No 8-week scan - is that bad?

[Flick]

I went to the doctor today and he said he couldn't see why he should refer me for an 8 week scan if I'd had no cramps or bleeding... * Which makes sense, apart from when I miscarried last year a nurse had told me to ask for one, since studies had shown it reduced the chance of miscarriage for the mother to see the heartbeat.

I really don't want to waste NHS resources, so I'm happy to wait til 12 weeks... I think... or is that me caving in too easily?

*edit: I did have 2 days of slight brown discharge last week, but it's stopped and no cramping.

[the rest of this post is more to get stuff off my chest than anything, so feel free to skip it ]

The (much) longer story to the appointment is, that I live equidistant from two hospitals. Last year I was assigned to one for my midwifery, but I went to the other when I miscarried in September 09 (it's a larger hospital).

I phoned the original midwifery yesterday, and was told that I could only get an early scan there if I was refered by my doctor.

So I went to the doctor today, and initially he said that he was happy to refer me. He started filling out forms. He asked me when my last period was. I said August 6th. He looked at me weirdly, and asked when I miscarried. I said last September. He asked me again when my last period was... well it took about 5 minutes for him to realise I did not miscarry this month but last year. (!) So that was weird.

Anyway, then he said he had an info pack for me. I said, oh that's new I didn't get one last year.

Which is where it started going weird, because he asked which midwife I'd gone to last year. I told him, and said that I'd already phoned them yesterday, and he said 'oh that's not the one I've done the forms for. I don't need to do any forms for them, you just phone them up'.

I said, well they told me that you have to do a referal. And he said; well I don't have any forms for them.

I insisted they'd said I needed a referal for an 8week scan

At which point, he phoned them up to confirm, and while he was on the phone to them, said "Actually I don't know why she would need a scan if she's had no cramps or bleeding". and the nurse on the other end said "Oh well it's just for reassurance really"

At which point, he said well if there's no cramps or bleeding then he wouldn't make a referal.

I said, well I had no cramps or bleeding with the last miscarriage, until 2 days before it happened.

And he just shrugged at me and said well every pregnancy is different.

Which is sort of fair enough, but I just feel a bit anxious that perhaps I should have been a bit firmer or something? Or should I just stop worrying? I mean, i know no one can predict the future and stuff; and honestly I also know that if something is going to go wrong it will and scans aren't going to change anything - quite probably... or..?

*sigh* well anyway I think I just needed to outpour a little - thanks for reading to the end if you got this far! xxx

 

[jeanettekaren]

I think that if you've got no cause to be concerned then they are perfectly within their rights to refuse you an 8 week scan. If you see a heartbeat your risk reduces slightly but if its a choice of an 8 week scan or a 12 week scan I would rather have the 12 week one because something could still happen in those 4 weeks iykwim. An 8 week scan can't reduce the chance of a mc if you were going to mc anyway but it just confirms the viable pregnancy earlier and missed miscarriages are much rare than bleeding/cramping ones. Chances are if you got the 8 week scan the NHS would call this the dating scan and you wouldn't get the 12 week anyway and then it's an even longer wait until 20 weeks.

Can you afford a private early scan? Babybond do them all over the country for about £79 but I have seen them as cheap as £50 in some places.

 

[HoolenT]

Hi Flick,

i had a similar experience. i had an mm/c in Feb this year at 11 + 2 and during my first GP appt i asked if i could have an early scan for reassurance. She said no only if i had any cramps or bleeding as it would make no difference anyway, i could have a scan one day and everything go wrong the next. She said that the EPU scans are there for people with issues. everything she said was true even if it was hard to hear. anyway i made it to 12+5 and had my scan on monday, found i was actually 13+1 and all was fine but i was very very scared going in especially as the sonographer was the same one i had at the EPU last time!
you can pay for a private scan if you really need reassurance but i have heard from others that it only gives temporary reassurance........

 

[hb1]

I got a reassurance scan ( referred to epu by my mw ) because my consultant said I should - I don't know if I would have been refused otherwise.

In areas where there isn't such stretching I don't see the harm in reassuring women who have gone through the trauma of a mc.

I was told that it would be used for dating but I was getting a nuchal scan done anyway so I wouldn't have missed out - as it was I had my scan at 6+5 and it was too early to be used for dating. I also got a private scan at 8+4 as I was still scared and it bridged the gap to the 12 week scan that seemed to take forever.

It doesn't seem fair but it does depend on the area and the person you are speaking to as to whether you will get one or not.

hx

 

[Flick]

edited because more replies since I started typing

@ Jeanettekaren
Yeah i do see what you mean; and I'm ok to be told there's no point having an 8 week scan - i mean, he's the expert, right? But my confidence in that is a bit shaken by the nurse who originally told to ask for one; and the fact that the doctor was initially going to refer me - until he found out I was going to a different midwifery. It's left me feeling like the decision was more random than considered, I guess.

On the other hand, if I'd seen another nurse when I miscarried, the thought of an 8 week scan would never have entered my head

Thanks for reply x

@HoolenT
thanks that does sound very similar, and it does make sense about it not 'lasting' sort of thing - oh and congrats on the 13+1 x

@hb1
just thanks x


I will think a bit about private scans, and whether they'd be more reassuring or not cost-wise I could put it on my birthday list since that's coming up thanks

 

[sophxx]

i had a mmc after seeing the heart beat at 2 scans i didnt get a early scan with my son we had to pay for two if theres no reason for concern then i dont think you should get a scan x

 

[Lucy1973]

Hi, my doctor said I didn't need an early scan with my second pregnancy, I found out that the early pregnancy unit at the hospital had a counsellor and I was so stressed I went to see her. She was able to refer me for an early scan purely for reassurance...to wait until 12 weeks to know everything is ok after a MC is a lifetime...I went for a scan at 7 weeks, which showed development stopped at 5 weeks! I then went on to have my 2nd MC a week after. The early scan stopped me from having a MC while I was at work, which would have been very unpleasant.

Third time now, I am going to have a scan at 8 weeks, am still seeing the counsellor. I think you need to get the help for yourself that you think you need, and in my experience doctors just don't understand why we feel stressed after a MC. They see things in a very clinical way. If you can't get one in your area you could go private or wait for 12 weeks scan, it's really up to you.
hope everything is fine