maybe baby ?

[user1492346470]

Hi All

I think im slowly going crazy... So heres my story.
Last summer I stopped taking the pill to prepare my body for getting pregnant this year. Since then my periods were rather irregular (or maybe I just didnt keep accurate track of them), with a cycle length of about 6 weeks or longer, and periods lasting 4 days. End of January with my husband, we decided that it was time we tried for a baby, and a week later I started to feel cramping and soon after was bloated for 2 weeks. In February, a month after my last period, I was bleeding for 2 days, very light, which we assumed was implantation bleeding. My husband is a nurse practitioner, although not an expert on pregnancy, he knows the basics and he keeps sayings all pregnancies are different... So then in March, a month after the "implantation bleeding", I was bleeding for 4 days, very light again. I got really confused because to date I havent had a positive urine test. I had a blood test around week 7-8 (if my calculation is right) and it was negative, too.
So we thought that the March bleeding may have been a period again and Im not pregnant. Then a week ago my belly started expanding (no real weight gain) and even my medically trained husband says that it looks like a pregnant belly, and I now have to wear maternity clothes to feel comfortable. To be honest I would really like to be pregnant and since February I have indeed felt pregnant. No unusual cravings as I eat anything anyway, though Im slim because I do sports. I commute from Lincolnshire to London 4 days a week, so cant say im more tired than usual. I do have back ache which can be down to sitting at a desk all day; got some gum & nose bleeding which might be due to my gum being too sensitive and my nose-blowing due to allergy; the only thing which is definitely not normal for me is nausea which is now becoming worse and my metabolism got extremely fast.
My husband thinks it might be a false pregnancy or I am indeed pregnant but the Hook effect prevents positive results.
If I am pregnant, Im now 12 weeks. I did book a doctors app, so that I could get checked out and hopefully get an ultrasound. By the time I see a doctor I will be about 15 weeks (if pregnant), by which time they can tell the sex of the baby (if theres one). Its just so frustrating that I dont know whats going on. At least I`ve got a supportive husband, I guess.
Ladies, have you had similar experiences?

Marked bloating, unusual bleeding, nausea etc? Your nurse practitioner husband should be recommending you see a GP for a health check imo.

I'm really sorry but it's basically impossible. It's either a phantom pregnancy (I think if you believe something enough it can seem real) or you've got a health condition that needs investigating.

The hook affect wouldn't have affected earlier tests, and is quite unusual anyway. I think the hook affect normally shows a weaker result, not just negatives.

Can you not pay for a private scan and find out sooner? It is very very strange all those symptoms, and 12 weeks is very early to be visibly pregnant, all with negative pregnancy test results. I'm assuming you have done numerous home pregnancy tests (I know i would have, and did for at least 6-8 weeks even when I had got a positive, just to be sure,) so you would imagine you would have gotten at least the faintest of lines. Is the hook effect the notion that if pregnancy hormones are too high the results is a false negative as are out of range of the test? Again as you thought you have been pregnant from February surely you have been testing since then, not like the idea of pregnancy hadn't entered your head and suddenly you are 20 weeks pregnant and you didn't realise.

I personally would be very concerned and would not want to wait three weeks for the answer. And also blood tests would give a definitive answer if you are pregnant or not, have you not had bloods done? Were you not worried that you were miscarrying when you had a four day bleed and thought you were pregnant?

I'm not sure about the hook effect tbh. I did pregnancy tests as late as 35 weeks just for a laugh in my last pregnancy and every single one was positive. My hcg was mega high too as I was carrying twins for the first 12 weeks (sadly lost one). Sorry but I really don't think you're pregnant. You do need to get the symptoms checked out though.

Also you don't generally get a pregnant belly at 12 weeks - that comes later on.

I would be getting checked out too, you don't sound pregnant? X

With negative urine tests and blood tests it is pretty much impossible for you to be pregnant I'm afraid. I'd go and see what the doctor says, there could be something else going on that needs checking out xx

I said that I had an appointment in 3 weeks time, with work going on and doctors availability thats the earliest I can make.
To be honest I didnt think it was pregnancy after negative blood test and March bleeding whatever that bleeding was. Had it been a miscarriage, I couldnt have stopped it anyway and if it was a period, then it was a period.
I know thats something is not right and I would like to know what it is. If everyone who would like to be pregnant had phantom pregnancies first then I think statistics would be extremely high. Right now its one every 22,000 so Im possibly that one out of 22,000. Its not like Im convinced myself I was. I didnt even read about symptoms until bloating appeared.
I do have a reason to doubt medical tests. Its another story that I had an accident on the treadmill and kept complaining to doctors about my knee last year. They did an MRI and said nothing wrong with my knee. Then went private, the private doctor said the same, then we scheduled a keyhole surgery and voila there was a tear on the side of my knee and doctor had to apologise. So Im doubtful about tests but it doesnt mean I think Im pregnant in this case.

I see what you mean, but you would def have had some sort of positive pregnancy test whether urine or blood by now if you were pregnant. I wouldn't wait 3 weeks if you're that worried though. Work can wait. Pay privately if you have to. If it was me I'd want to rule out anything serious asap (sorry I'm not suggesting it IS something serious) but thats how my mind works!