Yes definately better to have a heartbeat than not. They could just be slow starters ?? Or too early to see the second heartbeat... I don't know Bea just trying to help with confidence booster but not really helping at all....*sigh*

I hope you get nice strong heartbeat/s at the next scan with strong HCG levels.

Oh yay!!!
I've heard of varying beta levels when there are twins but one stops growing & dies. Perhaps that's what's happening?

Congrats on your first HB!!

OMG. I can only imagine how confused you are now...

Did your doctor have any words of wisdom?

Maybe your fellow bloggers need to get together and recommend a fascinating book to get you through this next week...

Keeping my fingers crossed for you!

I wish you'd had nice clear reassuring results... but a heartbeat definitely IS a very good sign...

A heartbeat is definately a good sign! Hoping that things pick up real soon and that next time brings good news. Hugs xxx

Yes, heartbeat is great. Beta not that indicative at this stage, esp if you are losing one. 5 days behind not particularly helpful, although they can catch up and measurement not always v accurate when they are this small.

Unfortunately I think it's another wait and see situation. damnit, wish it had been clearer!

Hang in there Bea- what an unexpected result for you. If one sac is empty could explain the slower than usual doubling time.So long as it's not more than 1 week behind is fine and yes the measurements can vary a lot. I am cautiously excited but understand it's going to be another stresful wait for you. Wishing you all the best for the next scan.
K

Thanks, guys - I agree. I think the slower than normal doubling time (and also spotting) can be put down to loss of one twin. I just hope the other's got enough ooph to keep going. But having a heartbeat at this stage gives a much, much better prognosis than not having one.

I'm just not going to reach a stage where I sit back and think, "It's all going to be cool now!" It's not going to happen. So I just hope we can prolong this agony for another... oh... thirty weeks. Although a more definitive "good" wouldn't go astray.

Bea

Congrats on seeing a heartbeat. Hoping to hear even better news at your next scan.

Oh Bea,

I am so sorry that the scan was not quite a straight answer to the burning desire to *know* if things are ok or not.

Thinking of you,

J

Yours is the only blog I am checking pre-vacation this morning.

Your body sure knows how to build suspense.

Fingers crossed for a beta that keeps going up and a heart that keeps beating (#2 can feel free to join in any time).

Hang in there Bea, I'll be thinking thumpity thump thoughts for you this week!

Oh geez, I'm happy, I'm scared, I'm relieved, I'm anxious - just can't imagine how you must be faring....

hugs x

I am not quite sure what to say, except your body sure does like to keep you in suspense.

I hope that the heartbeat is going even stronger next week.

Thinking of you.

Nothing quite ever goes as expected for you! The heartbeat is a good sign, but there's a lot of other confusing stuff going on in there. Another week to wait... *sigh*

Hang in there!

Well. That is certainly not what I expected to hear either. But yes, one heartbeat is better than none. (Hopefully it was a strong heartbeat?)

And I too have heard that beta levels can be wonky when one sac is being absorbed.

Still. A heartbeat. It's something.

Hoping for good (and definitive!) news at the next scan.

I hope, hope, hope, hope for you Bea.

You saw a heartbeat! And yet, still waiting to exhale. Here's tons of hope for you.

oh Bea, i was so hoping this would be an easy and conclusive scan for you.
however, i'm very happy to hear that there was a heartbeat. i agree that one is better than none.
i'll keep it all crossed.

Wishing things weren't so darned confusing and hard to decipher -- and hoping that confusion aside all is moving in the right direction!

A heartbeat is a good sign honey. I am optimistic for you. Hugs.

Praying for a continued STRONG heartbeat....

good news. I think? More limbo I guess. But you're very right - heartbeat is a very good sign. Did they give you the measurement of the heartbeat? I think that's a better measure than the size at this point - they're so small that the size is such a guesstimate. One more week of torture. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you.

Congrats on the heartbeat. I wish they could just invent somekind of shot or something that would make that little one hold on and grow stronger so you could relax a little!

Wow...that is really confusing but a heartbeat is a good sign. And multiples can make all of those tests results wonky because they're all aimed at singletons.

Keeping my fingers crossed!!

I'm so glad you saw a heartbeat! I will be praying that your other bean is also healthy and that you'll see two thriving babies next week.

XOXO

rkI'm so not an expert in these matters, but a heart beat has to be a good thing.

How flipping confusing though and how horrible for you to still be in this limbo place.

