Health

Study: Misdiagnosed Miscarriages Resulting in Unintentional Abortions

The characteristics that define an early-stage miscarriage vary and doctors and ultrasound equipment could be misdiagnosing miscarriages resulting in inadvertent termination of pregnancy.

A recent study published in Ultrasound: Obstetrics and Gynecology found that one in 200 diagnosed miscarriages, which result in the women taking pill or having surgery to remove the fetus from her uterus, are in fact false and the fetus is still alive.

New Scientist reports:

In the UK, an empty gestational sac – the structure in which an embryo usually grows – with a diameter greater than 20 millimetres is classified as a miscarriage, while in the U.S. a diameter of 16 millimetres is used.

If a smaller sac is detected which appears empty, the woman will usually be advised to have a second scan seven to 10 days later. If the sac has not grown in that time it is assumed that the woman has miscarried.

Study Reveals Some Women Misdiagnosed as Miscarried

The top ultrasound image depicts a normal pregnancy at 7 weeks. The bottom image depicts an empty gestational sac at 7 weeks. (Photo: Fetal Medicine)

Seeking out the reliability of these cut-off characteristics and potentially to define more reliable characteristics, Tom Bourne from Imperial London College studied 183 women who were considered to have miscarried according to an ultrasound reading. What he found was that, 175 women were correctly diagnosed while eight women’s children were still living, even though the 16 millimeter cut-off criteria — the measure used in the United States — had diagnosed them as miscarried.

New Scientists continues:

“There’s no doubt that on the basis of one scan, the potential for misdiagnosis exists,” says Bourne. “Some women seeking reassurance with pain or bleeding in early pregnancy may be told that they have had a miscarriage, and choose to undergo surgical or medical treatment when the pregnancy is in fact healthy.”

[...]

Bourne also emphasises that the findings are only relevant to a subset of miscarriages. “What I’m absolutely not saying is that it is likely that if someone has had surgery for miscarriage, they have had a misdiagnosis,” he says. “The majority of women come in with bleeding, where the miscarriage is actually declaring itself. We’re looking at patients with a diagnosis based on ultrasound, which is a subset of women, and we’re only talking about the ones who are near these cut-off levels.”

Study Reveals Some Women Misdiagnosed as Miscarried

The Daily Mail reports that a third of the 500,000 miscarriages in the United Kingdom are diagnosed using this method:

[...] they estimated that errors could lead to 400 women with healthy pregnancies being wrongly told their baby has died each year.

Bourne recommends the guidelines be stricter and that women concerned their pregnancy may still be viable to wait a week and get rescanned. The Daily Mail goes on to state that the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists is reviewing guidelines already and will take these findings into account.

The American Pregnancy Association states that in the United States about 600,000 women experience miscarriage each year. The National Maternity Hospital states on its website that it follows the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists in the United Kingdom and that a similar update guidelines was made in 1995 to help ensure viable pregnancies were not unnecessarily terminated.

Comments (27)

  • BMroxy
    Posted on October 15, 2011 at 11:32am

    Personal experience on this subject: I’m in the US and I was a couple months pregnant. At least that is what they thought. They had picked up a heart beat for my baby at some point. Then in a follow up appointment they couldnt find it. They told me well maybe you aren’t as far along as we thought. This was followed up for the next couple months with doctors back and forth telling me I had miscarried then saying no you haven’t. I had two different ultra sounds. The first one they told me baby is fine. The next said no baby isn’t fine. After the second one they told me I needed to go in for a DNC and wanted me to have it within a mere few days of that ultra sound. All I could think was one says baby is fine while the next says baby is not fine and now they want to rush a dnc on me? I told my husband absoultey not. I told him they have been so wishy washy in all this I dont trust any of them anymore. I said I dont feel like the baby is in me dead, I’m showing no symptoms of miscarriage and this our possible child they are toying with. I told him I’m not doing it yet and not until I feel differntly of show signs of a miscarriage. A few weeks later I did indeed show symptoms of miscarriage and went on in but the point is this, when the doctors are wishy washy and aren’t absolutely sure themselves you need to be careful in what you choose. I still think I made the best decision with the way I handled it and was left with no questions in the end as to the truth of it.

    Report Post » BMroxy  
  • watashbuddyfriend
    Posted on October 15, 2011 at 8:18am

    Most of us are Pro-Life, so, why is it that the do-gooders cannot stay out of the private lives of the individuals? Abortion is a SIN, and we should understand the consequences of the act!

