High rising hcg but nothing seen on scan

[Midnight33]

Hello. I’m new here. This is my first pregnancy. Me and my husband have been trying for a year and finally found out on the 23rd of this month. I had my last period on 4th of last month. I have irregular period so don’t the actual date I conceived. My hcg on 23rd was 1565 but the doc couldn’t see anything on ultrasound. They only found a cyst on my right ovary and said that my uterus is bulky with thickned endometrium. I did my bloods again on 26th and it came around 2700 but still nothing was found. I again got my bloods done today and now it’s around 8700. Doctors are suspecting ectopic but they can’t find the location. I honestly don’t feel any pain. I am extremely stressed and worried. Please help.

I don't have any advice I'm afraid OP but I'm sorry you're stressed, it must be quite scary not knowing what's going on.

Do the doctors have a plan for the next step for you? Do you have another scan soon?

I hope someone comes along soon with a similar experience for you 💛

@Midnight33 I'm so sorry you are going through this. When was your last scan?

Everyone's Hcg is different tho so not necessarily comparable but just as a guide, my Hcg was 2500 at around 5 weeks. We first saw something on the scan at 5w4 days which was just the sac. My Hcg was then 3155 (my Hcg wasn't rising properly but that is another story). We saw a heart beat at 6w1 day when my Hcg was around 4000 (again not rising properly).

I'm just sharing that because I wonder whether you could have been too early to see anything when your Hcg was 2700?

My last scan was yesterday but they couldn’t see anything. Nothing on uterus, tubes or ovaries except for the clear fluid cyst on the right ovary. Doc told me to wait for another week to see if anything turns up or else will do a laparoscopy..

The doctors r confused(visited two different docs). My hcg is very high and is increasing the way it should which is uncommon for ectopic. However nothing turns up at scans. I have no pains and I’m hungry all the time. Today i also found out that I’m pre-diabetic even though sugar levels were always good. I feel confused, stressed and emotionally drained.

Oh this is confusing op no wonder your feeling stressed!
How irregular are you periods?
Was it in an internal scan?

My periods are mostly irregular. Early last year I didn’t have my period for 2-3months straight then doc prescribed duphaston which regulated my menses a little. Still i had a cycle of about 40 days.

@PinkCookie11 i had 2 tvs scans this week. Will have another on Sunday

Hi @Midnight33
I had something very similar. Unfortunately it was not a good outcome for me.
My hcg was 10,000 and rising quickly, nothing seen on scan. I started to get shooting pains in my bum (sorry tmi) so they operated and found a pregnancy in the top corner of my uterus. Something called a cornual ectopic. They said it was quite rare and if left it could have been fatal for me.
I don't want to scare you, but I hope you get some answers soon.
x

I'm so sorry you're going through this @Midnight33 I'm hoping that your scan on Sunday has some answers for you. Xxx

Hi, just wondered if anyone still on this thread. I found out mid May that I was pregnant but 2wks later when I should have been around 6wks (according to last period dates) I had quite a heavy bleed so feared the worst. I continued to spot all day although not heavy and was booked in for an early scan the next day. Nothing could be seen on the scan apart from thickened lining in my uterus and possible 'products' I wasn't in any pain so told to go home rest, let nature take its course. Few days later I was in terrible pain, particularly on my right hand side and still spotting so ended up back at hospital where they advised it was likely ectopic. My HCG levels had increased from 1500 few days earlier to over 2000 so as it wasn't doubling they said it didn't appear to be a healthy pregnancy. More scans still showed nothing so they took me to surgery for a Laparoscopy and remove my tube. When I come round my tubes were still intact as there was no baby found in my tubes. I was proving a bit of a mystery to the consultants. My HCG levels were taken again and had risen to over 3000, so more scans followed each time nothing showing up, notes say 'possible retained products' I was told the best course of action was to administer methotrexate as I was not getting a baby at the end of this, my hcg although rising was not a healthy rise. So I've had the methotrexate and they then sent for a manual vacuum of the uterus to remove the retained products telling me I possibly had 'a non tubal ectopic and also a pregnancy in the womb' neither of which were viable. The whole ordeal has been quite horrendous. The pain has eased a lot but there's still niggles on the right hand side and I've still been bleeding but only when I go to the loo. I had to go back yesterday have my bloods taken again with expectation the hcg levels would be dropping, they have however now risen to over 5000 so I have to go back next week to have them done again. I've read a few posts of similar horror stories some have haply endings others don't. It's been really stressful for both me and my partner and I would like closure, but part of me thinks have the consultants had it wrong? Should they/we have waited a little longer? Sorry for the long post just wanted to know if anyone has experienced similar, appears to be bit more common than I was led to believe which is a scary thought! Thanks for reading

@Bc1979 I'm so sorry this is happening to you. This is such a traumatic situation. I'm afraid I haven't been in this scenario but didn't want to read and run. I really hope it all resolves for you soon and you can start to recover. Sending lots of love x x

@Bc1979 I'm so sorry you're in that situation. How horrible! While writing this I'm lying on my sofa, recovering from laparoscopy, they had to remove my right tube because of an ectopic pregnancy. My hcg was at 3000 and the sac was already 4cm. That is unimaginable that they couldn't find anything yet. Is there any other place you could go to? Different scan? I'm not an anxious person but your situation is so stressful, I hope you're finding answers soon!🤞

