Isme
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I'm updating based on an earlier thread found here:
https://babyandbump.momtastic.com/p...tests-arent-super-dark-yet-update-pg-4-a.html
I'd already been nervous at the start of this pregnancy. My tests weren't as dark as I thought they should be, though they were progressing nicely. I had an appointment with my midwife at 4w6d. I took two tests before going, and both were nice and dark. (Test line matched the control, and these weren't super sensitive FRERs, either.) I got there and the midwife was really rude and dismissive. She said that my urine test at their office was so light she had to squint to see the test line, and that she was convinced the pregnancy want viable-- and was possibly ectopic. I left there devastated.
They did draw betas and called me the next day to say the results were 664. Not the highest I've heard of at 4w6d-- but not the lowest. And certainly not a level where I would expect them to have to squint to see my test line. WTF?
The nurse was unable to get any blood from my arm when I went back two days later, and my midwife was still concerned about an ectopic, so she scheduled me for a scan. I went for the scan at 5w6d (exactly a week after my first midwife appointment) and they were able to rule out an ectopic. The tech saw a perfect, but empty, gestational sac in my uterus.
Unfortunately, I was right at the stage of pregnancy where an empty sac could go either way. The tech didn't seem very concerned, but all the information I came across suggested that you should be able to see at least a yolk at that point. Many others said they saw fetal poles and heart beats at that point too. I had no yolk. Nothing. Just one perfect round sac. My beta from that day was 7600-something, which meant it had doubled perfectly from the week before... but all I had to show for it was an empty sac.
The midwife blew me off until my appointment at 9 weeks. At that point she was like, "Yeah. We should get another scan to see if there is a baby in there..." But then I asked about trisomy screening, and she said she'd just combine the viability scan with my nuchal translucency scan. Great. Because I wasn't absolutely dying inside from worry already, let's add 2-3 more weeks of torture.
Well today was my scan. I was supposed to be 11 weeks, but I just knew that nothing was there. I've had very few symptoms throughout the pregnancy. All I could envision in my head was the scan picture I got right before six weeks... with that completely empty round sac.
I was honestly not prepared for there to be a baby-- but there it was! One perfect little baby. The heartbeat was wonderful. It was beating at a rate of 171. I couldn't stop crying because I was so relieved. The baby wasn't moving much, but the tech managed to make it mad enough to give us a couple of good kicks. It was one of the best things I've ever seen.
She was finally able to get the baby in a good position, and she could see that the NT measurement was perfect. I still can hardly believe everything is actually okay.
So that's that. Thanks for reading all the way through. I just read SO many threads related to tests that aren't as dark enough, betas that aren't super high, and empty sacs later in the 5th week-- and I really wanted to share my update for anyone who might be dealing with something similar. While waiting through these last 5 weeks, I spent so much time searching the internet for any information about situations like mine. There weren't many stories, and many of the ones I did find either ended badly or the poster never updated. I'm hoping this post might be able to help other moms struggling with uncertainty after an unclear early scan. Best of luck to anyone who comes across this!
https://babyandbump.momtastic.com/p...tests-arent-super-dark-yet-update-pg-4-a.html
I'd already been nervous at the start of this pregnancy. My tests weren't as dark as I thought they should be, though they were progressing nicely. I had an appointment with my midwife at 4w6d. I took two tests before going, and both were nice and dark. (Test line matched the control, and these weren't super sensitive FRERs, either.) I got there and the midwife was really rude and dismissive. She said that my urine test at their office was so light she had to squint to see the test line, and that she was convinced the pregnancy want viable-- and was possibly ectopic. I left there devastated.
They did draw betas and called me the next day to say the results were 664. Not the highest I've heard of at 4w6d-- but not the lowest. And certainly not a level where I would expect them to have to squint to see my test line. WTF?
The nurse was unable to get any blood from my arm when I went back two days later, and my midwife was still concerned about an ectopic, so she scheduled me for a scan. I went for the scan at 5w6d (exactly a week after my first midwife appointment) and they were able to rule out an ectopic. The tech saw a perfect, but empty, gestational sac in my uterus.
Unfortunately, I was right at the stage of pregnancy where an empty sac could go either way. The tech didn't seem very concerned, but all the information I came across suggested that you should be able to see at least a yolk at that point. Many others said they saw fetal poles and heart beats at that point too. I had no yolk. Nothing. Just one perfect round sac. My beta from that day was 7600-something, which meant it had doubled perfectly from the week before... but all I had to show for it was an empty sac.
The midwife blew me off until my appointment at 9 weeks. At that point she was like, "Yeah. We should get another scan to see if there is a baby in there..." But then I asked about trisomy screening, and she said she'd just combine the viability scan with my nuchal translucency scan. Great. Because I wasn't absolutely dying inside from worry already, let's add 2-3 more weeks of torture.
Well today was my scan. I was supposed to be 11 weeks, but I just knew that nothing was there. I've had very few symptoms throughout the pregnancy. All I could envision in my head was the scan picture I got right before six weeks... with that completely empty round sac.
I was honestly not prepared for there to be a baby-- but there it was! One perfect little baby. The heartbeat was wonderful. It was beating at a rate of 171. I couldn't stop crying because I was so relieved. The baby wasn't moving much, but the tech managed to make it mad enough to give us a couple of good kicks. It was one of the best things I've ever seen.
She was finally able to get the baby in a good position, and she could see that the NT measurement was perfect. I still can hardly believe everything is actually okay.So that's that. Thanks for reading all the way through. I just read SO many threads related to tests that aren't as dark enough, betas that aren't super high, and empty sacs later in the 5th week-- and I really wanted to share my update for anyone who might be dealing with something similar. While waiting through these last 5 weeks, I spent so much time searching the internet for any information about situations like mine. There weren't many stories, and many of the ones I did find either ended badly or the poster never updated. I'm hoping this post might be able to help other moms struggling with uncertainty after an unclear early scan. Best of luck to anyone who comes across this!
xxx
