Frozen pregnancy were the mistakes of doctors. Can a frozen pregnancy be an ultrasound error? How to determine this condition without ultrasound diagnostics? What are the signs of a missed pregnancy

Seeing two stripes for the first time on the test, every woman already mentally holds her baby in her arms and dreams of how he will grow up. During pregnancy, a lot of examinations await her, but sometimes diagnostics can deliver by no means joyful facts. In some cases, a frozen pregnancy is diagnosed, an ultrasound error is certainly possible, because a woman is diagnosed with the help of technology, and she, like any mechanism, tends to fail. The error rate is quite low, so every expectant mother should be ready to hear a negative diagnosis.

Pregnancy consists in the full growth and development of the child in the uterus for 41 weeks. A frozen pregnancy means the cessation of the development of the fetus in the womb for up to 28 weeks.. Frozen pregnancy on ultrasound is displayed at 13 weeks. During the freezing period, characteristic symptoms may appear:

smearing discharge;
paroxysmal pain in the abdomen;
cessation of toxicosis;
reduction of soreness of the mammary gland;
lack of baby movement.

It should be noted that in anticipation of a miracle, most women do not pay attention to these symptoms, so the next ultrasound may shock them.

Signs of a missed pregnancy in the early stages are a secondary symptom, much more attention is paid to diagnostic examination methods:

hCG analysis;
gynecological examination.

Each of these diagnostic methods can determine the cessation of fetal development - the level of hCG will be significantly lower, ultrasound will show the absence of the development of the child and the heartbeat, and the gynecologist can diagnose that the uterus is smaller in size than it should be at this stage of pregnancy.

Causes of missed pregnancy

Certain reasons can lead to such a deplorable development of events, among which are:

rhesus conflict;
pathologies are not compatible with life that developed in the fetus;
due to the frequent abortions that were previously carried out in the woman's body, certain antibodies are developed, which simply do not give subsequent fetuses in the womb a chance of survival;
diseases of the kidneys and the cardiovascular system;
trauma;
infectious diseases;
great physical activity;
the use of hormonal and toxic drugs during childbearing;
chemical poisoning

Very often, pregnancy fading occurs due to an actively developing bacterial infection, which is sexually transmitted, for example, ureaplasmas, chlamydia and ganderel. Bacteria do not allow the embryo to fully develop, and the weakened mother's body cannot fully resist the focus of infection, so the embryo suffers.

Alcohol inhibits the development of the baby, and directly negatively affects the development of his brain and nervous system. Even at first glance, a small portion of alcohol can be fatal for your baby inside the womb. It should be noted that it is possible to prevent a missed pregnancy, for this a woman must undergo a complete diagnostic examination at the stage of planning a child and eliminate all existing bacterial and viral infections. Be sure to stop using medications, as well as give up bad habits and limit physical activity. Taking care of your condition and regularly visiting a doctor, you will always be aware of the slightest changes in your body.

Ultrasound diagnostics is an affordable and simple procedure that provides the doctor with accurate information about the state of the internal organs of a person and, as in this case, about the state of the embryo in the womb. It is carried out quickly and painlessly. The woman should lie on the couch, her stomach is lubricated with a special gel, which improves the contagiousness of the sensor with the patient's skin. Further, with the movements of the sensor, the doctor will receive an image of the internal organs of the patient. There is also another way, which is called transvaginal. The woman should lie on the couch with her legs bent, and the doctor inserts a special sensor into her vagina. This method is usually used in the early stages of pregnancy, when viewing through the abdomen becomes more difficult.

Can an ultrasound be wrong?

“Missing pregnancy is an ultrasound error” - this is exactly what women desperately want to hear from a doctor. But this happens quite rarely and you have to put up with the situation. It is quite difficult to say for sure whether ultrasound can be mistaken, because each case is unique in its own way. It can only be noted with certainty that ultrasound diagnostics is the most reliable research technique and, based on its results, surgical manipulations have been successfully performed for many decades. That is why it is problematic to say that she can be wrong.

It is difficult to determine a frozen pregnancy in the first trimester, because it begins in the same way as a normal one, in contrast to ectopic development.

