Recurrent chemical pregnancies and doctors have no answers - please help me

[outpatient]

Posting here as no one replies to other forums in my experience

Has anyone has recurrent chemical pregnancies? Has anyone had this that also has a know thyroid condition?

I have now have four positive pregnancy tests that end in no bleeding.

I have had surgery to treat endometriosis and scarring and was told my issues were hopefully now resolved but there's been another chemical loss so I am feeling doubtful.

Anyone had recurrent pregnancies and IVF has resolved as my GP is recommending this but I'm not sure I trust as I would be paying him privately a lot of money.

The NHS I am finding impossible literally to deal with right now so just want to know if any success from IVF after recurrent chemicals that's all I need answers for right now?

Has anyone done this and it worked? Thanks

Hi OP, sorry to hear you are struggling. I’ve had 4 miscarriages and I would always test two days after my period is first missed if that makes sense?

@2greenroses good for you. I'm three years in with nothing so you haven't been there

How long have you been trying and what's your age. If your under 35 and been trying less than a year nhs won't do any tests as it's still early days statistically.

I tried for 2.5 years for have our son. I might well have had a couple of false starts in there but I didn't test until after I'd missed a period. After a while of trying it was too expensive to keep testing early and tbh what was the point.

@2greenroses these days I wait a bit to test but I know when I am pregnant w/o testing, the tiredness, cramps and nausea gives it away - my last loss a couple of weeks ago, I was actually being sick first thing (not normal for me and no meds). When you been pregnant quite a few times, you know the symptoms (albeit some are worse than others)!

I second this. We only know if we have had a chemical pregnancy if we test too early. I do realise it is hard not to if you are desperate to conceive but you are going to drive yourself crazy. Chemical pregnancies are very common.

This is awful. You should be ashamed.

I find any pregnancy loss that outlives my period due date is painful, where the ones that being my period on time are lighter, just a slightly heavier period than normal. The longer the duration of the fetus, the worse the cramps are. I still like to know when I start feeling pregnant whether I am not - early testing is fine OP! If you go on the conception board or the infertility board, everyone is at it! It just comes with an emotional cost sadly.

I too wait for 2weeks if my period is late as so many things affect it, not just pregnancy. I also don't want the stress of testing the day it's late and finding out it's a chemical. So I wait a couple of weeks and then test- makes my life easier. More stressful finding it's a chemical rather than waiting.

Hi OP.
There is no norm for testing.
When I was TTC I never used the sticks I see on here where I’ve heard that Evap lines can appear and so on.
Ive always waited to test (while TTC) no earlier than 2 days before my period.
I don’t think anyone is trying to be unkind, it’s just that very early testing is less likely to be conclusive.
If I had been TTC I’d have waited til 2 days before my period, done a first response test and if no period, 2 days later.
However I have had one chemical pregnancy, 2 early miscarriages (confirmed at the Early Pregnancy Unit) at 6-7 weeks gestation.
I have been pregnant otherwise 3 times.
On those 3 occasions I knew first by feeling odd. My legs felt like my veins were sore and I was tired (not exhausted as that comes later).
I only have one child living. But I knew with her and her full term deceased sister the day my period was due that things were different.

I’m so sorry you are going through this.
Test away if it helps. It’s not something I’d do because I think the anxiety would drive me crazy (I’m well past TTC age) but I remember it so well.

OP I tested at 10DPO each month and have been unsuccessfully TTC a successful pregnancy for almost 10 years.

Not testing may save you the pain of knowing you're pregnant and lost the baby, but it doesn't save you the pain of thinking you can not get pregnant, and doesn't help fertility specialists figure out the issue. For me, I wanted to know as soon as I was pregnant. The children I lost are important to me and helped me know I could get pregnant. Sadly, I can not stay pregnant.

Ignore people blaming you for testing, and the fake 'I've been there too'. If they had, they wouldn't say that.

Make the decision on what is right for YOU. There is no right or wrong answer.

I'm sorry you're experiencing this ❤️ both of my chemical pregnancies only showed up after my period was due / my ivf test date and then faded over the week. So it wasn't an early testing issue. I'm under a Reproductive Immunologist who asks you to test at 10 days past ovulation 🤷🏻‍♀️

I've also had 4 MMCs. I would push for testing, you are eligible to be see Tommy's or a recurrent miscarriage clinic where they'll look at things like your thyroid, lupus anticoagulant and other clotting issues. Also got your GP to do your vitamin D levels. I have to take 2000iu supplements.

Our Tommy's / nhs tests revealed nothing, we tested 2 of our babies and they were completely healthy. We're private now. My issue is my overactive immune system but so far our treatment hasn't worked to help me maintain a pregnancy. I'm also doing ivf now but other than knowing we can create top quality embryos, that also hasn't helped maintain pregnancy either.

There is also something called hyperfertility where your uterus is less fussy (not something I've got experience of, infertility and recurrent loss is my experience) but this could also be something that's relevant for you.