    Report Post »  
  • The Third Archon
    Posted on October 15, 2011 at 3:20am

    Abortions are awesome and should be free and on demand.

    Report Post » The Third Archon  
  • Brooke Lorren
    Posted on October 14, 2011 at 11:14pm

    I had two miscarriages. The first time, I was in downtown Naples, Italy, and I had to take the train to the hospital while hemorrhaging blood. That was pretty embarrassing; you can’t hide that by covering it with a jacket. The second time, I found out at nine weeks, but I waited with hopes that something would change. Both times I miscarried naturally at 13 weeks.

    Doctors are not gods. We still have the right (as of now) to make our own medical decisions. I’d rather err on the side of caution and wait, then end up regretting my decision later.

    Report Post »  
  • BurntHills
    Posted on October 14, 2011 at 10:47pm

    we all already know that obama is nothing but a botched back-alley abortion and his mother in her stupors and hatred of America probably told him so. that would explain how much he hated his white communist mother and her communist wealthy white OIL COMPANY & BANKER parents who pawned him off at puberty on the bizarre pedophile communist anti-white America creep, Frank Davis.

    Report Post » BurntHills  
  • Cavy2see
    Posted on October 14, 2011 at 10:01pm

    This happened to one of my daughters twice…she had a clinic do the ultra sound….I do not know for sure if she really was pregnant or not…just don’t know…she went through so much misery…and saddness…so I really have 12 grandchildren out there…some are in this world and some are in Heaven…God Bless all of my grandchildren…women please don’t forget when abortions are done…other members of the family are hurting also…I wonder if they were girls or boys…what they would have looked like…I won’t bore you with details…but we are killing our Americans…by the millions…

    Report Post » Cavy2see  
  • Mary J 0604
    Posted on October 14, 2011 at 9:40pm

    I was misdiagnosed. I went into the ultrasound and they told me I had an empty sac. The doctor told me in his opinion, it was not a viable pregnancy. He was one of those doctors that had a cold bedside manner with an “I’m God” complex. I scheduled another ultrasound for a week later and there was a heartbeat. I went on to have a very healthy, beautiful baby. :) I also told the doctor he should keep his “opinion” to himself and that I went through hell that week. He ended up apologizing. I thought the nurse was going to faint. lol Believe it or not, it humbled him. He was always really nice after that. :) I just didn’t want someone else to go through what I did. That week was really hard.

    **************——–60

    00

    Report Post » Mary J 0604  
  • poverty.sucks
    Posted on October 14, 2011 at 9:23pm

    Are you Pro-Choice?
    Pro-Life + Pro-Christ = Pro-Choice

    Report Post » poverty.sucks  
    • Curious - Really
      Posted on October 16, 2011 at 1:34am

      I am pro-choice and I choose Life every time! And, by the way, all poverty doesn’t suck. Especially not the poverty they make up by raising the poverty level.
      I was very happily raised in a poor farm family – back before they called it poverty. My school clothes came by mail in a big box from a rich girl in California who was a year older than me – my sister wore them a year or two later. My grandma took me to my first clothing store when I was in the 5th grade and I didn’t shop again until 8th grade.
      And I raised my oldest boys in a poor, small-town family – food stamps were too expensive for us.
      And then my husband moved into a job that paid well – and we were rich when we raised our two youngest boys.
      I want to know how many people in poverty are there for a couple years just starting out and how many are in poverty for years and years – and what truly makes the difference.
      I want to know how many people are rich for only a couple years due to an event occurring in their lives and then move back to middle class or back to being poor.
      I want to know if people who are poor can still be as happy and content as I was.

      I sure do wish

      Report Post »  
  • scoter
    Posted on October 14, 2011 at 8:51pm

    Did you see GERADO ON Bill tonight. What is Fox KEIPPING THAT PICE OF ****. I will not watch fox when GERADO ON. Glenn gone fOX IS NOT ANY GOOD ANY MORE. GBTV. I watch Glenn ever night. It better then the FIVE

    Report Post » scoter  
    • SacredHonor1776
      Posted on October 14, 2011 at 8:57pm

      http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/12/progressive-major-league-baseball-glenn-beck_n_1008136.html

      Left is trying a new way of getting rid of Glenn Beck, by attacking MLB that hosts GBTV!

      Their of gagging of free speech knows no bounds.