The definition of a frozen fetus is a very important procedure, and the point here is no longer in the dead embryo. It will not work to restore the pregnancy, but the point is in the embryo itself, which is in the womb. Its decomposition products can cause serious harm to a woman’s body, up to death and inability to have children in the future. It is for this reason that doctors are so serious about the timely determination of a frozen fetus, errors are quite likely from this, because the human factor is present everywhere.

The baby's heartbeat is already audible at the 5th week of pregnancy, even if outdated equipment is used, the heart muscle beat will be determined. Of course, there are a number of factors that can skew the diagnosis, such as an unemptied bladder, which increases in size and makes it difficult for the study to determine the contours of the fetus. The doctor may ask the patient to go to the toilet or use a transvaginal probe. The fetus begins to move at 7-8 weeks, and the doctor also sees this on the monitor. At this time, the doctor can already determine the viability of the child, as well as its size.

An ultrasound error can occur in the case of outdated equipment and incompetence of the doctor. Due to lack of funding, most clinics use old equipment that cannot listen to the heartbeat at week 12, and the poor image that is obtained during the examination will only indirectly determine the size of the fetus. If this is the case, then it is likely that the doctor will prescribe a second ultrasound after 14 days. If the heartbeat is not heard during the subsequent examination, then the doctor can determine the missed pregnancy, because every day the child's body is strengthened and the main sign of viability becomes more and more distinct.

There is also a condition called anembryony, which is characterized by the complete absence of a fetus. On ultrasound, it will be found that the fetal vesicle is empty, this occurs at 4-5 weeks. After a woman determines pregnancy by the level of hCG with a test, the fetus develops up to a certain point, and then dies and the body independently copes with its excretion, in contrast to the later periods, when surgical cleaning is necessary. Of course, a woman can also seek advice from another clinic in order to refute the information received or, to her regret, confirm them.

Much more common is a situation in which a woman feels negative symptoms, and ultrasound diagnostics indicate a threat of miscarriage. In this case, drugs and bed rest can save the pregnancy.

What to do with a frozen pregnancy?

Having heard a diagnosis from a doctor, women do not want to believe in such information until the last, because they were so looking forward to the birth of a son or daughter, but still it needs to be accepted, psychologically putting up with the loss of the baby, not yet holding him in her arms, is very difficult, but all the complexity this is not the point. The woman will still have to undergo a course of specialized treatment. As a rule, the patient is sent for additional examinations to the gynecologist, who decides the advisability of surgical cleaning. It is prescribed as quickly as possible, because there is a possibility of developing inflammation in the uterus, bleeding and other unpleasant complications.

Curettage is the complete removal of the dead embryo from the uterine cavity and its particles. The procedure lasts no more than an hour and takes place under general anesthesia. Sometimes, vacuum aspiration is used for complete cleaning. Some women confuse cleaning with abortion. You should not blame yourself for something, although the methodology of these two procedures is similar, they remove an already dead body in order to maintain your full health, and during an abortion, the viability of the fetus is initially destroyed, and then the embryo itself is eliminated.

After the removal of the fetus, the doctor sends it for a histological examination, this helps doctors understand what exactly caused the fetal fading and makes it possible to prevent the current situation in the future.

The woman recovers over several weeks, although if the procedure went without complications, she is sent home the very next day. The doctor prescribes antibacterial drugs to prevent inflammation in the uterus. Upon returning home, bed rest is indicated for several days. Minor bleeding and abdominal pain may be present, this is considered the norm and is stopped by painkillers.

For two weeks, a woman should refrain from intimacy, but if you want to resume sexual relations earlier, be sure to use barrier contraceptives. If you have a high temperature for two weeks, the blood discharge does not stop, and the pain becomes more intense, immediately consult a doctor, it is likely that something was missed during the cleaning process, or a bacterial infection develops inside the body.

Life after a frozen pregnancy

After a frozen pregnancy, 90% of women manage to get pregnant again and give birth to a healthy baby, but it is very important to plan the next conception no earlier than 2.5-3 months after cleaning or discharge of the fetal egg. Many couples who are faced with a similar situation are wondering if they need additional examination or therapy, but this is a purely individual situation. In most cases, the fading of pregnancy in the first trimester is due to random errors in the development of the embryo, there is no fault of the mother or father here, with the exception of drug addiction and alcoholism.

