Re: first trimester tests how can I tell it's a viable foetus without ultrasound?

[Carol Ann]

:: does anyone know how I can get get a test/s in the 1st trimester (I
:: am 8 weeks) to see if I have a live foetus in my uterus without using
:: ultrasound? I live in the UK. I heard it was possible for a doctor to
:: detect a heartbeat using something other than ultrasound - is this
:: so, and where could I got to have this done? When do I need to do
:: all the blood tests (which week)? At what point
:: do most women have their first ultrasound - is it at 20 weeks?

I had an transvaginal ultrasound at 7 - 8 weeks along. Prior to that, the
doctor gave me a pap smear and checked for the position of the baby.
Perhaps you can see your doctor and get a "check up". I had my bloodwork
done also at the first OB exam.

At 11 to 12 weeks most heartbeats can be detected by using a doppler.

I will have my next ultrasound (pending no problems) during my amnio test at
16 - 18 weeks (if I choose to have the test) or at 20 - 22 weeks.

Carol Ann
www.lowcarblosers.com ~ Home of the Monthly Challenges!
www.bestinatlanta.com ~ Your City Guide to Metro Atlanta!

[Welches]

Abi > wrote in message
om...
> Hi,
> does anyone know how I can get get a test/s in the 1st trimester (I am
> 8 weeks) to see if I have a live foetus in my uterus without using
> ultrasound? I live in the UK. I heard it was possible for a doctor to
> detect a heartbeat using something other than ultrasound - is this so,
> and where could I got to have this done? When do I need to do all the
> blood tests (which week)? At what point
> do most women have their first ultrasound - is it at 20 weeks? So far
> I have had no tests done, but came out positive on a home preg.test,
> and have missed 2 periods, suffering usual symptoms - nausea etc.
> I basically want to know before 12 weeks if I actually have a live
> feotus in the right place, before I go and announce my preg. to
> everyone.
> On another point - do most women annuonce pregnancies before they have
> had any tests? Any advice would be most welcome! thanks.

Basically, in my experience of Uk:
You may be able to hear a heart beat from about week 10-the dr. or midwife
can do this.
The only way at this stage to see if you have a live foetus is ultrasound.
You'll find the dr. unwilling to do this on NHS unless you have pain
(ectopic pregnancy risk) or bleeding (miscarriage risk)
I haven't found any gp yet who does blood tests, they tend to rely on your
word that you've done an over the counter urine test. If you go to your gp
now, he may be willing to put you down for a dating scan, which will depend
on when your health authority does them, here (in Surrey) they aim for about
11-12 weeks if you request one. If you're very keen to have one then being
slightly vague on your dates will help-many won't do them just because you
want them. Some health authorities like to do nucheal fold ultrasound, at
about the same time-this is a risk assessment for downs.
Otherwise, you'll be down for the anomely (sp?) ultrasound at 20-24 weeks.
Other than ultrasound there is no way of telling you have a live baby in the
right place. Even if you had an ultrasound, they couldn't guarantee you a
live baby at the end.
Miscarriage risk goes down considerably at 12 weeks, which is why many women
wait until then to tell people. No one should be cross you haven't told them
before. I told about both of mine at about 12 weeks, after no tests.
HTH
Debbie

[Ericka Kammerer]

Abi wrote:

> Hi,
> does anyone know how I can get get a test/s in the 1st trimester (I am
> 8 weeks) to see if I have a live foetus in my uterus without using
> ultrasound? I live in the UK. I heard it was possible for a doctor to
> detect a heartbeat using something other than ultrasound - is this so,
> and where could I got to have this done?


There really isn't any way--and frankly, while seeing
a heartbeat is a very good sign, even that is no guarantee
that you won't miscarry later. While it is hard for some to
accept, odds are very good that everything's okay and there's
not much you can do to guarantee anything. Until you're
much further along (closer to 20 weeks), you need u/s
technology to detect a heartbeat, whether though a sonogram
or through a handheld doppler device (and even that won't
be likely to catch a heartbeat this early).

> When do I need to do all the
> blood tests (which week)?


Need is a strong word ;-) You don't really need to
have any. Usually you'll do blood work early on to get your
blood type and a few other basic bits of information.

> At what point
> do most women have their first ultrasound - is it at 20 weeks?


Depends on your caregiver's policies. In the US,
a 20-ish weeks routine u/s is quite common, but certainly
isn't necessary (and doesn't improve outcomes when done
routinely). My caregivers didn't do any routine ultrasounds--
I've been through three pregnancies and didn't have any
u/s at all until the end of the third pregnancy because
the baby was breech.

> So far
> I have had no tests done, but came out positive on a home preg.test,
> and have missed 2 periods, suffering usual symptoms - nausea etc.
> I basically want to know before 12 weeks if I actually have a live
> feotus in the right place, before I go and announce my preg. to
> everyone.


Really, it isn't standard to do any tests to confirm
this. If you had symptoms suggesting a problem, tests would
be done to rule it out, but otherwise you proceed under the
(highly likely to be true) assumption that all is well.
And really, the reason a lot of people use 12 weeks or the
first trimester as a "magic date" to announce a pregnancy
is not that it takes that long to do the tests to figure
out everything's okay. It's that the risk of miscarrying
drops to something very low by then. While seeing a
heartbeat earlier drops the risk even a bit lower, I would
suspect that *most* pregnancies that miscarry looked just
fine by u/s a week prior to the miscarriage. So if you
want to wait to tell people until there's a high probability
you won't miscarry, you may need to wait *regardless* of
what any tests might show right now. If you just want
to wait to tell people until you're sure you're really
pregnant, now's as good a time as any.


> On another point - do most women annuonce pregnancies before they have
> had any tests? Any advice would be most welcome! thanks.

Since I didn't really have any tests done, I guess
that would be a yes for me ;-)

Best wishes,
Ericka