Does absence of fetal heartbeat on ultrasound confirm abortion?

Question

Hello doctor,

My wife is six weeks and five days pregnant. In the fourth week, she got pain in the stomach and back. So, there were two ultrasound reports. The first was taken in five weeks and six days where the gestational sac was 0.9 inches with no heartbeats found. The second ultrasound was six weeks and five days. In this ultrasound, the doctor said there was no heartbeat. He said for abortion. What should I do? Shall I send you the ultrasound reports? Please help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

This looks mostly look like a missed abortion. Usually by six weeks or later, the heartbeat appears on the scan provided. You seem to have regular periods.

Answer 2

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

These scans (attachment removed to protect patient identity) will not help much because the fetal heart is a dynamic activity that is visualized at the time of the scan. If your periods were perfectly regular prior to conception then this possibly is a missed abortion. If you still want to wait, you can check your platelets and coagulation profile blood test weekly and wait for spontaneous bleeding which will happen on its own some day or the other. If you are not willing to wait, you can take a medication for aborting as this will not continue to be a viable pregnancy.

Answer 3

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

I just saw that mentioned in the scan but you told your gynecologist said there was no heartbeat. I would suggest you go for a repeat scan to confirm the finding of the fetal heartbeat rather than going for the abortion. Just make it a point to mention this to your radiologist. If the heartbeat is present then it is a viable pregnancy.