Missed pregnancy can be even in couples with excellent health, so additional treatment is not prescribed after the first missed pregnancy. Additional diagnostics is required if the situation has repeated more than two times. The couple needs to undergo examinations for urogenital infections, sexually transmitted infections and a consultation with a geneticist.

How to recognize a frozen pregnancy, now you know, in addition, you can create all the conditions for bearing in order to avoid this negative condition and give birth to a full and healthy child. Pregnancy is a very important stage in the life of every woman, and you need to carefully prepare for it, timely eliminating diseases of the genitourinary system, also eating right, enriching your diet with vitamins and microelements.

A month before conception, a woman is recommended to start taking folic acid, which contributes to the normal development of the neural tube of the fetus and contributes to the reliable fixation of the fetal egg in the womb. It is very difficult for a weakened body to provide the appropriate conditions for the normal development of the baby, which is why there are situations such as miscarriage and miscarriage.

Pregnancy is the most exciting and happy period in a woman's life, so it is especially painful to hear at a doctor's appointment, especially in the early stages, the next diagnosis is a fetal growth retardation or missed abortion, in other words. Not a single woman wants to believe in this verdict, so it is very important to figure out why the fetus stops developing, by what signs it can be understood and by what methods the diagnosis is carried out. And also the most important question - can doctors be wrong?

What is a frozen pregnancy?

Currently, specialists under this term mean two states:
- Anembryony: the presence in the uterus of a fetal egg without an embryo, this happens if the formation of the embryo has not begun in principle or if its development has stopped at a maximum of 5 weeks of gestation.
- Fetal death: means that the fetus for some time developed according to the norm, but for a number of reasons all signs of life began to be absent.
Causes
Despite the fact that the etiology and mechanisms of fetal development arrest have not yet been fully elucidated, experts identify the following reasons:
- genetic abnormalities of the embryo,
- Violation of the anatomy of the reproductive system,
- Chromosomal abnormalities of the embryo,
- Pathological condition of the endometrium
There is a high probability of early fetal loss in two cases: with a high reproductive age of the mother and after a large number of previous miscarriages.

Risk factors

Unfortunately, experts identify a number of such reasons, and all of them are somehow related to the state of the mother's health. These are the following factors:
- The presence of alcohol, nicotine or drug addiction in the mother,
- chronic kidney disease,
- Systemic diseases of the connective tissue,
- uncontrolled diabetes mellitus,
- Arterial hypertension in severe form,
- Uncompensated thyroid diseases,
- low body mass index,
- Stress.
Is it possible to feel the death of the embryo?
At an early stage

The clinical picture of a missed pregnancy in the early stages is always specific:
- disappears nausea, vomiting,
- dizziness, general weakness,
- a fever appears
- the mammary glands are reduced.
If a woman does not turn to a specialist in time, and the dead fetus remains in the uterus for a period of 2 to 6 weeks, there will be pain in the lower abdomen and bloody discharge.

At a late date

If the pregnancy freezes in the later stages, then the main signs are the cessation of the motor activity of the fetus, followed by profuse vaginal bleeding and uterine pain.

Why ultrasound with a frozen pregnancy?
Ultrasound is the most informative way to diagnose an undeveloped pregnancy. After such a study, it becomes possible to make a diagnosis not only when complaints appear, but even long before any immediate signs.

Ultrasound reveals the absence of an embryo in the cavity of the fetal egg or the absence of a heartbeat at week 7.

How is an ultrasound performed?

The patient must remove all clothing below the waist, and then lie on her back on the couch, bending her knees. The study is carried out transvaginally, so the doctor first puts a condom on the sensor, and only then inserts it into the body. Then, using the device, the doctor scans the reproductive system, including the uterus and fetal egg.

In the early stages, the specialist measures the size of the embryo, its average diameter and localization, the size of the uterus, the echogenicity of the structures, the coccyx-parietal size of the fetus, the size of the yolk egg and compares these parameters with the standards corresponding to the timing of the development of the embryo. The presence of a heartbeat is also assessed. Of course, the specialist compares the indicators of the previous survey in order to compare and draw the most correct conclusion.

In the second and third trimester, the diagnostician already assesses the state of all systems of the embryo, and also, due to contraindications to transvaginal examination, Dopplerography or examination through the abdominal wall is performed.

What does an ultrasound scan show?

