Services
Early Pregnancy Unit (EPU)
The CUMH Early Pregnancy Unit (EPU) is a specialised unit where trained ultra-sonographers provide scans for women in early pregnancy. This unit is appointment based, and your GP or the Emergency Room will organise the scan appointment for you.
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The CUMH Early Pregnancy Unit is located at the CUMH Kinsale Road Clinic. It runs every Monday to Friday from 8am to 1pm.​
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 14 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.