What is a chemical pregnancy?

[MissMartin1992]

I see alot of people talking about them but i dont know what they are?
Can any one explain this to me please? ..
Thank you in advance

hi

I wondered that too and consulted good old google. From what I understand its a very early must carriage within first few weeks and here it would be too early to detect via scan.

from what I read some women can be pregnant and not realise and when they have this chemical pregnancy just think its their period.

this is what I understood it to be anyway xx

It's when you get a positive pregnancy test but then a few days later get your period (which is probably a early miscarriage).

ohright thats sad .. i thought it was when your body tricks its self that it is pregnant when its not..like a phantom pregnancy that rabbits have... Thanks for you answers ladies x

miscarriage.about.com/od/onetimemiscarriages/p/chemicalpreg.htm

It is a pregnancy that never resulted in viability.

In technical terms, a pregnancy is when sperm meets egg and creates a zygote. The zygote then travel down the fallopian tube and imbeds in the uterine lining. This is when HCG begins to be produced and a pregnancy test will show as positive.

As the cells begin to divide and multiply, if the body detects there is a problem, or the body is unable to sustain the pregnancy, then the body voluntarily miscarries thus preventing an embryo from forming.

Often this happens without someone even being aware they were pregnant, they just think their period is a few days late and associate the cramps with that.

That's why more and more people don't tell anyone until at least the 7 week scan (see a heartbeat) or until 12 weeks (out of first trimester) or 20 weeks (abnormality scan). Medical technology has it pros but almost makes you wonder if you'd be better off not knowing!

Thanks baby bump! Your very knowledgeable .. apreciated!

Its why early testing is a very bad idea

I hate the term chemical pregnancy! I always think it means people don't think the pregnancy ever existed, I could just have chemical/phantom pregnancy mixed up in my head though. I prefer the term early miscarriage. I think that acknowledges the loss, after a positive pregnancy test it is a loss.

...but only because pregnancy tests can show positive so early now, Hoppity.

Up until fairly recently, nobody would have known about chemical pregnancies. They'd have just had a slightly late period and probably thought nothing of it.

I think I had one last month. But I don't think of it as a "loss" because there was nothing to "lose." I tested too early, that's all, it showed positive, and then my period arrived a few days late.

I don't think this was in any way comparable to a miscarriage. The blood and trauma of a miscarriage is horrible, whereas a chemical pregnancy is just a quirk of nature. Something that never was, and was never meant to be.

That's how I think of it, anyway. But I haven't learned my lesson, I was testing today at 8dpo....!

I understand what you mean running, I think I'd still think of it as losing a pregnancy rather than losing a baby though. I had a MMC and it was a small comfort that it was early enough that there was no fetus. To me, I'd lost a pregnancy, there was never a baby there.

I have had this happen several times.

Twice in my early twenties and twice in more recent years. I suppose it depends on how you feel about getting pregnant as to whether you see it as a loss. I can imagine it being upsetting for someone desperately TTC. I didnt personally find it upsetting.