Information Sheet

Unconfirmed intrauterine pregnancy

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An ultrasound examination today has been unable to confirm a pregnancy inside the uterus (womb). This is despite a positive pregnancy test suggesting you are pregnant. There are several possibilities that could explain what is happening:

• The pregnancy is very early, perhaps earlier than you thought. This is the most common explanation.
• You have miscarried or have a threatened miscarriage. This may be accompanied by cramping and/or bleeding.
• The pregnancy is outside the uterus, such as in the fallopian tube. This is called an ectopic pregnancy and whilst uncommon (~1 in 100 pregnancies) can be very serious.

Pregnancy of unknown location

When a pregnancy cannot be seen at all on ultrasound but your pregnancy test is positive, this is known as Pregnancy of Unknown Location.

In this situation, you cannot proceed with termination of pregnancy.

Your treating doctor will arrange investigations to determine what is happening with the pregnancy before proceeding. This will involve blood tests and possibly a further ultrasound.

One blood test will be done today (or as soon as possible with telehealth) and another in 2 to 3 days to check whether the pregnancy hormone levels are going up or down.

Depending on the results of these blood tests, and your medical history or symptoms, you may be advised to have another ultrasound at an imaging service. The imaging service may need to do an internal ultrasound (from inside the vagina) to try and find the pregnancy. It is strongly recommended that you agree to this, to avoid further delays to your treatment.

Likely very early pregnancy

Sometimes the ultrasound might show what is likely to be a very early pregnancy in the uterus, but it doesn’t have enough features to be certain.

If you are considering a medical abortion, in consultation with the doctor, you may decide to proceed with the treatment. Because an ectopic pregnancy cannot be excluded at this stage, a blood test will be necessary on or close to the day of Step 1, and again 4 to 5 days after treatment to confirm the pregnancy has been terminated. Your doctor will discuss with you whether proceeding with a medical abortion today is appropriate in your case.

If you are considering a surgical abortion, in consultation with the doctor, you may decide to proceed with the procedure. Because the pregnancy is very early you may require further tests, including a blood test, after the procedure to confirm the pregnancy has been terminated. There is a small chance that the termination may not be successful and you will need to have the procedure repeated. Your doctor will discuss with you whether a surgical procedure today is appropriate in your case.

Either treatment can be postponed and investigations done to determine what is happening with the pregnancy before proceeding. This will involve blood tests and possibly a further ultrasound. One blood test will be done today (or as soon as possible with telehealth) and another in 2 to 3 days to check whether the pregnancy hormone levels are going up or down.

Your particular circumstances, may influence your decision whether to proceed with treatment today.
In all cases, you will be notified of the results of these tests by the doctor or nurse as soon as they become available. If we have been unable to contact you please call us on 1300 003 707.

Please note, if we are unable to contact you and are concerned about your wellbeing from the test results, we may contact the person you have listed as your emergency contact.

Important note

Whether you proceed with treatment today or not, until we have determined what is happening with your pregnancy we cannot exclude an ectopic pregnancy at this stage.

It is essential that you have any blood tests or further investigations, such as an ultrasound, as needed.

It is important during this process that you are aware of signs of an ectopic pregnancy.

Signs of ectopic pregnancy

• severe abdominal pain (especially one sided)
• shoulder pain
• heavy vaginal bleeding
• feeling faint or weak.

If you feel any of these, you must go to the Emergency Department of the nearest hospital immediately.

Client acknowledgment

I confirm that I have read and understood this Unconfirmed intrauterine pregnancy information sheet.

The doctor has discussed my particular circumstances with me and I have received satisfactory answers to my questions.

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Please note: this web page is an accessible HTML version of the printed document Unconfirmed intrauterine pregnancy information sheet. The client acknowledgement text displayed above is not intended to be completed online.

This page last edited: August 2023

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