Anonymous wrote:Probably because the first sonogram is done between 6 and 8 weeks. They can usually find a heartbeat then, once a heartbeat is found the chance of miscarriage goes down significantly.
My OB actually refused to do my first sonogram (or first appointment) until I was 10 weeks in order to ensure that they would be able to find a heartbeat on the first try, because she didn't want to increase stress by conducting a 6 week sonogram and having difficulties finding the heartbeat.
This was an OB that specialized in higher risk pregnancies, but that included anyone over the age of 35. She told me that she didn't consider a patient actually pregnant until that heartbeat sonogram, because she found it helped her patients move forward to try again if they spent those early weeks in a state of not knowing. It sounds unkind, but it was actually really helpful for me to think "well maybe I am and maybe I'm not" up until I heard the heartbeat. I think if you are dealing with infertility issues, it's a good practice to cultivate because it keeps things on a more even keel instead of a constant roller coaster.