I hope you get some answers and support x

I don’t think it’s fair to attack @2greenroses , she has not said anything wrong. Chemical pregnancies are very very common, they always have been , in fact the stats think up to one third of all pregnancies are chemical; a quarter of all pregnancies end befor the woman even misses the first day of year period.

the point the poster was making is if you didn’t test so early and so often you’d not know. The point the op is making is she wants to know in case something is wrong. Which I also think is fair. But no one can advise, however after three years of ttc I would now wish to be investigated further.

OP, 3 years in you should have been investigated. Please don't waste anymore time. It's irrelevant when you test compared with other people. But it is useful info to know that are regularly conceiving but for whatever reason it's not sticking. You are eligible for investigations after 1 year.

Chemical pregnancies are very hard, such a roller coaster. I had one in May and I'm really sorry you've had so many. I test the day after my missed period, because frequent testing makes me anxious, but some people feel the opposite and test earlier. You do you.

I definitely think you can push for your GP to investigate this. There are many investigations done for recurrent miscarriages (3 or more) and a chemical is still a pregnancy, so I'd push for this. They can check your thyroid, if you have any bloody clotting disorders, or certain antibodies.

Its also may be worth getting your progesterone checked, a hormone you need for implantation and to sustain the pregnancy. If your GP won't do it, but I'd push for it, then you can get a self administered test from Superdrug. From my tests, I was on the lower side. I'm no medic, but I thought that this could be one of the reasons for my chemical.

There are clinical studies that show that women with a history of loss should be given progesterone if they start bleeding. Some people, however, can take it straight after ovulation to encourage implantation and I think this is something the GP should be able to help you with. If not, you could go to a private gynaecologist, a few hundred pounds, rather than a few thousand for IVF! Worth a try, I'd say!

I was about to start IVF the beginning of last month, but surprisingly got pregnant naturally. I was worried about it being another chemical, but we got to 6 weeks but then I started lightly bleeding. The early pregnancy unit did a scan and I asked for progesterone, which the doctor gave me. I'm currently week 10 and I can't know for sure but I think the progesterone is helping. They normally tell you to take it up to 12 weeks.

Hope this helps! I really think GPs need to take women who are struggling with conceiving more seriously.

Also worth pointing out that they give you progesterone during IVF treatment!

@pippabg thank you so much your post is very useful x

It's the fact she said it's not a loss when it is and tbf it's best to know. So can get investigated.

Agree with this and I don't think that poster meant it isn't a loss, it obviously is a loss to you OP but that it's more a testing early problem and if you weren't testing so early you wouldn't know.

I think most people test after they've missed their period.

When I was TTC I had a few faint positives around 11dpo but as it was so early they might have been evaps and then my period came so after that I only tested if my period was late although this time round I tested early because I had symptoms

@outpatient sorry, totally missed that you were three years in.

Ask for tests you should get them. Both of you will need to be tested.

For most infertility issues IVF is the best chance of success but it isn't a golden bullet. I also got pregnant naturally just before starting ivf

This! I genuinely don't understand why women put themselves through this! Wait until you have a missed period at least! I am in my 60s and had never even heard of a chemical pregnancy or yolk sac(?) before coming on here.

Ok I understand the wary testing but not testing to me is still surely the minority of women in 2022 that are acutely TTC?

So my point is, one kissed miscarriage (ten weeks) followed by three chemicals in the space of three years testing or not testing is still not right? Can we all just agree on this?

Whether I'm testing or not is irrelevant it's done now - and they're chemicals! I now know this information so need to know what to do with it!

PS - I have had tests, I've had scans, blood tests and sperm tests, currently awaiting genetic tests but I am losing hope - and I'm trying to work out at what point I should start losing hope or not

I've had 6 chemical pregnancies and a mmc. Currently almost 15 weeks pregnant - if this works out it'll be my first living child. First things first, a chemical is a loss if you feel it as such. Some people aren't too moved by them, I was heartbroken. Secondly, for me to get so far with this pregnancy and my last one I've needed to be on progesterone and a much higher dose of thyroxine. I tested from about 8dpo because my period would normally come on day 10 and its helpful to have some progesterone on board.

The NICE guidance is that if you have 3 consecutive losses you should be referred to the recurrent miscarriage clinic, so go back to your GP and ask for that. Good luck with everything ❤️

At what stage are you losing the pregnancies OP? I've had 4 miscarriages, 3 of them at 6 weeks and 1 at 10 weeks. The consultant couldn't find a reason but he did say there's research being done that shows low vitamin D is a factor in repeated losses. He put me on a very high loading dose and told me to take better you 3000 vitamin d spray when that finished. I think you can self test vitamin D quite cheaply. I have had a baby since then (I was also put on progesterone)

@Blocked the first one was 9.5 weeks was a kissed miscarriage I think due to thyroid.

The other three were probably three days after period was due so 4-5 weeks in