Misdiagnosed Miscarriage after IVF

I am not a medical professional. The information I share is meant to supplement the information given you by your doctor. If you feel your doctor is not doing enough for you or not willing to listen to your concerns, I strongly encourage you to take what you've learned here and get a second opinion.

Summary:
The gestation sac size in pregnancies resulting from in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo transfer have been compared with those in spontaneous pregnancies. Small-for-dates gestational sac sizes were found in 36% of the IVF pregnancies. This proportion held for both singleton and multiple pregnancies. With increasing gestation beyond 8 weeks the gestation sac volume increasingly approached normal. In contrast to spontaneous conceptions, IVF pregnancies had a low rate of pregnancy loss once fetal heart movements were demonstrated, when the gestation sac size was small-for-dates. Small sac size in an IVF pregnancy may lead to the misdiagnosis of a failed pregnancy.

Gestation sac size in in-vitro fertilization pregnancies

We've discovered from the many misdiagnosed women online that many of them have a retroverted uterus in common. The transvaginal ultrasound is really not as accurate in women with a tilted uterus. Often we'll look one to two weeks behind during the first trimester. As the pregnancy progresses, the uterus gets pushed back into a more 'normal' position and then dating looks more accurate.

Our guess, and I do think it is a good one, is that this 36% actually had tilted uteri since a number of studies indicate that up to 30 to 40% of women actually have a retroverted uterus.

If you have had IVF, you are more likely to pushed into D&C earlier than most women based on what I've been told by women online. If you just wandered into a doctor's office pregnant, the doctor knows your dates may be off and there is more room for error in his eyes. However if he is certain of dates due to the IVF procedure, he is definitely more likely to doom your pregnancy earlier. We this see this quite a bit.

Take this information to your doctor. Unless there is an immediate necessity to end the pregnancy, ask to wait out the diagnosis. Some doctors really don't like to be second guessed so sometimes it is better to say something like, "I know you are probably right, but for my own peace of mind, I'd like to wait a bit longer and see what happens." Ask for a follow-up ultrasound at least seven days out. You want to give that sac enough time to grow adequately. You stand a much better chance of seeing that baby a week out rather than two days out if you are misdiagnosed. And, yes, sometimes we have to wait a few weeks to find out we're misdiagnosed. We've found most misdiagnosed women see their babies by nine weeks but, yes, some women are even further along amazingly enough.

As you can see from our collection of Misdiagnosed Miscarriage Stories IVF patients can be misdiagnosed. I am certain there are far more stories out there and, if you are one of them, post your story at the Misdiagnosed Miscarriage site.

I know that if you are misdiagnosed and share your story, you will, in turn, help so many other women.

My Own Misdiagnosed Blighted Ovum Story
- After turning down the D&C twice, we found my baby at nearly nine weeks!
My First Misdiagnosed Miscarriage
- During my first pregnancy, we believed I was miscarrying at 12 weeks

A collection of Misdiagnosed Miscarriage stories

When You've Been Diagnosed with a Miscarriage

Bleeding during the First Trimester

What your Doctor may not know about your pregnancy after IVF

Miscarriage News and Research

hCG levels and Pregnancy FAQ

Tilted Uterus and Early Pregnancy

16 Days Past Ovulation (DPO) and hCG levels

Infant Survival Rates during Pregnancy

Is This Really an Ectopic Pregnancy?

High hCGs and No Baby?

The First Trimester: Enlarged Yolk Sac

Progesterone and Miscarriage

Asherman's Syndrome: Why you may want to rethink your D&C

So You've Been Told You Have A Blighted Ovum

Blighted Ovum FAQ

Non-Doubling hCG Levels in the First Trimester Do Not Mean Inevitable Miscarriage!

Can Stress Lead to Miscarriage?

Getting a Second Opinion about a Miscarriage Diagnosis

Why You May Want an Ultrasound Right Before Your D&C

Intravenous Iron Infusion and Me

Coping With A Miscarriage

Remembrance Gifts After A Miscarriage