7 week scan with heartbeat but measuring a week behind

[Roxy1985]

hi all , me again! Looking for reassurance again lol ! I had my 7 week scan last week and was told the heartbeat was strong and perfect for this stage however they baby was measuring a week behind, she said this wasn’t unusual as they couldn’t get a good measurement as baby was pressing against uterus and it was an ultrasound she said they would have got better measurements if it was a vaginal scan but didn’t think they needed to do one , they also don’t need to see me again until 12 week scan and my midwife also didn’t seem concerned. I just can’t help but focus on the negative , wondering if anyone else had similar situation?

[JA-fnuk Partner Nurse Fertility Network UK]

Some times the measurements can be a bit off But great news heart beat good and strong Take care of yourself

Janet

[DreamingOfTwo79]

Hello Roxy1985! Congratulations on hearing the baby's heartbeat! I would say the heartbeat is a better indication of how well everything is going as opposed to the ultrasound, especially if it was done abdominally so early on. I had this once in the EPAU with one of my pregnancies, as soon as the nurse switched to the transvaginal ultrasound the measurements were completely different and I felt so much more reassured. If your clinic doesn't offer transvaginal scans I can recommend investing in a private scan, places like Window to the Womb use certified sonographers and most scans prior to 10 weeks are done transvaginally. It all sounds very promising for you, wishing you all the best! x

[Roxy1985 in reply to DreamingOfTwo79]

thank you for your reply , il speak to my midwife next week and ask for another scan , it just seems like it’s a never ending worry ! X

[km307]

I would definitely recommend a follow up transvaginal scan to help put your mind at rest. I’ve been told ultrasound scans aren’t as reliable at such an early gestation. Hopefully they’ll get a more accurate measurement and you will feel much happier

I had a tv scan at a similar gestation and was told I was measuring a week behind and it didn’t turn out to be good news for me on that cycle.

[Roxy1985 in reply to km307]

thank you i will speak to my midwife to see if she can get me in for a transvaginal scan x

[Roxy1985 in reply to km307]

I’m sorry it didn’t work you for you xx

[Twiglet2]

goodness knows why they were doing an external scan at 7 weeks! Is this your IVF clinic? I think I would call them and ask if they are able to do an internal scan to put your mind at ease of it were me before they discharge you to the ‘standard’ 12 week nhs scan etc as that’s a long time to wait xx

[Roxy1985 in reply to Twiglet2]

my ivf clinic is 2.5 hrs away so they said I can go to my local hospital for the scan rather than drive down there, they only said they would do the transvaginal if they didn’t see a heartbeat which they did so they said they didn’t see the need to do a transvaginal

[Twiglet2 in reply to Roxy1985]

well that’s kinda left you in this limbo of worry I think I would ask them to do it for your peace of mind if it were me but everyone’s different and either way it will be what it will be but it is likely unnecessary worry because of how they’ve scanned you 🤗💜 xx

[lianm8]

I was measuring a week behind at my first scan I was meant to be 6 weeks but they said I was 4 weeks 6 days! I had another scan week later (these scans are due to bleeding) I was still behind but by each scan I’ve had since then I’m 12 weeks tomo I have been catching up slowing each time. Baby is tiny at this point and it will be hard to get a good measurement especially if they are doing an external scan! All mine have been internal other than my last one where I had completely caught up last week. As twiglet says above I would call them say you are now worried and can they do an internal one. If they say no maybe look to get a private scan somewhere else to put your mind at rest. Xx

[Roxy1985 in reply to lianm8]

thank you, that great news you have caught up ! I have the midwife on Wednesday but might call to say about the transvaginal scan x

[Megrumpy]

Measuring a baby at any point in pregnancy is far more difficult than one would believe and quite often depends on the skills of the person doing the measuring. When I was pregnant with twins we had extra scans every two weeks. So lots of scans and lots of measuring. The months I spent worrying about 1 being smaller, drawling Google and finding things like "short leg measurements can indicate Down syndrome".

But equally looking back I could probably tell you the sonographers that were better at their job and the ones that struggled a bit more to make out what is on the screen.

From personal experience and after 10 years of infertility I know it is near on impossible, but enjoy the moment while you are still pregnant. You cannot change what is going to happen and whatever might happen is not because of something you do or do not do now. And in any pregnancy, things are likely to happen that you never even imagined (good and bad), so stop imagining them.

We had 10 years of infertility, a chemical pregnancy, ridiculous numbers of rounds of IVF, a textbook pregnancy, the most harrowing birth followed by 3 weeks in hospital, but we now have very happy and healthy 9-month old twins. And they have taught me to go with the flow.

[Hidden]

Hey lovely I'm going through exactly the same x it's awful isn't it just not knowing, I'm going back for a scan next week and starting to worry it will be game over xxx

[Roxy1985 in reply to Hidden]

it’s the worst feeling I’m sorry your going through it too! I hope your scan goes well next week I’ve booked a private one for two weeks…another two week wait !! Xx

[minnesota_girl]

Hi Roxy, I thought I'd weigh in here as I've had a couple appts where I've had both an abdominal and a transvaginal scan. And every time the transvaginal measured bigger, especially this early on! They can just get such a clearer picture up til about 9 weeks my sonographer said x

When you go in for a private scan just ask them if you can do transvaginal if you're worried about what they initially see. I've found those to be much more reassuring personally and lord knows we IVF ladies are used to those types of scans!

I really wish you the best and as much distraction as possible the next two weeks xx

[Vane_grace08]

HiI am true the same

Did all got well with you?