First prenatal appointment..scary & disappointing

[dancingirl21]

H and I were so excited going in, and left pretty disappointed. I thought I was about 7 weeks along based on the date of my last period. The doctor did an ultrasound and was looking around for awhile, so I knew we definitely weren't in the clear. She said she found the yolk sac and thinks she sees a flicker of a heartbeat, but also thought it could be my heartbeat making everything bounce around. She measured the yolk sac and it appears to be measuring at 6 weeks. She sent me for HCG bloodwork and I should get the results early tomorrow. Apparently it's not uncommon not to see the heartbeat at 6 weeks. She said we will start with the HCG and see what the numbers are, then come back for another ultrasound next week. I'm trying to stay positive, but it's hard.

Anyone else have a similar situation?

Updated: Hcg results are 25,770 and progesterone is at 10. Results were given by the nurse and said the doctor has not analyzed yet, but will get back to me today. We have the next ultrasound next Friday, so a whole week for baby to grow. Keeping my fingers crossed, but I'm a little worried that the progesterone seems a bit low.

[drloretta]

Not personally, but I know a lot of people who have. 6-7 weeks is very early to see anything, so there's still plenty of hope. Crossing my fingers that your #s look great and you'll see a bean soon.

[pierogigirl]

Good luck.

[slug*bug]

Aug 2, 2012 19:29:15 GMT -5 drloretta said:

Not personally, but I know a lot of people who have. 6-7 weeks is very early to see anything, so there's still plenty of hope.

This. From my days on TB, I can recall many similar situations that had happy outcomes.

I'm so sorry it was stressful: my 1st tri U/S days were always my most stressful. Hang in there & fingers crossed for you.

[jewel]

I've been there too. It is really tough and probably the slowest week of your life. More often than not, it all works out ok. Depending on the sensitivity of the machine, that can easily be too early to see much. You still have lots of hope!

Try to keep yourself occupied, and thinking positive thoughts until you have a final answer.

Wishing the best for you....

[bunch]

I had the exact same thing happen! My 1 wk younger than I expected will turn one in 2 wks

[Deleted]

Fingers crossed for you.

[thatgirl2478]

Same thing happened to me. Try not to worry! I know that's easier said than done though.

[Deleted]

Aug 2, 2012 20:01:34 GMT -5 @fivedogs said:

You could totally just be off in terms of your ovulation date versus your LMP. Even with DD, who was conceived with Femara, I ovulated on CD24, not CD14. If you are 6 weeks, it's definitely possible not to see a heartbeat. My OB doesn't even do u/s until 9 weeks (the REs do them earlier). Good luck!

This is what I was thinking. My OB brought me in to see the heartbeat at 6 weeks (6w1d, I remember lol) and couldn't really find it, but that was based on my LMP. She said I was measuring a few days behind and I told her I had ovulated later in my cycle, so they just brought me in around 8 weeks and found the HB then. So hopefully it's the same for you - good luck!

[dancingirl21]

Thanks, all. H is holding it together really well and says he still thinks we're good; our baby is just a little younger than we thought. We really don't know when I o'd. We got a bfp on the first cycle trying and I've been on BC for 10+ years.

Thanks for the words of encouragement and all your positive stories. Much appreciated!

[hannamaren]

Our doctors dont bother doing ultrasounds until 8weeks and even then, it is not certain to find a heartbeat that early
Fingers crossed.

[jessesgirl08]

This happened to me too! I was so upset and confused that I cried and acted like a crazy person at the appointment. But everything turned out fine, I'm 28 weeks now

[froggy76]

Good luck!

[KaraOrNot]

My fingers are crossed for you!

[CloudBee]

It's really common on my month board. I hear a story like this every day. No joke.

My first ultrasound is tomorrow and I'm nervous for the same reason.

[vanillacourage]

Us! Thought I was 8w, had an u/s that said 7w at first appt so they moved my due date back. Subsequent u/s showed he was measuring ahead so I was suspicious that he was just small at 8w and then caught up. He was born 6 days late at 9.5 lbs and 23 inches and my OB agreed that the original date was probably correct.

Basically the same thing could have happened to you, except 6/7w instead of 8/7. This is why many OBs won't see you until 8-10w - by then even if the dates are off due to a long luteal phase, you'll likely still see the HB.

