Diagnosis of Miscarriage and Services Available
The following sections will explain the relevant health care providers as well as the departments in Cork University Maternity Hospital that women can attend when they experience symptoms of miscarriage. We will also discuss the role and function each of these departments has in helping you deal with a miscarriage.
Role of the GP
Your GP’s Surgery or South Doc is the first place to contact/attend if you are experiencing mild to moderate vaginal bleeding or abdominal pain in early pregnancy. Your GP may already be aware of your pregnancy. They will ask you details of your symptoms and your relevant medical history. A physical examination may also be necessary to determine a diagnosis. If your GP considers you need further investigations, they will refer you to the Emergency Room in CUMH or to the Early Pregnancy Unit (EPU) at the Kinsale Road Clinic.
​Role of the Emergency Room
The Emergency Room in CUMH is the first place to attend if you are having heavy vaginal bleeding or severe abdominal pain in pregnancy. Here the midwives will take a brief history and may take some blood tests depending on your symptoms. A doctor will see you and they will take a medical history, perform a physical examination to determine your care pathway. If you are physically stable you may be allowed to return home.
An appointment to the EPU at the Kinsale Road Clinic will be arranged for you and will take place a day or so after discharge. Limited scans are performed in the Emergency Room. The optimal time for an early pregnancy scan is 8 weeks gestation as it will provide the most accurate picture of pregnancy. An ultrasound scan may be necessary prior to this, however, a definitive diagnosis may not be possible at the first scan.
Early Pregnancy Unit (EPU), Kinsale Road Clinic
The EPU is located at the Kinsale Road Clinic. Find directions to the EPU here.
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The EPU is a specialised unit where trained sonographers proide early pregnancy scans. This unit is appointment-based, and your GP or the Emergency Room will organise the scan appointment for you.
Ultrasound Scans
Sometimes the diagnosis of miscarriage is uncertain after one ultrasound scan. If the ultrasound is inconclusive, a repeat scan will be offered to you 7 to 10 days later to see if the pregnancy develops or not.
If they do it sooner than this, it may still be inconclusive. This is designed to protect an early pregnancy from being incorrectly labelled as a miscarriage.
Some patients experience bleeding during this 7 to 10 day waiting time. It is not essential to attend the hospital if this occurs unless the bleeding is very heavy, i.e., you need to change a sanitary towel (pad) that has filled with blood clots every 15 minutes for over an hour (or 4 soaked pads in the course of an hour), or the pain is severe (i.e., not relieved by painkillers).
If a diagnosis of miscarriage is confirmed, the medical team will advise you on the appropriate management of your miscarriage in line with local and national guidelines. It is important to remember this is your decision and the doctor and midwife are there to offer support and information.
Blood tests
Blood tests will sometimes be used to give doctors more information about your pregnancy.
The pregnancy hormone hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) can be measured using serum beta-hCG (β-hCG), a blood test that can be done in early pregnancy.
This test is done when:
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An ultrasound scan is inconclusive.
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There is a query that the pregnancy is not in the right location (for example, a suspected ectopic pregnancy, where the pregnancy develops outside of the uterus).
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Two or more results are needed, usually 48 hours apart, to interpret the test accurately. If the β-hCG level increases by more than 66% in 48 hours, this is reassuring and is likely to be associated with a healthy viable pregnancy. If the β-hCG level decreases by more than 15%, this suggests a likely miscarriage. It is important that blood results are interpreted along with your detailed history, a clinical examination and, if medically indicated, an ultrasound scan.