little bubbas had good strong heartbeats with the external scanner. In saying that though, we did know that there was a big chance that it was too early to see. I guess the question is if you did have a 6w scan, would it stress you out heaps if you didn't see a HB, even knowing that its quite likely to be too early but everything still be ok? If you think you can go into the scan thinking well, if we do see the HB that is a huge bonus and can breathe a little sigh of relief a bit earlier, but if not, we do know that it is still extremely early? If you get what I mean?
How much of a worrier and overanalyser are you? If I hadn't had my bleed, we were booked in for 6w3d because I was quite anxious and we knew we may not see anything. I was ok with that because the nurses had stressed that no HB at that stage is still perfectly ok. Lucky us though that we did.

Something to bear in mind with HCG is that from about 6 weeks, a scan is a better indicator of progress as once your levels reach about 6000 (I think, from memory), the rise does start to slow a bit. So you may not have the 48hr doubling time that you are after but everything still be fine (may be between 48 - 72hrs). Aarrgghh, this stage of things is just so worrying, isn't it?

[AndiE]

With DS1 I had a scan at about 5w5d (definitely less than 6w) and saw a heartbeat, and with DS2 a scan at 6w4d showed a heartbeat.

[Baby Dreamtime]

Big congrats to you M, I have been quietly stalking . I had an early scan this time with my FS the morning of 5w4d and could see the heartbeat. But was preparing myself that this was unlikely. If it was me I couldn't wait and would much prefer the chance to maybe see a hb rather than wait. Same premise as poas. Do you risk seeing a bfn early on the chance you might get a faint BFP? I always poas from 8dpo . What ever you decide wishing you a perfect scan and lovely hb. Ps worst case scenario you can always present at a&e at 6.5w and say you are worried and want a scan xxx

[buffy1]

I had one at 5w 5d before an overseas trip to rule out ectopic. We could only just see the heart beating (not hear it though) and the tech was at pains to tell us that it was very unlikely that early. My FS didn't love the idea of us going that early but I had to be sure it was ok before travelling out of the country.

Am with the others, a repeat BT might give you some reassurance rather than cause worry.

Congrats again x