BFP after a loss - more monitoring?

[Decemberbride]

I'm just wondering, when (not if!) you get a BFP after you've had a MC - do you get any additional monitoring?

By my dates I MC at 6+6 but I actually think I was about 5weeks. We are now TTC and I now our next pregnancy will be filled with angst following the MC. I was waiting my GP's confirmation of our pregnancy the morning I started to bleed so never sat down with anyone at the surgery.

But I'm just wondering what can be done to relieve the angst next time i.e. can I request an early scan? blood tests to confirm my HCG levels are increasing etc?

 

[Smiler79]

Hi DecemberBride.

I think it is different depending on where you live as i know lots of hospitals wont give you an early scan until you have had 3 miscarraiges but I seem to live in a luckier area. This is because when I had my miscarriage in OCtober I was sent to the early precnancy unit at my local hospital where I had two blood tests 48 hours apart to confirm my miscarriage.

When my miscarriage was confirmed the midwife siad to contact her as soon as I find out I am pregnant next time so they can do the blood tests to reassure me that my HCG levels are rising and I will also be offered an eary scan at 7/8 weeks.

I know at that stage things could still go wrong but it would be a little bit of reassurance if i get that far as i lost Boo at 6w6d

hope that helps

 

[truly_blessed]

I'm going to try for an early scan next time as I found out at 12 week scan there was only a sac. I don't think they can see much before 6 weeks so there really isn't any point for me. I'm going to try and get one at about 8 weeks. EPU were really good with me when I had MMC and I had 4 scans in total and they just said to me each time 'come back if you're worried'. Mind you I did have my NHS badge on and struck up conversation with the consultant about where I worked and what I did, maybe that helped.

 

[Mum2bewaiting]

sounds as though u have better support than me Smiler. It really does depend n the area and what early pregnancy services are set up and resourced. I have found it really hard to get the reassurance that I need this time and have given up with my community midwife.

I toyed with the idea of an early scan but decided that it wouldn't really reassure me for very long, so wasting cash we don't have, but I had a MMC with the LO dating at 8+5, with an earlier MC it would probably be more reassuring.

Good luck

 

[Mum2bewaiting]

have to agree with u there truly too amazing what a uniform can do

 

[chocolate]

I managed to wangle getting reffered back to the fertility unit after my mc at 13 weeks. I have PCOS and had treatment to conceive ds, I then had the miscarriage and went in to the drs armed with a folder of paperwork and a letter explaining my details and history and asking to be referred. I want to start treatment again to reduce my risk of miscarriage by continuing my metformin which I think only a specialist would approve. So I was referred easily, so Im hoping if I am pregnant they will scan me every 2 weeks like last time, and if Im not and have treatment, they will scan me regularly until 16 weeks and then pass me on to the usual hospital.

I suppose in a way my PCOS gives me an upper hand to getting more scans, but again it will only reassure my for like the day of the scan, and wont prevent a miscarriage from actually happening ifuswim.

 

[Dannib247]

after our m/c the doctors said i would be invited along for a 6 week reassurance scan with my next pregnancy im not really sure i want to take it though as last time i had an early scan everything was great little heartbeat fluttering away the following week i m/c xx

 

[chocolate]

after our m/c the doctors said i would be invited along for a 6 week reassurance scan with my next pregnancy im not really sure i want to take it though as last time i had an early scan everything was great little heartbeat fluttering away the following week i m/c xx

You may feel differently at the time.

I never got to have a scan before my mc, it was due for that day!
I actually said I was thankful to not the see the baby on a screen as I think I would have mentally storred that image and become more attached and therefore more deverstated! But equally, if everything turned out ok then I guess I would have loved to have experienced seeing the baby on the screen so a tough one!
At the moment I think I will ask to still have the scans if I get pregnant, but ask not to see the screen, and if they can keep the scan pictures in the notes until I request them. I suppose it would all seem more real and like a little person if I saw the baby. I wont be getting excited this time till I can feel the baby quick, actually I guess the first 15/16 weeks are going to be a very nervous time and I will probably feel more worried and down than happy, which is sad really. On the other hand I suppose its better to get excited and just be happy even if its short lived, than be miserable from the word go.

Id also def. have a scan even if I dont look, so that they can detect a mmc and get it over and done with rather than go on for a few weeks (I lost symptoms at 9 weeks but miscarried at 13 weeks but will never know when it happenned due to no scan)

 

[hb1]

Hi there - I have PCOS too and my consultant said I should get early scanning and checks but more to do with PCOS and v high chance of mc - not sure what I would get without the added risk - I guess it is also a postcode lottery unfortunately.

Maybe speak to your GP to guage how they view this. If they are awkward then have heard of ladies on here having private scans but not sure how much they are.

Hope you get the care you need hx

 

[Decemberbride]

When the EPU nurse confirmed my MC, she said I should be able to request early monitoring but I don't remember what else she said as I was too emotional to take anything in really!

 

[hb1]

Sounds promising then! hx

 

[goddess25]

I was not offered anything like that... i had my 1st mc in the UK and then i had my son in Canada and i had a early scan but only because i was bleeding. I had my 2nd mc in the Uk aswell when i was on holiday and i went upto an NHS 24 thing and they were quite honestly shit... they would not take my blood or scan me and they were pretty mean.. I came back to canada and i had expelled everything so never bothered getting checked out, but i think i will ask to be monitored more closely next time and get a early scan at least.

 

[Hollybush75]

After my first loss I wasn't offered any extra monitoring when I got pregnant again. I was going to wait for the dating scan but a bleeding episode got me an appointment at the EPAU at 9 weeks.

After I lost our second twin at 18 weeks I was referred to a gynae consultant. I was referred after a second pregnancy loss (not a third which I have read is the "norm") mainly because of my age and because I was in the second trimester. I didn't have too many tests, just the normal bloods and also tested for Hughes Syndrome which came back normal.

The consultant was such a lovely kind man who assured me that WHEN I get pregnant again my GP will refer me direct to consultant-led care and I will be scanned weekly from 7 weeks. As chocolate said, I would rather know sooner rather than later if the worst had happened.

 

[WannaB]

I really think its all going to come down to how your doc is. After my first one I got pregnant again and was offered the 6 week viability scan with it, but never made it that far. Third one was the same, they were on the ball pretty much from the second mc but I guess Im in the higher risk department too because of my age and now that I have had three in a row. I was monitored by bloods for the third but I had yet again mced by the second lot of bloods so it was just confirming the loss. My gyno wants to know the minute I find out Im pregnant this time, not much they can do that early but I guess he would be able to guage whether the meds Im on are working and if he needs to go in a different direction or not.

 

[emdeb]

It definatly depends on the NHS in your area. I have just suffered a second MC and the hospital couldn't really care less. The only reason I went in for an early scan to confirm it was that husband got on the phone and demanded it after the way the receptionist spoke to me. My doctors have been great but they have told me straight that their hands are tied when it comes to the hospital.

Hopefully you will have more luck in Yorkshire that I do down here x