QuestionQUESTION: I had an ultrasound today that dated my pregnancy at 6 weeks and four days. According to my LMP, the pregnancy should be 8 weeks and five days. I had a positive pregnancy test on September 4, 2007, but it had a very, very light line. The doctor wants me to return in two weeks to see if the baby has grown. Is there a possibility that the baby is okay? The doctor did see a yolk sac and there was a heartbeat today.
I am anxious because I had a miscarriage a year ago. I also have three healthy boys.
ANSWER: If you saw a heartbeat, your chances of miscarriage are very small. The most likely possibility that accounts for your mismatched dates is that you could have ovulated twice in your cycle. This is unusual, but not unheard of, and can result in fraternal twins conceived days or weeks apart. You ovulation and conceived at your usual time. A couple weeks later, you ovulated again, and conceived a second baby that is two weeks younger. Because you've already been pregnant for two weeks, you get a positive pregnancy test right around the time the second baby is conceived. Then the first baby dies, but instead of causing bleeding, the baby is simply reabsorbed by your body, while the second baby continues to grow. You end up with a single baby measuring a bit smaller than you expected.
Some experts believe that up to 70% of all pregnancies begin as twin pregnancies, but the second baby ends up being either miscarried or reabsorbed before it is detected. As more and more ultrasounds are done extremely early, more and more of these "vanishing twins" are being picked up. In my own first pregnancy, I had a "vanishing quadruplet" which was reabsorbed and completely disappeared a couple of weeks after it was first seen. This process doesn't indicate any increased risk of problems with the surviving baby.
Good luck on your new pregnancy!
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QUESTION: Thank you so much for your help! Since the ultrasound, I have been spotting. So far, everything has been light. There has been mostly brown blood, mixed with cervical mucus, and a bit of red blood here and there. Could this be the vanishing twin? Is this bleeding something new to worry about?
Thanks again for your help!
AnswerYes, if you are miscarrying a twin, bleeding can accompany this without jeopardizing the remaining baby. Make sure you tell your doctor what is going on, and call right away if your bleeding becomes heavier, turns bright red, or if you experience any cramping. In the meantime, rest as much as possible as long as you are experiencing the discharge, and keep your food intake healthy.
