No help from NHS services

I'm glad you got an appointment OP but agree, you made absolutely NO mention of passing clots in any post you made! All you said was spotting, so replies might have been different with this new info!

nb only just read that you’ve been passing clots, I thought it was just spotting brown.

That’s obviously more worrying.

It may well be a successful pregnancy. The home testing you have done up to now cannot allow you to “know straight away that it will not end well”.

Early pregnancy is a time of waiting and feeling anxious and many, many trips to the loo (to check). Unless you have a history of miscarriage or ectopic it really isn’t a good use of NHS resources to try and work out what’s going to happen when a woman is in very, very early pregnancy.

I wish you all the best

Early pregnancy is an anxiety riddled time and I'm sorry your GP made you feel dismissed and alone. Unfortunately like all services, demand outstrips supply and so there is a criteria for referrals they have to follow. You have bleeding at a time they expect there to be bleeding and they cannot go by urine hcg tests showing no progression as they are not qualititative and were not designed to measure hcg concentration, just to detect its presence. This is why women are advised not to repeatedly take tests as it just causes anxiety when most often everything is progressing normally.

If bleeding persists or you develop pain, you need to ask again about an EPU referral but unfortunately there is nothing that can be done but to wait. If it was an ectopic at this stage it wouldn't be visible. A private scan at 6 weeks gestation may provide you some answers and if they have concerns then they can refer to EPU for bloods/further monitoring and management.

Really hoping for a healthy pregnancy for you.

Try a different NHS GP. You’re allowed to get a second opinion. Be very clear what you’re asking for and why (EPU referral to monitor HCG due to classic signs of ectopic pregnancy).

Some of these responses are really unnecessarily harsh! Have a little bit of sympathy people!!!

OP you are right to feel concerned given how many people are let down my the NHS in these types of situations. I don't have any experience or what the 'correct' protocol is but don't let these people make you feel bad for wanting to advocate for yourself!

Sending you support. Whatever you are going through sounds tough and I hope you get some answers soon x

Just to add incase it hasn't been mentioned already, you can still get implantation bleeding around 5 weeks, so there is still a chance that is the cause of the brown discharge.
If you are going to do repeated tests (lots of us have been there), try to stick to the same brand as they are not that reliable to start with, and all a bit more/less sensitive than each other.

Have you phoned your EPU directly and asked if they do a walk in? (Some do, some don't).

Agree with this
stop with the tests in the meantime

This

Stop testing yourself. Relax.
If you get any pain go to a and e.
Otherwise wait til further along.
You need to stop all this self testing and obsessing. It is not helping you at all.

You will get real things to stress about.
This is not it.
Take it week by week.
Any real symptoms like pain or bleeding go to a and e

Also, to commenters stating there is no point doing bloods, that is incorrect. If the HCG is rising, even if nothing can be seen on a scan, they can and will use methotrexate after identifying the pattern for long enough. Similarly, they can and will do investigative lap if needed, again if nothing is seen on a scan and yet the HCG is monitored to be rising over a period of time.

Without taking the bloods you can present at 6 weeks pregnant, see nothing on a scan, and be told you are probably less pregnant than expected, nothing to worry about. With bloods taken you can be certain that isn't the case.

Hi OP as someone whose had two confirmed ectopics that both followed this exact pattern I understand your concerns.

Bleeding followed by a string of positive faint tests (later than expected) is absolutely an ectopic red flag.

What should be happening here is beta HCG tests. If the HCG is stagnating, or falling then rising again, or rising slowly, that is another key indicator of ectopic.

Whilst a previous poster is correct that they will be unable to see anything on scan at early stages (or until HCG reaches roughly 1500), a pregnancy with abnormally rising or stagnating HCG that cannot be seen on US is treated as pregnancy of unknown location.

This needs to then be monitored, as if HCG rises, and it is indeed ectopic, it will rupture.

In your shoes OP (and I've been in your shoes where I've been unsure if it's ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage - and I've had both happen) I would be going to EPU and asking for HCG blood tests.

If it's diagnosed as PUL, then whilst you wait to see the outcome, you'll be able to be monitored to keep you safe.

I understand you hoping it's a chemical pregnancy. Obviously you hope for a happy ongoing pregnancy, but if it isn't, then the best you can hope for is chemical.

Good luck x

I think you need to take a breather here for a second. A GP literally cannot do anything. It'd be a complete waste of time.. and then you'd probably be getting yourself in a spin that they didn't help you (despite the fact that they literally can't do anything).

I would recommend you step away from the tests for awhile as I think you are working yourself up into a bit of a tizz to be honest which won't help anything.

If this is a chemical / early loss then unfortunately there's nothing to do but wait. But hopefully it'll be just an unexpected pregnancy. It actually sounds like you may have had implantation bleeding last week on the Tuesday. Brown blood is usually old blood just getting dislodged and wouldn't be a cause for concern to the medical community.

Nothing suggests an ectopic pregnancy though.

You've said all it takes it action from them but they will have a specific criteria for referral to EPU, in my area they wont refer anyone until at least 6 weeks, regardless of how long it would then take to be scanned.
I understand your frustration, it feels like there is no-one to help in that 4-6 week window, I felt the same when I was spotting, but there would be nothing they could see on a scan anyway. I know how scary it can be, when I mentioned brown spotting for 4 days to my midwife she didn't seem in the slightest bit concerned as it wasnt red/getting heavier, to me it had felt terrifying but to her she said it was totally normal

Home tests aren’t quantitative though.

they differ from brand to brand and even test to test. Whether you’re hydrated or not.

you can’t say what your HCG level is based on a home test. You could more easily conclude your hydration is erratic or your kidney function is.

you’re testing at different times of day as well so that will have a significant effect.

blood tests aren’t quantitative though pointless. Even if your HCG is not doing what is expected the answer will be to wait until a scan before any action. So why waste your time and money, and the NHS’s, for no difference in outcome.

waiting is the best course of action.

Do you have other tests that aren't in the pictures shown? The ones you've uploaded aren't erratic... they clearly show progression from Saturday through Tuesday.

If it would help you to settle, perhaps you could book a private scan from window to the womb or something similar after the 6/7 week mark?

From what yigve uploaded, there's no reason to get bloods (I only asked about this because you keep referring to erratic HCG, but I don't see anything to confirm this).

ETA: I think you are picking up on the Monday 11.30am line being slightly darker.... but the a different test brands than all the others so isn't comparable.