I really wish that some doctors and techs would study up on medical literature that talks about what should actually be even on an ultrasound in the early stages. Ugh. It seems like for ever one that has reasonable expectations, there's another that's confused as to why they aren't seeing fetal pole or whatever at 5 weeks. Super frustrating and scary for mamas.
All that to say, if you were 5w1d at the time of your scan, a gestational sac is absolutely all that you would expect to see. As you approach 6 weeks (and even into the middle of 6 weeks) there is a wide variation on what might be to see then-- but at 5 weeks, a gestational sac is perfect!
I had a scan at 5w6d and all they saw was a completely empty sac. No yolk, no fetal pole, and no heartbeat. The tech wasn't concerned, but I'd come across so much conflicting information on the internet about what you "should" see at that point (mainly thanks to doctors misinforming people about what the standards are), that I spent the next 6 weeks in agony assuming that the pregnancy wasn't viable. Thankfully, I was wrong.
I'm now 27 weeks pregnant with a healthy baby girl. As it turns out, many women around the 6 week mark only see empty gestational sacs at their scans. That being the case, you have absolutely nothing to worry about considering that you saw the same at just 5 weeks. That's right on track.
Congratulations on your baby. Best of luck to you over the next 9 months.
