MISCARRIAGE
Unfortunately for many women the pregnancy can end tragically with a miscarriage and an ultrasound scan is usually required to confirm this. For some ladies they may have experienced pain or bleeding prior to the scan, for others everything may have seemed normal and the scan findings can come as a terrible shock. We understand that this is an incredibly difficult time for you and your family. If you have questions for us please don’t hesitate to ask. Your midwife or doctor will guide you through what happens once a miscarriage has been confirmed.
You may find the following links helpful.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – SCANS AND MISCARRIAGE.
WHY DID I HAVE TO HAVE AN INTERNAL TRANSVAGINAL SCAN?
Sometimes the transvaginal scan enables us to get a clearer view of what is happening in the pregnancy and enables us to clarify if the pregnancy is developing normally.
WHY MIGHT I BE ASKED TO COME BACK AFTER A VERY EARLY SCAN?
In the very early stages of pregnancy not all babies develop at exactly the same rate. So as to never wrongly diagnose a miscarriage we have very strict criteria on when we can confirm an early pregnancy loss.
If we can’t see a baby in the pregnancy sac it might be because it is just too small, so only when the sac measures more than 25mm and we still can’t see the baby, or when we have waited at least 7 days and repeated the scan, will we confirm that a pregnancy is not developing normally.
If we can see the baby but can’t detect the babies heart beat it may simply be because the baby is just too small, so only if the baby measures more than 8mm or if we have waited and repeated the scan in at least 7 days will we confirm that the pregnancy is not progressing normally and that the baby has sadly died.
I HAVE JUST BEEN TOLD AT MY SCAN THAT MY BABY HAS PASSED AWAY, CAN I STILL HAVE IMAGES OF MY BABY?
Absolutely. Many couples like to have images of their baby to keep and remember them by. Sometimes it can seem too upsetting at the time of the scan, but at any time if you wish you had taken images but didn’t please just give us a call and we will send them to you.
WHAT IS A MISSED MISCARRIAGE?
A missed miscarriage is the term we use when a baby has died but the mother has had no symptoms to alert her that the pregnancy was not progressing normally, i.e. No pain or bleeding.
WHAT IS AN INCOMPLETE MISCARRIAGE?
This is when the baby has died and the mother has had some bleeding but the pregnancy is still within the uterus.
WHAT IS A COMPLETE MISCARRIAGE?
This is when the mother has bled and passed all of the pregnancy. This means that on the scan we would not be able to see the baby or the pregnancy sac.
WHAT IS AN ECTOPIC PREGNANCY?
An ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy which has formed outside the uterus usually within the Fallopian tube.
