First Ultrasound, sac but nothing in it?

[KalicoKat]

Hey girls

I just had my first ultrasound to date my pregnancy. It showed a sac, but nothing in it. The ultrasound tech said it seems like a healthy pregnancy but just to early to show the baby.

My last period was feb 8th and I've done 6 home pregnancy test all very BFP (line is darker than control for most)

My doctor put me at being 7 weeks this Wednesday.

I'm a bit confused. Is this normal? They said to repeat the ultrasound in 10 days and I should have a baby show

 

[xdxxtx]

There are just way too many "ifs" on this one. So, if you want me to be straight with you, read on. It could be normal. Sometimes, an embryo won't show up when they "should". At your next ultrasound, you should see an embryo that may or may not add up to your dates, but if you do see an embryo, then your chances of having a viable pregnancy increase drastically. If there's a heart beat, your chances go up even more. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you.

With my current pregnancy, I had an ultrasound at 9w3d, and my embryo measured 7w5d. So, if I'd gone in at almost 7 weeks along, I probably wouldn't have seen anything but a sac, if that. Now, I'm 23 weeks along with a healthy baby. Your chances are good, and I KNOW how nerve wracking this is. I'm really, really hoping everything goes perfectly for you.

 

[DobbyForever]

When was your first positive? I'm assuming you didn't chart ovulation. You might not be as far along as you thought. Tbh I've never had an empty sac beyond 5w2d. The latest I had a heartbeat was 6w5.

 

[lilmisscaviar]

I think ultrasounds depend more upon how high your hcg is than on weeks. You might just have lower than normal hcg. Did they draw blood at all? If your levels are over 10,000 then they should have seen a baby in there.

 

[DobbyForever]

I respectfully disagree. Those charts with hcg levels and what should be visible on a scan freak me out. I would always be well over the range for seeing a heartbeat and might only have a pole or sac or just gestational sac. They caused me soooooo much anxiety. I know there is some developmental variation because my gyn refuses to see patients under 7 weeks for their first official prenatal. And even then they try to book you in closer to 8-9 weeks

 

[KalicoKat]

Thanks girls!

Dobby, my first positive was Saturday night last week. I was 6 days late for my period at that point and it was my first test I took.

 

[Impatient27]

Hi Kalico - my first ultrasound wasn't until 8+2, because they don't see people before that (maybe for this reason?). There was a (super tiny!) baby with a heartbeat, but when the midwife tried the doppler, we couldn't hear the heartbeat. Just a week later, the heartbeat was super strong on the doppler. It's amazing how much growth happens in the first few weeks. If the tech isn't worried about it, then you're probably fine!

 

[DobbyForever]

My money would be it's just early or late ovulation. If she isn't worried, I wouldn't be either. She should run serial betas 48 hours apart to check your levels and rescan you in a week. fxed your next scan has a nice, strong hb and baby for you

 

[dan-o]

Thanks girls!

Dobby, my first positive was Saturday night last week. I was 6 days late for my period at that point and it was my first test I took.

That would make you approx 5.5 weeks and what you saw sounds about right the baby is just too small for the ultrasound to pick up until the late 5w into 6w mark and even then it's just a couple of mm so can be missed before 7w.The re-scan in 10 days will show a whole lot more as you'll be 7w+!

 

[noon_child]

In the U.K you don't get a scan before 12 weeks unless something seems wrong. I was having one sided pain so they scanned for ectopic at what I calculated as 6w+3. It showed nothing but a sac so they said I was maybe nearer 5 weeks. At the time I didn't know anything about sacs, poles, heartbeats (as I said it's just not part of most U.K. Pregnancies to look at these things). Luckily I hadn't discovered B&B at that point, or I would have been totally freaked out by what people say "should" be on the scan after 6weeks. I went on to have a healthy baby who, at my dating scan, was put bang on to MY original dates meaning I was 6 weeks+3 for that first scan after all!

 

[Mrs B.]

If you were 6 days late last Sat, then based on your period due date, I agree with dan-o, you're about 5.5 weeks. Under 6 weeks it's quite common to see just a gestational sac, possibly with a yolk sac too. I saw both at my 5w4d scan, but no fetal pole. Two weeks later my next scan showed a small fetal pole measuring 7w1d. Docs never seem to acknowledge women can have cycles longer than 28 days! There's a very good chance everything is normal, but your next ultrasound will give you some answers.

 

[KalicoKat]

Thanks girls! You all cleared up some answers for me

Until your actually pregnant, everything seems so easy. Has sex, get pregnant and have a baby LOL. Defiantly not as straight forward as that

 

[DobbyForever]

Haha right?! Sex/ health Ed made it sound so simple

 

[Khearts]

I'm going through something similar, last Thursday I had my first ultrasound assuming I was 6w 5d. The tech actually said I was more like around 5 weeks, as they only saw the gestational sac and yolk sac. It totally makes sense to me, as I could only ovulate on letrezole and I had 33 day cycles with late ovulation. I go back tomorrow to hopefully see more. I would bet you're just earlier than expected. I find it kind of silly that they go by lmp for everyone when not all cycles are the same! Good luck to you, I hope your little bean is in there when you go back!

Edit update; I saw my little beans heartbeat today and it was a huge sigh of relief!!

 

[Orglethorp]

Docs never seem to acknowledge women can have cycles longer than 28 days!

This. Every single time I've seen my GP so far, she's consulted that damn wheel thing for date estimation. Not only does she keep insisting my date based on the 28 day cycle that wheel uses, she also seems to always be 1 day ahead. I think I ovulated on a Friday, and was due for AF on a Friday, so my new weeks should start on Friday. She'll see me on a Thursday, use that wheel, and then write down the Friday week number on my chart. Last time I saw her it was "Oh, 10 weeks today!" "No, 9+6, and because I have a 35-day cycle, probably 8+6." "Well, we'll adjust your dates when you have your scan."

(My baby size ticker has been based on my GP's estimation of my due date so far. I'll be changing it based on whatever date they give me at my scan later today. My EDD is currently Oct 13th, but I expect to be told something more like Oct 20th.)

 

[DobbyForever]

Yay congrats!!! So glad you saw the hb kh!

 

[Kate&Lucas]

Fingers crossed for you

I had similar. Went in at what I thought was 6+2. They'd done bloods first and said from the levels they should be able to see baby.
Nothing on the screen, just a totally empty sac, no yolk sac or anything. Our first sonographer wasn't quite as reassuring as yours! So we spent the weekend absolutely panicking and expecting the worst.
Went back in four days later and there was a yolk sac and fetal pole. They estimated us to be around 5 weeks at that point (I should've been 6+6). I don't know how we ended up so much earlier than we thought but as long as it's growing I'm not so bothered!
We still have to go back in next week as there was no heartbeat yet, but we're positive.

 

[KalicoKat]

Thanks girls!!

I'm just waiting for my doctors office to call me back, then I'll have an idea of what's going on. Ultrasound was a week ago today and haven't heard from my doctor lol..

Sorry for the late reply, I couldn't get on the website on my phone until now

 

[teacup]

Perfectly normal. With my last pregnancy, I had a scan at 6 weeks and there was just an empty sac, then a week later there was a little beating heart! Going by my LMP I should have been 7 weeks at that scan (like you) but I knew when I ovulated, and was really at 6 weeks.

Relax and try not to worry. Good luck with the next scan. Xxx