The first trimester of pregnancy can be a challenging, stressful time for new mums, especially if they’ve had fertility issues.
What makes it even harder is the unwritten “12 week rule”, that women feel they should adhere to, which says they should not share their news with others or announce it on social media until they are 12 weeks into their pregnancy. So, why does the “12 week rule” exist?
From a medical point of view, the 12 week mark is considered a “safe” point during the pregnancy, although women can still suffer miscarriages at any point during gestation, though it becomes much less common as time goes on.
Research has previously shown that at 8 weeks, the chances of having a live pregnancy is 92%, increasing to 97% at 12 weeks gestation. However, obstetricians have reported that there are no actual clinical guidelines as to when a woman should or should not announce her pregnancy.
Fertility First always performs the first pregnancy scan for a patient at 6 to 7 weeks gestation and if the fetal heart is well established, there is less than a 5% chance that pregnancy will result in a miscarriage. It is crucial for women to feel supported during the announcement of their pregnancies and in the even of an early pregnancy loss, that support is even more important.
