Hi Jo:
Just a few questions re the dates:
Did your friend have regular 28 day cycles?
When was the first positive pregnancy test done?
Was there a negative test in close proximity?
When could conception have occurred?
Most women don't have 28 day cycles but some
variation there of which can through dates off a bit (or a lot) if cycle length
is not considered. It is my understanding that, limited only by the sensitivity
of the ultrasound machine, size and dates found by u/s in the first trimester
are quite accurate: this is because (theoretically) all fetuses that are
developing normally in the sense of proceeding to term, grow and develop at the
same rate at this point in time. Size differentials (due to genetics, placental
insufficiency, diabetes etc., etc.,) don't show up until at least after 11 weeks
even later. However, if the baby has stopped growing or is ceasing to grow
in the sense that normal development is not happening this may show up too.
This being said, if the pregnancy is truely 8 weeks, and the baby is 5 weeks GA
then maybe development has been arrested, if the empy sac is the implantation
site. In reality, I am only guessing only time will tell.
If it was a singleton pregnancy I think the
empty sac would be called a "blighted ovum". I think the bleeding could have
been either implantation bleeding or the result of the cesation of growth in the
now empty sac. This is one of those situations where watchful waiting is all
that can be done, as with other pregnancies where there is significant bleeding
(not just spotting) early on about 50% go on to term quite normally . I
have known women who had this situation in a slightly different presentation:
early u/s indicated twins, days later some bleeding occurred, waiting, one heart
beat picked up at next antenatal, baby proceeded to term, birth of one normal
healthy baby. I do hope for your friend this will be the result.
hope this helps
marilyn
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- Re: [ozmidwifery] question for a friend Marilyn Kleidon
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- Re: [ozmidwifery] question for a friend jo hunter