I found out my baby didn't have a heartbeat at my 12-week scan. Instead of waiting for the pregnancy to pass, my doctor helped save my life and my uterus.

• I found out I was pregnant at 5 weeks and had an ultrasound days later that showed a heartbeat.
• Everything seemed to be fine, but at 10 weeks, I was told there was no heartbeat anymore.
• I was at risk of developing a potentially life-threatening infection and was in the OR the next day.

When my son was 9 months old, my husband and I decided we were ready to have another child. My first time getting pregnant was so easy that we assumed it would take us longer the second time around since we had heard from friends about unexplained infertility after having a first child.

Surprisingly, I got pregnant on the first try. Because I had been tracking my cycle so closely, I knew I was five weeks pregnant when I went in for my first ultrasound.

There, the tech showed us the little flickering heartbeat. My husband and I held hands when we heard it, and when the ultrasound tech handed a printout of my uterus to him, he said "Hi baby!"

Weeks later, there would be no heartbeat, no baby, and no pregnancy. The quick action my doctor took saved my uterus and gave me the chance to have twins a year later.

There was no heartbeat at the 12-week scan

During my first visit, the ultrasound tech said that while everything looked fine, the baby was small, so she recommended coming in earlier for my 12-week ultrasound to keep an eye on development.

So at 10 weeks pregnant, we went again for an ultrasound. This time, the tech didn't talk or show us the screen. When she left to call the doctor, I knew it was bad news.

"There's no heartbeat," the doctor said, "I'm so sorry." We were quickly ushered out into the streets of Manhattan through a back door so I wouldn't have to walk past a waiting room full of pregnant people while crying.

I remember hearing nothing but my own heartbeat as I stood outside, numb and heartbroken, while trying to process what I had just heard. Up until that point, there had been no indication that anything was wrong. I didn't bleed, I didn't have any pain, I was exhausted taking naps daily, and I had the food aversions I remembered from my first pregnancy.

My doctor booked me in the OR immediately

I called my gynecologist to talk over the news, and she gave me three options: I could wait to pass the pregnancy at home, take an abortion drug, or go in for a surgical removal of the pregnancy remains.

She said she was concerned because the baby had stopped developing at seven weeks. That meant that for the prior three weeks, my body hadn't gotten the message that there was no pregnancy anymore.

She said waiting for my body to pass the pregnancy was risky because I could develop a potentially lethal infection; she emphasized that she didn't feel comfortable with the option.

I told her I wanted surgery. I didn't want to physically see my miscarriage, and I also didn't want to carry a dead fetus around anymore. She agreed it was the best course of action and booked me in the OR for the next morning.

The surgery gave me a chance for future pregnancies

During the dilation and curettage (D&C) — the same procedure used in a miscarriage or abortion to remove tissue from the uterus — my doctor found I had a uterine polyp. She thought it developed after the birth of my first child. Polyps can increase the risk of miscarriage, and so she removed it. The surgery not only prevented me from getting an infection but also gave me the chance to have more kids in the future.

I was sent home with clear instructions to rest and not have penetrative sex until cleared by my doctor.

Months later, I found out I was pregnant again, this time with twins. The first trimester was stressful — I was incredibly sick, and bleeding sent me running to my doctor, thinking I was miscarrying again. But I made it to 39 weeks with them and now my twins are turning 4 years old. Still, I think about that baby we lost and how my doctor's care made it possible for me to try again.