In the early stages of such a diagnosis, the doctor notes the dead fetus, which cannot be visualized. It is also possible to assess the fact of lagging behind the size of the fetal egg, at the same time, the size of the uterus does not meet the requirements. The deformation of the fetal egg is also pronounced: the contours are fuzzy, there are multiple constrictions, separate scattered echo structures. Another indicator in which an unambiguous diagnosis is made is oligohydramnios. Another advantage of this research method is the 100% ability to distinguish a “false” fetal egg from a true one.

Signs of a missed pregnancy: the fetus has no heartbeat, swelling of the patient's tissues is also observed

In the second and third trimester, the direct signs of a dead fetus are the following: disappearance of the contours of the head, divergence of the edges of the skull bones, drooping lower jaw, pathological curvature of the spine, abnormal flexion of the head, blurry contours of the skeleton, deformity of the chest, abnormal position of the fetus relative to the uterus, discrepancy between the size of the fetus corresponding to the norm, a kind of "scattering" of the limbs, the absence of physiological curvature of the spine.

What to do if the diagnosis is a missed pregnancy?

Based on statistical data, it can be argued that in 61% of cases, 2 weeks after ultrasound, the uterus is emptied from the dead fetus on its own, in the remaining women, the fetal egg remains in the uterus due to the dense attachment of the developing placenta or the inferiority of immune rejection reactions, which subsequently can lead to development of infectious and inflammatory diseases.

In any case, doctors usually do not wait for further developments, but immediately send the patient for an abortion.

medical abortion

In the early stages (up to 6 weeks), medical abortion is traditionally used. In this case, the patient should in no case choose drugs on her own, since this can lead to complications and death. A specific drug, its dosage, method of application (orally or vaginally) should be selected only by an experienced specialist, and the course of emptying the uterine cavity itself should be carried out strictly under the supervision of a doctor. If, after the use of drugs, the abortion was not completely completed, surgical intervention will be required, and again, ultrasound will help determine this.

vacuum aspiration

Another method of removing a frozen embryo is vacuum aspiration, its use is possible in the early (up to 15 weeks) terms. This method has enough advantages: it can be performed on an outpatient basis, such aspiration requires less medication and painkillers, and it does not worsen the prognosis for further conception. Such an abortion is performed by removing the fetal egg from the uterine region using a special vacuum apparatus (without scraping): in this case, a special catheter is inserted inside even and thanks to the uniform pressure created, the egg comes out. A mini-abortion can take no more than 10 minutes and is still the preferred method of terminating a pregnancy with a frozen fetus.

Diagram of vacuum aspiration

Scraping

After the second trimester, the only possible option is abortion by curettage of the uterine cavity. The very process of curettage and the accompanying expansion of the cervix cause pain. In this regard, they are always carried out using anesthesia and anesthesia. For scraping, the specialist always uses a special device - a curette - a spoon-shaped object. During scraping, the mucous membrane and all the contents of the uterus are removed. After curettage, unfortunately, complications, injuries and, in some cases, infertility often appear.

Instrument for scraping the fetus - gynecological curette

Are there any other steps needed?

Vacuum aspiration requires further monitoring by ultrasound, the doctor needs to make sure that the embryo is completely removed. Otherwise, additional suction of the tissues remaining in the uterus will be required.

After curettage, the patient needs to go through a rehabilitation period, which, in the absence of complications, ranges from 10 to 14 days and includes taking antibacterial drugs, hormonal contraceptives, and sexual abstinence. After this period, an ultrasound scan is required to assess the condition of the uterus, and the specialist must also make sure that the embryo is finally removed.

Is medical error possible?

Each diagnostician, unfortunately, can make a mistake, because doctors are living people and are also influenced by subjective factors like everyone else. In the early stages, the probability of an error is greater than already in the second trimester, for example, but in absolute terms it is still small.

In order to independently assess whether the conclusion of a specialist is a mistake and exclude suspicions of the termination of embryo development, you should pay attention to the following:
- The patient needs to once again familiarize herself with the prerequisites and, having soberly assessed the situation, conclude whether her fetus could have frozen in its development or not.
- It is necessary to recall the complaints of the last weeks and the presence of immediate signs of developmental arrest.
  In any case, you need to undergo an ultrasound again with another specialist.
- If necessary, you can change the antenatal clinic.
  It is forbidden to take any medications that can harm the embryo until the situation is clear.
Thus, it may turn out that the conclusion of the diagnostician is not a sentence, but a medical error, so the result of the medical examination and the final accuracy of the diagnosis depend on the vigilance of the expectant mother.