[statlerwaldorf]

When I went in, I was 6 weeks 2 days and there was no heartbeat. At 7 weeks 2 days, there was a heartbeat. I had an IUI, so I am confident on my dates.

If you are just going by last period, it is based on ovulating right at day 14. Many women ovulate later than day 14 which would make you not as far along as you would be based on last period. Even if you have perfect 28 day cycles, that doesn't automatically mean you ovulate on day 14. Even if you usually ovulate on day 14, you can have a funky cycle and ovulate later than normal. Stress or coming off of birth control pills can mess with your cycle.

[dancingirl21]

Updated in original post

[galaxy8227]

We had an ultrasound at 6 weeks--(we went to the ER cause I was having a lot of stomach pain) and they couldn't see a heartbeat then, they said it was too early. We had no problem seeing it at our next regular appt.

Good luck at your next appt!!

[badtzmaru22]

Good luck!! Was it a transvag u/s or abdominal? Different resolutions on the machines can make a difference as well. Your hcg seems crazy high, so hopefully all is well. I wouldn't worry about the progesterone either. 10 is fine for a non-medicated cycle.

[dancingirl21]

Aug 3, 2012 10:33:49 GMT -5 badtzmaru22 said:

Good luck!! Was it a transvag u/s or abdominal? Different resolutions on the machines can make a difference as well. Your hcg seems crazy high, so hopefully all is well. I wouldn't worry about the progesterone either. 10 is fine for a non-medicated cycle.

It was a transvag ultrasound. I'm kind of hoping she sends me for another blood test next week before the 2nd ultrasound to see if Hcg levels keep going up. If not, we'll just wait a week and see what happens.

[dragonfly08]

My OB wouldn't even do an u/s until 8-10 weeks for just this reason. It's incredibly common to be unable to see a heartbeat before then. Even 8 weeks could be pushing it if you ovulated later than CD 14 or so. Good luck!

[curbsideprophet]

Is there a specific reason they were doing an u/s? I agree that it sounds early, especially if you are unsure of your ovulation date. LMP is not really accurate if ovulate late. I am also surprised they did wait until at least 8 weeks.

I agree that the progesterone sounds a little low.

[dancingirl21]

Aug 3, 2012 12:22:42 GMT -5 curbsideprophet said:

Is there a specific reason they were doing an u/s? I agree that it sounds early, especially if you are unsure of your ovulation date. LMP is not really accurate if ovulate late. I am also surprised they did wait until at least 8 weeks.

I agree that the progesterone sounds a little low.

I thought it sounded a bit early too, but they said they do the first ultrasound between 6-8 weeks. We thought I was 7w 1d, but after measuring, she says 6w 1 day. When I get the second next week, I will be 7w 2d, so still not a guarantee but I am hoping for the best. My OB did say she would be a bit concerned if we didn't see something more next week.

[dancingirl21]

Aug 3, 2012 12:25:20 GMT -5 @fivedogs said:

Aug 2, 2012 19:24:46 GMT -5 dancingirl21 said:

Updated: Hcg results are 25,770 and progesterone is at 10. Results were given by the nurse and said the doctor has not analyzed yet, but will get back to me today. We have the next ultrasound next Friday, so a whole week for baby to grow. Keeping my fingers crossed, but I'm a little worried that the progesterone seems a bit low.

When the doctor calls, you could ask if the progesterone is low and if they can Rx generic prometrium for you. It's cheap (but you can't use it if you are allergic to peanuts) and reassuring.

Also, they probably told you this, but HCG does not always double at the same rate later in pregnancy as it does earlier in pregnancy (i.e., if you have HCG levels in double or low triple digits, they are supposed to double every 48-72 hours, but once you get to a certain threshold, the levels start to plateau - just so you don't drive yourself crazy if you don't have an HCG level of 50K if you have a second draw).

The nurse called again after I talked with her this morning and said my OB wants me to get started on prometrium today. My OB will be calling this afternoon to talk through everything.

[curbsideprophet]

good luck

[Deleted]

Good luck!

[Brie]

Good luck and fingers crossed!

FWIW, I recommend taking the Prometrium vaginally. It comes in caplets and is meant to be taken orally, but is just as effective vaginally without the side effects. I had CRAZY side effects on Prometrium orally--I literally felt like I was drunk and could not function normally because I'd get so dizzy and tired. Vaginally, I had no side effects aside from lots of yellowy discharge, which is gross but tolerable. I was on it until 13w.