Chemical Pregnancy – Not testing so never knowing…anything?

[TequilaSunrise2015]

Hi all. A long term lurker here looking for advice from you great girls and I hope some fellow long-term TTC’s can help. I am now on cycle 14, TTC baby 1, husband and I both mid 30’s. We have a holiday booked next month and after that, assuming still no baby, will be making an appointment with the docs.

After the first 5 months I stopped using ovulation tests (got a smiley face each month so that gave me enough assurance to stop) and also stopped taking early pregnancy tests as it was just too stressful, sad and expensive! My cycle varies from 23 days to 29 days (average 25 days).

My worry now is that should I be more informed before going to the docs - with all the early testing kits should I have more knowledge that I have definitely never been pregnant? I could have fallen pregnant during this time and what if on the odd month when my cycle is 29 days I have actually had a CP? Some months I definitely think that I am having symptoms but obviously they could be in my head! Is there is a difference treatment-wise between a couple who have never been pregnant and a couple who have gotten pregnant at least once or twice whilst trying? I am sure the docs will ask me if I have ever been pregnant and the answer will be that I don’t know!

Sorry for the ramble, this has been tough and I am always tough on myself, but I always thought that it would just happen for us and that we would never have to go to the docs and now I am worried that I will look foolish for not knowing and have let myself down. But surely this is what happened to couples before all the early tests and OPK’s were invented!

Thanks for any help and has helped just getting it written down x

[5hell]

hi OP
sorry you've had no luck ttc so far, hopwfully a nice break and the threat of Drs will get your bodies to cooperate! :)

However, i dont think you should worry about what you don't know...i doubt Drs would expect you to 'know' anything...some people may have used opks/temping/tested every month, but some will have done nothing. i expect they might not take your word for it anyway!

good luck x

[TequilaSunrise2015]

Hi 5hell

Thank you for taking the time to post and this does give me some reassurance and I do take your point on board about the Drs - do you really not think they distinguish between CP's and never being pregnant at all?

I can't help wishing now though that I had tested every month so that I knew for sure I had 100% never gotten pregnant during this time or if I maybe had??

Mind you, this would have driven me mad in itself! x

[5hell]

I think testing every cycle can be ttc-madness-inducing, for sure!

Im not a Dr or anything so I cant say for sure, but I'd be surprised if many people who visit with ttc problems know that much about what's going on, and if they do it's probably a relatively recent occurence (new more sensitive hpts, opks etc), and many Drs probably want to see the evidence for themselves anyway.

[honeysucklejasmine]

Tbh it's better not to know, or your doctor might turn you away to wait until its been a year since the cp.

[TequilaSunrise2015]

Thanks guys.

To be honest writing all this down has made me realise that it's probably really me that would like to have known I guess!

Maybe the comfort of knowing I had maybe fallen pregnant during this time just once would give me a bit of hope that there was not a big problem somewhere.

xx

[DizzyNorthernBird]

From what I've gathered reading these threads, doctors can be quite sceptical about cp's, sometimes doubting that the patient was ever pregnant at all.

I know how you're feeling though, we've been ttc for 7 months with no luck. This month I started testing early just to find out...but bfn and af still came! I was also wondering whether I might have had a cp at some point and not known about it. It would be shit to think that had happened but at least I would have had reassurance that we'd actually managed to fertilise an egg for once!

Anyway I wouldn't worry about what your GP might think, I've just had blood tests even though I've only been ttc 7 months. All came back fine & Dr says the next step is a sperm analysis for DP. She didn't ask whether I've ever been pregnant. I just said I wanted to know that everything was working ok and she was fine about letting us have tests.

[Rainy34]

Hi, i have been trying around 14 months too, Last June i was two weeks late and i am convinced now that i had a cp, felt so sick, so tired and my boobs were so tender, I tested and it was negative, i tested around 6 times, i cant be sure if it was a cp or not, and at the time i thought it was having a reaction to the pregnacare, but now i not so sure, i have read online that sometimes you dont get a positive as the levels never quite get high enough but you can still get the symptoms, I am going for my first fertility appointmnet in August, i am hoping that can help, i am going to mention the symotoms that month and see what they say, good luck,

[TequilaSunrise2015]

Hi Dizzy/Rainy, it's nice to know that there are others thinking the same thoughts. I guess lurking on these boards some girls are so clued up on every month of their cycle.

I was just worried that doctors would expect all women these days to have all this kind of information.

Rainy sounds like you and I are on a very similar path and I wish you every luck too. Would you feel some reassurance knowing you may have been pregnant at least once during this time even if it had ended quickly?

Xx

[Rainy34]

Tequila Yeah i would feel reassured knowing that i had been pregnant, least then i would know that i was capable for conceiving , I have a feeling i have a problem with my progesterone as i spot brown blood for upto 7 days before my period is due, the month i was late that never happened,

I think you are right to make an appointment with the doctor and then be referred to a fertiltiy specialist, when i have my appointment, i will let you know what they say!!