Another erroneous practice is the most common - scraping the walls of the uterine cavity even after the absence of remnants of the fetal egg confirmed by ultrasound diagnostics. Thus, the doctor performs an artificial abortion after a successful natural miscarriage.

Surgical evacuation is carried out in this case “for safety net”, despite the high likelihood of complications, such as structural and functional inferiority of the endometrium, for example. Therefore, again, the patient should do a second ultrasound and, if possible, contact another specialist in order to get a clear picture and understand whether there are indications for curettage or not.

A gynecological examination with an ultrasound machine makes it possible to simplify the work of a specialist and determine the development, the presence of anomalies and pathological changes in the fetus, and determine in advance the sex of the child. In the presence of positive properties of ultrasonic equipment, there are also negative ones in the form of an erroneous result. Is it possible that a diagnosed missed pregnancy is an ultrasound error?

Frozen pregnancy can be provoked by:

abnormal manifestations associated with the genetics of the genus;
dysfunction of the female reproductive system;
violations in a number of chromosomes of the embryo;
female ovarian endometriosis.

The risk increases if the woman is not of reproductive age, and also if there have been several miscarriages in the past. If a pregnant woman delays contacting a specialist, and the frozen fetus stays in the uterus for 2 to 6 weeks, there will be pain in the lower abdomen with copious discharge. The consequences of a late visit to a specialist can be deplorable, up to the removal of the reproductive organs. The photo obtained during the study with an ultrasonic sensor will give real-time results, which will clearly display the state of the embryo.

Definition of a missed pregnancy on ultrasound

Frozen pregnancy with an ultrasound error is likely due to pregnancy for up to 5 weeks, when the heartbeat of the embryo is difficult to determine. At week 7, there are practically no errors in the operation of the ultrasound machine. If the duration of the ultrasound procedure was performed at 5-6 weeks and the results indicate a missed pregnancy, an abortion is involuntarily excluded.

Frozen pregnancy can be determined by ultrasound diagnostics. A frozen pregnancy on an ultrasound scan can be seen at a gestational age of more than 5 weeks. If there are doubts about the final result, a second ultrasound procedure is prescribed. Often, a missed pregnancy is confirmed with an ultrasound scan for a period of 9-10 weeks.

The second trimester also requires special control, and in case of malaise with characteristic signs of the development of pathology, it is urgent to visit a doctor, having passed the necessary hormone tests to obtain a more reliable result. As an additional confirmatory method, an examination by a gynecologist is prescribed. If a woman is in a late period, the gynecologist, examining the condition of the uterus, issues an appropriate conclusion.

The main signs of a frozen early or late pregnancy lie in different sizes of the uterus and gestation periods. So that doctors do not make mistakes during the study, the final conclusion is issued after all three studies.

When pregnancy is more than 12 weeks, dopplerography or ultrasound is prescribed, which analyzes the woman's abdominal cavity. In the process of research, the doctor takes into account the condition of the uterus and the embryo, which must correspond to this period.

A life-threatening mistake is an ectopic pregnancy, which is detected by an ultrasound machine. During the study, the diagnostician can see a false fetal egg on the monitor, which does not have signs of a pathological abscess. In fact, the fetus is not located in the uterus, but in the tube. An incorrect conclusion in this case can lead to the death of a woman. To protect yourself from possible incorrect conclusions, you should register in a timely manner, follow the doctor's instructions, and take the necessary tests.

The probability of an ultrasound error during a missed pregnancy

If the development of the fetus at the initial stage is incorrect, an arbitrary miscarriage occurs. A frozen fetus is not always possible to detect.

Ultrasound can give an error if the embryo is in the wrong position (with an ectopic pregnancy). If deviations of such a plan are found, the woman is informed, offering to terminate the pregnancy.

Incorrect ultrasound findings can lead to a number of problems. Two factors can lead to an error: poor-quality equipment or an unqualified doctor. Based on this, women are advised to conduct ultrasound during pregnancy in clinics with high-quality equipment, qualified diagnosticians.

