Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Four Misdiagnosed Miscarriages and a Baby!

After my own misdiagnosed miscarriage scares, I love that women now have a place online to wait out their own miscarriage diagnoses.  Often a miscarriage is a miscarriage but there have been too many misdiagnosed over the years to ignore. 

I started the Misdiagnosed Miscarriage site in 2005.  Wow!  Just realized the site is a decade old.  So many miscarriages have been misdiagnosed in those ten years.

Although I try to keep up with the site, I also keep this blog and write informational pages on Hubpages.  I find that my articles off the site help get the word out there that sometimes miscarriages are just diagnosed too soon.  Along with keeping up with those comments as well as emails I receive daily, I don't often have the time I would like to spend on the site. 

Today I was playing a bit of catch up.

I was able to share four women's stories on the Misdiagnosed Miscarriage forum and got to read the update of one woman whose misdiagnosed miscarriage was born!

Let's start with Trish's story.  Trish's doctor for some reason had the antiquated notion that with hCG levels over 10,000 a baby should be seen.  She was only five weeks when he decided she needed a D&C the next day!  Thankfully, Trish decided to seek a second opinion.  Just one week later and her baby was found with a strong heartbeat.
My thoughts:  This doctor was so irresponsible in his diagnosis.  I have no doubt he has taken far too many babies, far too early.  I can't say it enough, hCG levels are NOT important.  If they are in the normal range, they can rise, plateau or even drop and still be normal.  Also, we have had women whose levels were well over 100,000 before even seeing their baby on an ultrasound. 

Our next two stories are IVF stories.  Strawberry and Clara both were diagnosed after undergoing IVF.   Strawberry looked a week behind and, at her next appointment, was told that her hCG levels were not doubling in two days so, without a doubt, this was not a viable pregnancy.  Clara's doctor could not see her baby at 5 weeks 5 days and also said without a doubt this was a miscarriage.  Both women were told they needed D&Cs.  Both women were misdiagnosed.
My thoughts:  Misdiagnosed miscarriages after IVF are far too common.  I found a study some time ago that stated that up to 1 in 3 women undergoing IVF look smaller on the ultrasound and their babies are found later.  Even with IVF, I'm a firm believer that a blighted ovum should never be suggested before nine weeks.  Here is the page I put together on Misdiagnosed Miscarriage After IVF.
At about six and a half weeks, Karlita was rushed to the ER by her husband.  She was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum.  The ultrasound showed only an empty sac and she was told that she needed to prepare to miscarry or have a D&C.  Fortunately Karlita had another ultrasound where they found their baby's heart beating away.
My thoughts:  Doctors in the ER are wonderful.  They save lives every day but they are not experts in every field.  They are also overworked and, too often, rushed.  For this reason, unless there is an immediate need (i.e. positive ectopic diagnosis or some other serious condition), getting another opinion if you haven't actually miscarried is strongly advised.  Too many pregnancies are misdiagnosed in the ER as being miscarriages.

And, last but not least, our misdiagnosed baby!

Jennessn was rushed in for an ultrasound last year due to bright red bleeding.  At only about five to six weeks, they only saw the gestational sac.  Right then and there, they determined the pregnancy was non-viable.  Then, because the hCG levels has only risen from the 4000s to 6000s in 48 hours, that cinched it.  They told her this could be ectopic and her doctor's office was trying to schedule her for a D&C.  Thankfully, she sought a second opinion.  Her baby boy is now five months!

My thoughts:  I'm so excited for Jennessn!  Those doctors were so wrong.  It can be completely normal to have an empty-looking gestational sac up until nine weeks or so and her hCG numbers were rising normally.  Too many women are misdiagnosed.  Second opinions can save lives.


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