hi all, I know this post is quite old and has been referred to once before after quite a few months from the original date but I found it after searching on google for low hcg levels in early pregnancy.
At the moment I am really confused and unsure of so many things... this is quite a long story so please bear with me..
I had a heavy bleed about a week after my period was due in July, at the time my GP said it was possible that the bleed was an early miscarriage that is quite common for people to think they are just having a heavy period, I wasn't sure as my periods are usually very very light.. we had no indication that we were expecting so I just took the doctors advice and rested for a couple of weeks and we couldn't do much more about it.
That was 6 weeks ago. Last Thursday out of nowhere I all of a sudden felt the need to do a pregnancy test, didn't even register until after this thought that I was in fact late. Anyways, I did a test that afternoon, one of the cross ones, I couldn't read it very well as there seemed to be a cross but the line was extremely faint. I spoke to my other half that evening and we agreed that the following day I would get some of the digital tests that read the result for you, this way we couldn't mistake the result.. 2 digital tests later confirmed we were pregnant.
On the Sunday I was having pain in my right side so called NHS Direct for some advice, explained the pregnancy test results and that I was unsure what I could take medication wise. The nurse I spoke to sent me straight to the hospital as she feared an ectopic pregnancy.
In A&E the nurses took a urine sample, called us through and said they had done two pregnancy tests and both were negative, my partner and I were insistent that we had positive results on the home tests, explained that we had done the digital ones so as not to mis-read the result only to be told that they were just a gimmick that you pay more for, it only reads the levels for you.. after explaining that that was the exact reason we bought them as we couldn't read the result on the first test they agreed to do a third test which came back as a very faint positive.
I was admitted to the ward where a fourth hospital urine test was also tested positive.. bloods were taken for hcg levels and I was booked in for a scan the following morning. The scan showed nothing, the sonographer said this was common in early pregnancy and if I was under 6 weeks it was possible that they wouldn't see anything yet.. so that didn't help.
My blood results came back that afternoon with my hcg levels at 435. The Dr explained that in order for them to determine whether or not it was an ongoing pregnancy they would need to redo the blood test 48 hours after the first one was taken and the levels should have risen by double. He went on to say that they have diagnosed me with pregnancy of an unknown location meaning that (in my case) there are 4 possibilities.. the hcg could still be in my system from the suspected miscarriage in July and the second blood test would find out for sure as if this is the case the levels will be decreasing.. it is an ectopic pregnancy which again they would be able to determine by my hcg levels falling and my progestorone (?) levels being higher than usual.. it is a normal viable pregnancy that is just under the timescale for them to be able to see anything on the scan and they would know if my hcg levels are rising at a rate of doubling or more every 48 hours.. or finally it is a normal pregnancy that is in the process of failing which again my hcg levels would be dropping. He also stressed that average hcg levels in early pregnancy would be around 1000 so not to get my hopes up and they do expect to see a decrease in my second results. In other words they don't think this is a viable pregnancy in any form.
So.. I went back lastnight for the 2nd bloods and got the results this morning, my hcg levels have in fact increased but only by half, not doubled.. they have asked me to return tomorrow afternoon for yet another blood test but I am really confused, having searched google for hcg levels (how I found this post) I found a chart which says that average hcg levels 14 days after conception can be between 5 to 426, and 21 days after conception can be between 18-7340.
Now, I have no idea what to think, we were all set to accept our loss but now that I know my hcg is rising, albeit not doubling, I have no idea what is going on. The Dr said to me on the phone this morning that unfortunately they can't give me any answers either just yet, only continue to monitor me as they are cautious not to miss an ectopic pregnancy.