Understanding Blood Around the Yolk Sac During Early Pregnancy

Question
I went in for a 6 week ultrasound this morning. The x ray technician informed me that my bladder wasn't full enough, and that she needed to do an internal exam. After about 15 minutes of prodding and pressure, the tech called out to another tech for help. They agreed on something in a secretive manner, and then called for the doctor. The doctor told me that he may see two fetuses, and also that there's a samll amount of blood around the yolk sac that I shouldn't be worried about. They suggested that I return for a follow up ultrasound in three weeks. Please help me... I'm so nervous!!

Answer
Dear Sy,

At 6 weeks, clearly defined gestational sac(s), yolk sac(s), and usually a fetal pole (or two, if twins) - sometimes with heart activity. It sounds like your techs weren't exactly sure of what they were seeing. And even the radiologist sounds as if he was speculating at this point and really wanted another few week's worth of development for clarification - which is perfectly reasonable.

The blood that he mentioned is probably nothing for you to panic about. It may be a very small collection of blood that forms within the layers of the developing placenta which we call a subchorionic hematoma. Many women have these and when small they can resolve by themselves without becoming an issue.

My best advice is to take a deep breath, try to relax, and wait until the next ultrasound when things may be clearer for them to visualize. There's nothing you can do to change what they saw or did not see anyway and stressing yourself out over a "might" or "maybe" is not healthy either.  :-)

I hope this has helped you and answered your question. I wish you well.

Brenda