Rajeev Agarwal/LinkedIn

Nov 12, 2026, 17:35

Rajeev Agarwal: No Baby Seen at 6 Weeks? Often, It Is Too Early to Tell

Rajeev Agarwal, Director of Renew Healthcare, shared on LinkedIn:

” ‘No fetal pole at 6 weeks. Should I be worried?’

One of the most common questions I hear from women in early pregnancy is this.

Many have been told after a single scan that the pregnancy has failed, sometimes with a procedure already advised.

Often, it is simply too early.

If your periods are long or irregular, you may have ovulated late. The pregnancy may be younger than the dates suggest.

One scan is a snapshot. A second scan a week or two later usually gives a clear answer.

A miscarriage can be confirmed on a single scan only when:

The pregnancy sac measures 25 mm or more, with no baby seen, or
The baby measures 7 mm or more, with no heartbeat.
These limits come from a large UK study of 2,845 women. Below them, the scan should be repeated at least 7 days later.

What I do:

I treat ‘no fetal pole’ as a question, not a result.

Unless those limits are clearly met on a good internal (vaginal) scan, I repeat the scan after 7 to 14 days before any procedure is discussed.

What to ask at your scan:

What is the sac size, and the baby’s length, in millimetres?
Can we repeat the scan before any procedure?
Go to hospital at once if you have heavy bleeding, fainting, or pain on one side.
An uncertain scan is a question, not a result.”

Rajeev Agarwal: No Baby Seen at 6 Weeks? Often, It Is Too Early to Tell