Signs of an Early Pregnancy
Feedback
A. Correct. The presence of a heartbeat is clearly the most important finding. If you can see this, then you know the baby is alive.
B. Incorrect. Sometimes you can see the embryo but cannot be sure that there is a heartbeat. This could be because the baby is too small for you to see the heartbeat but it may also be a missed miscarriage.
C. Incorrect. Although the yolk sac is an important sign of a developing pregnancy and may be seen before you can confidently see the embryo, it does not assure you that the baby is alive. See image below.
D. Incorrect. Although you may not see an embryo in the very early stages of pregnancy, it is usual to see embryo and yolk sac by 6-7 weeks. We will consider the implications of an empty gestation sac in more detail later in the session.
E. Correct. Wait for one week and measure the baby again – if it has grown a normal amount then all is well. You will usually be able to see a heartbeat now too!
Fig 1 Features of a normal pregnancy at about 6 weeks