RPC? Chemical Pregnancy? Please come help me work out what's going on here!

[katewitch]

In July I had an early miscarriage at 5.5 weeks pregnant. Started light, bright red bleeding/heavy spotting at 5+4 which continued on and off, lighter than a normal period, with complete miscarriage confirmed by EPU at what would have been 6 weeks exactly. They said they couldn't see anything and my uterine lining was already quite thin. They did a urine test which also came back negative.

Counting the first day of bleeding as CD1, I had ovulation symptoms (tons of EWCM, and then a tiny bit of pink spotting one evening) while we were on holiday (no OPKs so hard to pinpoint better than that), around when I normally ovulate on CD20.

I had a tiny amount of spotting on 8 and 9dpo. I tested on 12dpo and got a faint positive on FRER (pictured), that was darker than my initial 12dpo faint positive for the pregnancy that ended in miscarriage.

On 14dpo I tested again, but the FRER line was barely visible and a CBdigi was negative. I therefore assumed that it was possibly still going down from the miscarriage and the hospital test was maybe a 25miu or similar so didn't pick it up. I figured it's nearly gone, keep testing til they're completely negative then I'll at least know what's happening with my body!

This morning, another line, maybe a smidgeon darker than the one at 12dpo, but nowhere near dark enough for 16dpo (pictured). It has colour, came up in the time, is not an evap.

So...
Could this be left over hcG from the miscarriage? Its now 4 weeks since I stopped bleeding and I wasn't that far along!

If not, does consistent faint tests indicate a chemical pregnancy? Should it go down over the next week or so and then I'll start bleeding? My period is now 2 days late, I'm irregular but we only DTD once 2 days before the suspected ovulation spotting and not since due to not being in the right headspace so only so much later I could have ovulated and this be feasible!

What do you think please? What would you do if you were me?

At the moment I'm thinking about GP to request bloods if I haven't started bleeding and still have faint lines by Tuesday but is there much point?

Sorry for the essay, much confused and advice appreciated!

Also wondering about things that could cause false positives such as ovarian cysts... so much to be confused about!

Hard question to answer. I think what I would do if I were you was to try another brand? I do agree that's not the best line for 16dpo. Regarding leftover hormones, I had HCG in my system for intjink approx 11 weeks after surgical removakbut I had quite a complex loss and noted to have very high HCG despite it being non viable. Are you in the UK? Most local GP's won't do bloods this early on and more likely to refer you to EPU.

Yeah I'm in the UK, I don't think other brands would usually pick up something that's this pale on a FRER?

Yes I'm in the UK, I'd be okay with being referred to EPU for answers but it would have to be bloods this early on even if it was a new pregnancy rather than left over hcg right?

It's just so frustrating and confusing after being told a test was negative 4 weeks ago!

I’m kind of in the same position. Had a chemical last month. AF is due today done my first test Monday eve then Tuesday got faint positives, tested again today and I swear it seems lighter. Than also a not pregnant on a clear blue digital . So frustrating isn’t it..!! These are my tests in order

Can I ask where you get your Frers? Is it Amazon. I’m starting to wonder if it’s them

They are from Amazon but last cycle the same ones worked perfectly and were confirmed by a CB digi

Was there anything different about your 14dpo sample eg loads of water or different time of day?

It looks like a new pregnancy but as you know, not encouraging lines.

Just be careful as erratic HCG can be an ectopic indicator. I’d get EPU to check you over as there’s something odd going on and you need answers no matter what.

I think bloods are the answer. I thought I had a new pregnancy but the frer had given me a faint line with HCG around 4.

Thanks guys. I'm away this weekend so if its still faint on Tuesday I'll ask the GP to be referred to EPU to be checked out

I honestly started to wonder if the FRERs are so sensitive that they pick up a potential rise in the lh by the end of the cycle, as that can happen sometimes as well. And as hcg and lh are very similar, maybe the FRERs pick it up? Because I read now many cases where women found out they were pregnant because their opk kits showed a surge in lh, but it was hcg.

It doesn't quite work that way round, it's because of the chemical construction of the hormones, so an OPK can pick up HCG but a HPT can't pick up LH unfortunately

Another very faint line this morning but a positive OPK (attatched)... current theory is its very low residual HCG from the miscarriage that has stopped me ovulating up until this point but I am now! But who knows really. Why oh why must our bodies do these things to us!

Thanks for the explanation. I just tried to wrap my head around the fact that FRERs seem to be more wrong than usual in the last couple of weeks or months...