QuestionI suffered a miscarriage in May 2005. At that time, my LMP was Feb. 5, 2005 and I believe I ovulated on Feb. 19. At about 12 weeks into the pregnancy no heartbeat could be detected (please note that I have a retroverted uterus). A viability ultrasound (abdominal not transvaginal) showed a sac that was 7.5 weeks along, but no fetus. My ObGyn gave me Cytotec to expel the products of pregnancy due to the diagnosis of an empty sac. She did not test my Hcg levels.
My question is: is it possible that visualization of the fetus was not possible because of the retroverted uterus (i.e., could the fetus have been too deep into the pelvic region for proper visualization), and does the retroverted uterus allow proper "dating" of the sac (i.e., 7.5 wks instead of 12 wks). I realize it's too late for this pregnancy as it was terminated with Cytotec, but the thought that there may have been a fetus in the uterus but just couldn't be visualized is weighing on my mind. Should I be faced with the same problem in a future pregnancy, I would like to know if I should request a transvaginal US to confirm empty sac or viability.
Thank you very much for your time.
Maria
AnswerA retroverted uterus will not interfere wth an obstetrical sonogram. It does not matter if your uterus is anteverted, retroverted, or any other shape. The sonogram will not miss a fetus. You, evidently, had a blighted ovum, for which the uterus had to be evacuated. The fetus could not have been missed by sonogram. Usually, during pregnancy, the uterus straightens out. After pregnancy, it reverts back to being either retroverted or anteverted.
