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Hi, I'm 41 and pregnant for the first time (well, I'm hoping I still am!) My period was late by about a week and my br___ts were sore. I took a pregnancy test, it was positive. Went to doctor to confirm with blood test and was told my HCG was consistent with 5wks/2days pregnant. I was told to then find a midwife and that she would take over from there (I am in New Zealand) . She & I talked and by the time I met her I was then 7w2d pregnant, had read heaps of literature and although the only other symptom I was experiencing, was br___t tenderness (of massive proportion..pardon the pun!), I had convinced myself that I must be further along than 7w2d. My shape had changed very quickly, my clothes had tightened and my br___ts were extremely swollen. To be on the safe side, the midwife suggested an early scan at 8w2d to ascertain just how far along I was. I had that scan today. Before I disclose the findings, I must tell you that last night, I felt a heaviness, a dull sensation in my pelvic region and if I hadn't known better, I'd have thought that I was starting to menstruate. As true as that, I was bleeding. Not much, just a brownish streak. Over a period of about 4hrs I checked intermittently to see if the colour & consistency had changed. It had, it had become more fluid, redder, with patches of darker red/brown laced in it. I felt no actual pain. I took 2 paracetamol and tried to sleep, knowing that I had an appointment for a scan today. I awoke this morning to a fairly dry pad, looked like there was no bleeding at all but I noticed almost immediately that my br___ts were no longer sensitive, when they had been prior to going to bed (as they had been all through my pregnancy thus far), they appeared to have shrunk somewhat and I actually felt empty in my pelvic/abdominal region. I did feel tired when I woke, as I have been all the while, but as the day has progressed, my fatigue were off, I feel lighter and very un-pregnant. The radiologist had difficulty doing an ultrasound so suggested she did an internal ultrasound. She was able to measure the image on the screen and I was told that it was consistent with a 6 week pregnancy, not 8 or 12 weeks. She mentioned that the sac (and I'm thinking she means yolk sac) was still intact. This could mean that the embryo has stopped developing 2 weeks ago but she find it hard to explain why the sac was still intact. It was suggested that I have another scan in 10 days to ascertain any increase in size. My midwife has also requested another set of HCG tests, one of which I have now had and the other in 2 days time. So, I left the Parental Centre feeling I had a 50/50 chance of miscarrying. Now I am at home and it's 12hrs since I had the scan. I am still bleeding and I don't consider the flow to be heavy but the consistency of the blood is thickening and I am experiencing a sensation not unlike having a period. What I would like to know is how long does it take for the body to expel the 'product of conception' (as I have seen it referred to before). Women have said that it can be extremely painful and I am all alone. I half expected last night to have had to call an ambulance as my imagination has conjured up an image of the pain worsening by the half hour and that by say 3am I am going to in agony. Or will this rather annoying, dull not-quite-cramp sensation just stay with me for days on end? Because if the embryo did die 2 weeks ago, how come my body hasn't rejected it by now? In case you are wondering, I am not being negative, because there is a 50% chance that I am still pregnant. I guess I can take solace in the fact that soon enough I'll have an answer - either I will have miscarried or in 2 days time, the 2nd HCG test will indicate what's actually going on. Don't you just loathe being in limbo - it's a very scary place. Any advice most welcome....thanks