Thank you ladies. I've had 3 different consultants carry out scans, my concern is my uterus is tilted which I know can sometimes make things hard to see on scans but I'd like to think 3 different consultants can't have it wrong. They keep telling me with the levels of hcg in my blood they would definitely be able to see something and all they picked up was 'product' yet hcg is increasing all the time. I'm now more worried that the methotrexate has failed and that I will need more doses, as if this pregnancy is continuing then it can't be healthy with all the drugs they've been giving me. It's really upsetting and I can't help but think the hospital should have waited as all the scans I had were carried out over a 6 day period and maybe should have waited a bit longer.... I don't know. So many questions I just want to draw a line under the whole awful experience. It makes me scared to try again, I'm 41 and this was a much longed for pregnancy xx

@Bc1979 I couldn’t read and not say something. I’m so so sorry you’re going through this. I actually went though an extremely similar ordeal in January (here’s a link to my thread if you wanted to read it: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/4137200-Spotting-HCG-rising-nothing-on-scan-ectopic?msgid=103692895) very much the same as you, and same procedures as well with the laparoscopy and ERPC.

The only difference was, after my ERPC, my HCG started to decrease. They did rise 7300+, but never doubling. I had a consultant and the EPU at my local hospital were honestly in shock, they’d never seen anything like this either. It’s a brutal situation to be in, and my heart goes out to you ❤️

R.e your concerns about leaving it too long, I’m not sure if this helps but my first EPU app was 13th Jan, my laparoscopy was the 22nd Jan, and ERPC on 29th Jan. I was monitored the entire time with bloods (ended up lasting til mid feb as they monitored until they hit 0) and multiple scans. I think it would really depend on your situation and how concerned they were about you, I know you noted terrible pain, whereas my EPU went for more of an monitored-management. This was because I was in no pain and just spotted throughout. If you were in pain and they were concerned for ectopic they would act on an emergency basis as time is crucial in those situations ❤️

I really hope you can get some closure from this soon. For the sake of you and your partner. It’s a terrible thing to go through, and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. 💐

Thanks so much for your reply @danielleb97 I've just had a good read of your post and can see you had the surgical vacuum, I was hoping after having the manual one and the methotrexate that my hcg would have dropped but so far its still rising. My consultant rang earlier today and has said she is concerned things aren't going in the right direction so she wants to do another scan tomorrow and more bloods. She's also talking about the possibility of more surgery if things don't improve. Like you I'm so tired physically and emotionally, I've not had time to grieve as it's like some never ending nightmare. Here's hoping I get some answers tomorrow. So pleased you eventually got sorted, hope you get your bfp soon 🤞xx

No worries at all @Bc1979! I’m so sorry to hear it’s still rising. It must be so confusing for you both. I know I really felt like it couldn’t sink in while I was still dealing with all the unknown and uncertainty. You’ll have to let me know how you get on tomorrow! It’s a constant limbo, it’s a horrible situation to be in and I’m so sorry it’s been dragged out like this for you, I hope you’re recovering well from the laparoscopy too - I struggled for ages after mine. I’m pregnant again now. Currently 7+3, had an early scan last week and saw bub in the right place with a heartbeat. Hopefully that can bring you some comfort that you can go on to have a successful pregnancy after this, once you are ready ❤️

@Midnight33 yes please keep us posted! It's the worst position to be in, when no doctor really knows what's going on!

@danielleb97 what were your complications after your laparoscopy? I'm just recovering from mine, had it Friday evening.
But so glad to hear you had a successful pregnancy after that whole ordeal.

@danielleb97 I will be sure to update once I know what's happening but yes at the moment I just feel like I'm in limbo. My laparascopy wasn't too bad, had it a week ago, its a bit sore but other than that appears to be healing OK.
Congratulations that's lovely news about the baby I'm so happy for you both after what you went through, wishing you a very happy and healthy pregnancy ❤

@Bundaberg84 how’s your recovery going? My belly button wound didn’t want to heal for ages, so had to keep it covered to prevent infection etc. 😔 so painful but thankfully it did heal in the end! It’s a massive relief. We weren’t even ‘trying’ properly because I’d just started a new job and ttc was the last thing in mind as well.

@Bc1979 so glad to hear yours is healing okay so far. Thank you, I think I’m still a bit in shock about it myself! You’ll get there too when you’re ready ❤️

@danielleb97 so far so good, thanks! I started having AF style cramps, and bleeding started. They told me it could take a week, I take it as a good sign it already started. I'm still having a bit of trouble with my low blood pressure though, so taking pain killers sometimes makes me really dizzy. I'll have to up my salt intake tomorrow.
How many incisions did you have? I've got four, the one below my belly button isn't the biggest though.

Hi, just a quick update I was re-admitted to hospital on Tuesday and after more scans was finally diagnosed as having a Cornual Ectopic pregnancy which is pretty rare. Consultants were so concerned about it rupturing I was taken straight to surgery where they carried out another laparoscopy and a laparotomy- I've had part of my uterus removed and one of my tubes. It's been horrendous and I'm in lots of pain but hoping and praying this is now it and I can start my road to recovery 🙏

@Bundaberg84 I only had 2 incisions. Bellybutton and lower left tummy. That was because they didn’t find anything and didn’t want to mess around too much down there as all looked okay. Glad to hear your recovery is going well though!

@Bc1979 I’m so so sorry to hear that. At least you finally have some answers and you can begin to heal from this traumatic experience 💖 it’s a horrible ordeal and I’m so sorry it’s been this dragged out for you. At least now you have some answers and can begin to heal. Be kind to yourself xxx