How can I find out about a missed pregnancy without an ultrasound

Suspicions of a missed pregnancy are caused by the following symptoms experienced by a woman:

an increase in subfebrile body temperature;
weakness, but in general there are no significant changes in the woman's health and such symptoms can be ignored in the early stages.

The doctor can establish the fact of fetal fading during a routine examination. In order not to be in constant concern for the condition of the child, a woman should do pregnancy testing every week throughout the first trimester. One strip on the test may not always indicate a missed pregnancy, because such a result may be erroneous. For a reliable diagnosis, the doctor must prescribe an unscheduled passage of ultrasound diagnostics.

It is possible to determine a frozen fetus before an ultrasound scan by signs that exclude the complete absence of symptoms that occur during pregnancy. Signs and symptoms of an early miscarriage may include:

cessation of toxicosis;
absence of pain in the mammary glands;
dizziness and weakness;
fever;
bloody or dark discharge that appears after the fetus has ceased to exist.

The woman begins to experience severe headaches, nausea, vomiting, weakness, basal temperature decreases. The risk of miscarriage persists until 28 weeks. The deterioration of the health of a pregnant woman indicates intoxication of the woman's body.

Considering what trimester of pregnancy a woman is in, with a diagnosis of “fetal fading”, a woman may be offered surgical intervention to curettage the embryo or undergo a procedure to stimulate preterm labor. After a woman has been diagnosed with a frozen embryo, a set of tests will be required to determine the causes of the death of the embryo. Do not fall into despair, because this kind of diagnosis is not a sentence and, as a rule, the next pregnancy proceeds without complications.

I have already written my story, but I will write it again. I didn’t have ST and I wasn’t given such diagnoses, but it was different.
At 6 weeks, I started to have a spotting, the doctor advised me to go to the hospital, but since I have an older child, I couldn’t do this, then they prescribed me medication and told me about bed rest. I lay down for 6 days almost without getting up and taking medication, and everything went away for me. I'm very. rejoiced at this and the next. After a day of resting all the places for myself, I started cooking in the kitchen. To celebrate, I made so many dishes that I don’t even remember everything =)) But I spent almost half a day in the kitchen on my feet. The evening ended happily, we ate and went to bed. At night, when my daughter woke up and asked to go to the toilet, I got up and my legs began to flow heavily. I was frightened and ran to the bath, I began to bleed heavily. I called an ambulance and packed my bags. The doctor came and looked at him and said that he needed to be hospitalized urgently. While we were driving in the car, she reassured me and said that I had many chances that everything would be fine. When I was brought to the hospital it was 6 in the morning, a kind old woman received me and called the doctor. We waited for the doctor for over 30 minutes!!! Even the doctor from the ambulance began to swear. After 40 minutes, the doctor came, a terrible bitch on her face. She let the doctor out of the ambulance and started yelling at me!!! "Why haven't you undressed yet?" "Why are you sitting?" The old woman who received me stood up for me saying that she had to sit naked for 40 minutes? (it was January in the yard) I quickly undressed, then there was a command "go to the toilet" I refused, she yells again. I went to the toilet, stood there like a fool and said that everything (actually nothing happened) =)) She put me on a chair and began to examine me very painfully, climbed with her hands a hundred times. After that, there was a verdict "very heavy bleeding and urgently for reading right now" I have a very long-awaited pregnancy and I was so upset that I started yelling at the whole hospital, the doctor got scared of me))) I started screaming that I would not go anywhere without an ultrasound, and that in general, I don’t want to talk to you anymore, you are a filthy doctor and you need to kill such people))) She left and they took me to the floor. They said to wait 9 am and on the ultrasound. I cried and waited for the uzist. At 9 am I had an ultrasound. They said that the fetus corresponds to the terms, the heart is audible and that there is detachment, but not such detachments were preserved. I spent 10 days in the hospital and on the 4th day everything stopped and the spotting and bleeding stopped. I was discharged at 8 weeks. Now we are already 40 weeks without two days, I am waiting for the appearance of my daughter) We went to ultrasound with my husband, everything is fine with us, we are very hairy, etc. There were some thoughts to give birth to a daughter and bring that bitch to the doctor to show who she almost killed because she was not allowed to sleep. Later it turned out that she indiscriminately sends everyone for cleaning and that many agree because they don’t know how to behave in this situation = (It’s a pity that not everyone fights to the last for their masks (
Sorry it's so long.