      Report Post »  
    • dherna2176
      Posted on October 14, 2011 at 10:06pm

      Do not like Geraldo Rivera, but also did not like the coment Orilly made to Glenn about his clothing line, what did he mean whe he said to Glenn “people protesting at Wall Street should be wearing that” he is so condesending!!! do not like him either.. he owes more respect to Glenn Beck…I agree with you Fox is not the same since Glenn Beck left…Love his GBTV show…he is the only one that gives us the truth…

      Report Post »  
  • bernbart
    Posted on October 14, 2011 at 8:38pm

    I was talking to my cousin on the phone about how stupid the right seem to be, andI read her this headline, as an example of right wing of Stupidity. We had a good laugh.

    Report Post »  
    • 13th Imam
      Posted on October 14, 2011 at 9:00pm

      You forgot to mention, your cousin is also your wife.

      Report Post » 13th Imam  
    • paulusmaximus
      Posted on October 14, 2011 at 9:59pm

      sorry 13th Imam
      They are not Muslim, yo moma did though!

      Report Post » paulusmaximus  
    • MinorityRightsAdvocate
      Posted on October 14, 2011 at 11:06pm

      BernB,
      I could go on all day about how much of a cold hearted evil fool you must be by your various posts, but no need, others can see that for themselves.

      You are doing us all a service of reminding us at the real evil cold hearted types we must defend against.

      By the way, some of us have or know of healthy brilliant children that might have been wrongly aborted, so this can be quite personal.

      It is true a shame you don‘t realize the gift you’ve been given with life, and that your mom decided not to exercise that “choice” and here you are. You must make her so proud…

      Report Post » MinorityRightsAdvocate  
    • HumbleCitizen
      Posted on October 14, 2011 at 11:11pm

      @ bernbart
      You’re a troll. You’re here (IMHO) under yet ..another ..name (the liberal way..change it when people catch on) but they ONLY reason you are here is because you (IMHO) get paid to be here.
      Let me guess…young…unmarrried…Godless (ie. hedonist).

      I don’t know why you bother.

      Report Post » HumbleCitizen  
  • chips1
    Posted on October 14, 2011 at 8:37pm

    The top picture has Obama’s ears!!!

    Report Post »  
  • 762x51
    Posted on October 14, 2011 at 8:30pm

    Must be my monitor, the top one looks like she is carrying a mouse. Good thing I’m not a doctor, I might accidently misdiagnose the condition and . . ., wait, I COULD be a doctor. My mother will be so proud.

    Report Post »  
  • bernbart
    Posted on October 14, 2011 at 8:29pm

    Oh this a hilarious story, and pretty filled with medical misinformation, because if you had had a miscaraiges ( which is medical term sis called a spontaneous abortions) the fetus has already been expelled. Most miscarriage happen because there is something wrong with the fetus.

    The top photo looks more like a contraceptive device,or a tapon

    Report Post »  
    • GiveMeLiberty1775
      Posted on October 14, 2011 at 9:29pm

      What you’re actually seeing is the yolk sac which nourishes the baby until the placenta develops. However, it doesn’t make sense that they would be treating women for miscarriages at such an early gestation. The products of conception should be expelled without intervention. They should only need follow-up. Miscarriages in progress are still referred to as miscarriages eventhough they are not yet complete, as in the case of the absense of fetal heart tones with bleeding.

      Report Post »  
    • Psychosis
      Posted on October 14, 2011 at 10:38pm

      your clueless

      Report Post » Psychosis  
    • COFemale
      Posted on October 15, 2011 at 12:08am

      Hmm. Bernbart now is a medical doctor. Wow what in the world are you doing on TheBlaze.

      By your statements, you just confirmed to me and the rest of the group, you have no earthly clue to which you are speaking and you are as dumb as a box of rocks. Now go outside and play and leave the adult topics to the adults.

      Report Post » COFemale  
  • nocakeforme12
    Posted on October 14, 2011 at 8:28pm

    Maybe intentional ABORTION by ARROGANT UNPROFFESSIONALS

    Report Post »  
  • Kiba
    Posted on October 14, 2011 at 8:18pm

    No wonder why, they re looking at a Hurricane!

    Report Post »  
    • chips1
      Posted on October 14, 2011 at 8:58pm

      With that little thingy hanging out, it could be a Himmicane.

      Report Post »  
  • mattwakulik
    Posted on October 14, 2011 at 8:11pm

    wow! that is a stunning statistic!

    Report Post » mattwakulik  

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