I'm (obviously) rooting for that hb to be good and strong still at the next scan xx

A heartbeat is a good sign. I'm sorry the rest of it is all so confusing. And while two sacs doing different things might explain the spotting and wonky numbers, I imagine that only provides a teensy bit of comfort -- as you now will worry about two instead of one.

Hope it all gets more clear, in a really positive way, soon.

Sarah

A heartbeat is something, no? Perhaps your doubling time/beta levels are strange because one twin stopped growing? Hopefully (an ironic thing to hope for, I know) that's the case and you have a healthy singleton in there in the end.

Congrats on the hb. It IS something, that's for sure. And measurements can be off.

Hope...I think there's definitely hope. You WON'T reach a point ever when you can really relax, I doubt it, at least...but you can reach a point where there's definite hope.

Bafflement is the word. I'll cling on to hoping for the sac with the heartbeat you saw and hope for it to develop perfectly normal.
At the same time, I'm sorry to hear about the apparent demise of the second sac.

wishing you the best - Farah

Oh, Bea, I don't even know what to say! I hope it works out. You're in my thoughts.

Oh goodness. Why can't things just be easy for once?
I'm hoping for you. And a heartbeat beats a beta. No doubt about it.

Yes, definitely better to have a heartbeat than not. I don't know exactly what to say...but I'll rehash my story...

Initial 2 betas rose well. Subsequent beta had a doubling time of over 120 hours along with red and brown spotting.

Went for another beta the following day - doubling time increased to somewhere in the 90 range. Had a scan the same day (5w4d) and saw 2 sacs, both measuring small - one smaller than the other.

Did another beta 48 hours later - in the 72 hour range. My hCG numbers were in the low for a singleton range. No more betas.

Had another scan at 6w3d - only one sac visible with a (slow) heartbeat - measured 4 days behind.

I'm still pregnant (21w2d) with a babe that's consistently measured 6-8 days behind.

It doesn't mean this will work for you, but I hope that it does.

Oh, Bea. I have no idea what to make of all that. But I am hanging on to the fact there was a heartbeat. Here's hoping next week's scan is more reassuring.

Thinking of you this week.

The presence of a heartbeat is great. Did the Dr. mention the +- factor on the U/S measurement. I thought my Dr. mentioned that it was right around 5 days or so.

I am thinking good thoughts and sending them your way.

sending hope and positivity...

I am holding your hope!

Wow! It doesn't seem that you can catch a break dear! What I am going to hope and pray for is that your little one is a fighter and will stick around for the long haul. I don't know your thoughts on this, but sometimes visualization really helps to relax me. My husband always tells me to visualize what I want to happen, not what I don't want to happen, so visualize away. I am SOOOOOO hoping this is it for you!!!!!

Yayyy heartbeat! Thalia is probably right, but I still think we can't write off the second sac just yet.

I'm hoping for a great scan next week. Crossing my bits for you!

Hoping all works out for you, crossing my fingers for your next scan.

Holding thumbs and thinking only the best thoughts for you.

I know a higher number would have been better, a more clear cut answer would have been nice. But a heartbeat is good. And betas slow down as the numbers increase so don't overly fret about that.

Thinking so much of you.

God, woman, you just never do anything the easy, straightforward way, do you? At any rate, I believe the consensus to be correct, losing a twin, will make your beta a bit wonky. Seeing a heartbeat is terrific (and definite progress)!! Five days behind could be mismeasurement on their part.

But seriously... a heartbeat! Go you!

(I'm pregnant with triplets and initially saw only one heartbeat and then three, and my betas weren't nearly high enough to make me think there were triplets in there... twins, sure, but triplets? Never)

Oh my, Bea, I really want this to go well! This has to be so scary and so hard to be hopeful. Please, please, let things progress well!

praying and hoping for a great scan next week.

Better to have a heartbeat than not, is right. Sending you all best wishes and hopes, Bea.

Oh, the suspense! How frustrating I am thinking of you, and hoping for great results at the next test.

Congrats on the hearbeat!!! Great sign!

I'm crossing my fingers and my toes for you!!!

Praying and hoping for good news, Bea. Heaven knows you deserve it!!

Congratulations on the heartbeat, that is HUGE! And honestly, there is no such thing as "everything is cool now" at this stage anyway, even a perfect scan would have left you full of questions and worries. good luck next week! hope you manage to find respite from the wondering and worrying and get some sleep at night(as if).