QuestionMy last period was on Jan 29th. according to that i shoudl now be 8 weeks pregnanct. i had my first ultra sound this week and was told i am only 5 weeks along meaning i concieved 3 weeks ago...
can you help out as to why this might be the case..? could i be further along and having complications?
AnswerDear Bree,
This can mean two possible things: First that your dates are off and that you are not as far along as you thought that you were. Because this is a valid possibility, the policy usually is the follow-up ultrasound in 7-10 days to see if there has been additional growth/development. If the finding at that time is that there has been appropriate growth, then the dating will typically be adjusted.
The other possibility would be that you actually are 8 weeks along, but that the fetus stopped developing at approximately 5 weeks gestation. Usually this occurs due to chromosomal abnormalities. Most often doctors will order hCG levels to be drawn 48 hours apart when this is suspected to see if the levels are rising appropriately. In the 1st trimester of a healthy pregnancy, we expect the hCG level to double every 48-72 hours. If the level is not doubling or is actually falling, this would typically indicate an impending miscarriage.
I hope this has helped you and answered your question. I apologize for the delay in answering...very pressing family matters. I wish you well.
Brenda
