Sunday, September 27, 2015

Medical Researchers Are Warning that Viable Pregnancies ARE Being Misdiagnosed as Miscarriages

For more than ten years, we've been raising the alarm.  Too many women with viable pregnancies are being misdiagnosed as having miscarriages.  Many women have refused to end their pregnancies until they were 100% certain they were indeed going to miscarry and, as a result, many babies have been saved.

For years, doctors denied this was happening...despite the fact that we had already collected hundreds of stories at The Misdiagnosed Miscarriage.  All of that is changing.

This week, we have two new news articles on the problem of misdiagnosed miscarriages: 

 
and
 
 
and, of course, the study they are referencing:
 
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If you are being diagnosed with a blighted ovum, here is our takeaway message:
 
- Is the gestational sac greater than 25mm? 
   
   If the sac is greater than 25mm, this may indeed be a blighted ovum.  My own gestational sac measurement 28.5mm before my daughter was found and I had had to turn down the D&C twice.  If this is your first ultrasound and there are no complications, one more ultrasound a week out might be a good idea to verify.

 
- If the gestational sac is not yet greater than 25mm, is it growing?
    
To know if the gestational sac is growing, you should space your ultrasounds out by a week to  verify growth.  As I've blogged, measurements can vary between techs but a week gives enough time to see some definitive growth.

 
- Are you more than nine weeks? 
    
We've just talked to too many women who were about nine weeks, myself included, before finding their babies.  I'm a firm believer that if a sac is growing a blighted ovum should NEVER be diagnosed before nine weeks.

 
- Is your doctor monitoring your hCG levels?
  
If so, stop!!!  Once the gestational sac is viewed, there really is no reason to monitor your levels.  Levels can go up and be normal.  Levels can plateau and be normal.  Levels can even drop and be normal.  Levels are good for confirming pregnancy and confirming this is not an ectopic pregnancy.  I can't tell you how many women I've talked with who were scared needlessly because their doctors kept monitoring their levels after the sac was viewed.

 
-  Have you seen a yolk sac?
   
If so, this is NOT a blighted ovum.  A baby is needed for a yolk sac to form.  That doesn't mean this can't end in miscarriage but it does mean this is not a blighted ovum.

And, during this time, stay monitored.  If there are any complications be seen right away.  In the meantime, space those ultrasounds out by a week each.  If you feel your doctor is pressuring you to end your pregnancy too soon, please find another doctor.  Although it is slow going, more and more doctors are accepting that they have been diagnosing miscarriages too soon. 

If you are going through this scare, ((((hugs)))) from somebody who has been there.


 
 

5 comments:

  1. Hello All

    I had my ultrasound done 2 weeks ago where they saw a baby but no heartbeat. Since it was about seven weeks from LMP i was asked to do bhcg with 48 hrs interval to check viavility. Results were 197000 and 246000 which were too high. But as long as it was increasing there was no issue.

    I had follow up uktrasound today where they saw GS size of 44m i.e. 9w5d but still no heartbeat. GS was also irregular shape so they told me it is a miscarriage as at this time there should be heartbeat. There is a normal yolk sac and no free fluid in pelvis. I am 8w6d from LMP. I still have nausea and morning sickness. I dont know what is happening. I already had a miscarriage and an ectopic pregnancy prior to that.

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    1. Generally, one week after the baby is viewed without a heartbeat during the first trimester, a heartbeat will be seen in a viable pregnancy. (((hugs))) to you. Please, keep us updated on you.

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  2. Hi Kay,
    On 2/7/16 I went to the er for bleeding they did a transvaginal ultrasound and blood work they wouldnt let me see the ultrasound but said that they couldnt see mich except for a sec and my hcg levels were 865 and said that according to my levels I was 3-4 weeks and sent me home as a threatened miscarriage, 2 days later I went back to the er bc the bleeding had gotten heavier no cramping at all so they checked my cervix and the dr said my cervix was closed and had drawn more blood this time my hcg aent to 843 they told me it was a for sure miscarriage and wanted me to take abortion pills of.course I refused wanting to see my ob first. On 2/11/16 I went to my appt with my ob they sone an ultrasound and said it was just a sac no fetus and my hcg had went down to 689 so they said it was a miscarriage and that I could take the pills to help move everything along or I could let it pass on its own that I didnt need a d&c they wanted to see me.back in 2 weeks for a repeat u/s to make sure everything had passed, I went back for my 2 week follow up my hcg levels had went down to 9 so the dr decided not to do a repeat u/s she said that everything should have passed. My breasts arent sore anymore but ive been getting sick randomly I have taken more pregnancy test but they all come back negative, my periods only last about 3-4 days now when they ised to be for a full 7, my stomach keeps getting bigger and I have thought I've felt fetal movement bit then I think im.crazy bc the dr said I had a miscarriage and the tests are coming back negative. What should I do?

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  3. Hello, I've been reading through this website top to bottom and am having very similar experiences to the women on here. I went in for my first prenatal exam at 8w3d with a CNM and based on our conversation immediately BEFORE the TVUS, she said I was low risk and appeared extremely healthy. She proceeded with the TVUS and immediately was struggling to find my uterus; "you have a tilted uterus - don't worry it's totally normal!!" Another minute of probing around and she was able to catch a quick glimpse of the baby, stating "there's a nice strong heart beat," but then she had this "hmmmm...." Kind of moment and said she was going to grab the consulting OB at the practice. The OB came in, probed around, did some measurements, then said she saw a sac (I can't remember if she said yolk sac), but the development looked more like 5-6 weeks, so two weeks behind based on my LMP. The OB and CNM both had this look of absolute pity on their faces, like "this poor woman".... Then the OB left as tears began swelling up in my eyes, the CNM gave me a big hug, then told me about abortion options. Excuse my time but F THIS! I have no cramping, no discharge, all the tell tale signs of first trimester nausea breast tenderness fatigue you name it! - AND this tilted uterus thing which your website states is the #1 anatomical "anomaly" leading to a miscarriage misdiagnosis. For now I refuse to believe that this baby has miscarried, but I was absolutely devastated all day yesterday until I came upon this site. Whether I have a happy or tragic ending I just want to THANK YOU for putting this site together and pray that these so-called medical authorities expand their knowledge and do some research before regurgitating "normal pregnancy milestones" to women who are all physiologically distinct beings. I pray for all the mothers out there going through what I'm going through and that our broken medical system finds a way to heal itself in order to heal and care for expectant mothers the way we NEED to be cared for, whether we fit into their textbook box or not.

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  4. This is my first pregnancy. I had a US at 6 weeks ( I was having constant side pain and they wanted to check for ectopic), but there was a baby with a heartbeat. I think he was 121. At ~7wk 3 days, another U/S with a strong heartbeat at around 151, I even heard it this time. Doc diagnosed me at this appt with a subseptate uterus. Looking at the pic of my uterus it didn't really seem to have much of a septum but just a little dip at the top. Anyways, fast forward to 8wk 0days, I saw some brown discharge. It was barely anything and I thought the doc would tell me it was normal but instead I was told to come in for a viability check. They could not find a heartbeat, however there had been fetal growth. I was offered a D&C the next day but wanted to wait. It just didn't seem right, I had seen and heard a strong heartbeat just 6 days earlier! I will see if anything passes over the weekend but am getting another US on Monday (in 3 days). I'm having a little more brown discharge now so expect it really is a true mc. Thought or similar experiences?

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