Terrified of chemical pregnancies

[Nicolelinda96]

Hi guys. I recently had an early loss which may or may not have been a chemical pregnancy. We are trying again and are hopeful for the future, but what are the odds of another happening? I’m planning on testing fairly early using a sensitive test so I was wondering what the likely of picking up another early loss is? I know 25% of pregnancies end in loss and a lot of them are very early, but I can’t find anything pertaining specifically to CPs. I’m convinced the next one will be a CP or even the one after that and it’s scaring me so much. How common are they actually and does anyone know how likely they are to recur? Because I keep seeing posts from people who have had multiple and I don’t want to get false hope after getting another positive test- should I test using a less sensitive test to avoid picking up a CP?

I think they can be fairly common. More now so then when our parents were ttc I expect as the tests nowadays are so sensitive. And pick up early pregnancy like you say.

I think someone correct me if I’m wrong that a chemical pregnancy is when you get a positive (faint or not) test prior to your period and your period arrives on schedule anyway.

And a miscarriage is if you lose a pregnancy like a week after your expected period date like 5 weeks etc. That’s how I always thought it was classed but I could be wrong.

Anyway I guess if that is how they class it , then chemical pregnancies are only known if people are testing early using sensitive tests. Is several days before there period.

Unfortunately the only way you can avoid this is to not test until your period is due. Like the day of it day before. An then your much more likely to get a strong pregnancy line and not experience chemicals.

Not to say then nothing can’t happen after that. But just in reference to your chemical question.

It’s hard not to test early though I know. People want to know as early as possible. But in lots of cases just creates heart ache.

It’s hard I know 💗 I just try think of it if I’m not pregnant yet because I’m waiting for the right healthy egg and so erm to create “my” unique baby. And anything that happens along the way isn’t meant to be.

I have a 3.5 dd and miscarried at 13 weeks prior to having her. And so in my head I think we’ll I wouldn’t have my gorgeous dd. And she was obviously meant to be my child 😃 it helps me anyway looking back.

@Nicolelinda96 💗💗

Aww that’s a nice way of looking at it. The issue is that I have no idea when my next period is due because It hasn’t yet returned after my loss. This makes knowing when to test very tricky. What I do know tho, is that a couple of days ago I got a negative 25mu test. This make me think maybe I should leave it at least a week before testing again. I may have ovulated a few days ago, so it wouldn’t have come up positive anyway. Next time I do get a bfp I will get bloods done for sure.

And I thought a chemical can end around 5 weeks too? Idk. They said I was 5.5-6 after 2 and a bit days of bleeding and I did have symptoms. Thing is that a first response picked up a strong line whereas a 25mu cheapie was extremely faint and a 10mu blue cross test a few days later was pretty faint too, I got multiple positives including a digital across the course of about 5-7 days I can’t remember, so I just don’t know.

Do you do opks to check for your ovulation or not? Or do you get ovulation symptoms like cm or pain etc?

How long ago was your loss?

Sounds to me like you had an early miscarriage if they said it was 5-6 weeks. So sorry hun 💗

Unfortunately there isn’t anything you can do to avoid that happening again. Other than not ever test and pure sent you are pretty bent which obv is not really an option.
It’s sad but it is common. And there is lots of chance next time you get a positive it could be all it’s fine.

Recurrent miscarriage is often more to do perhaps with an underlying issue and people are referred after 3 for investigations I believe.

But just because you’ve had one. Does in no way mean you’ll have another. You were just unlucky. And that egg and sperm that created that baby somehow wasn’t meant to be.

But there is a baby that is meant to be. And I’m sure once you meet them it will all make sense 🥰

Keep going hun. I remember it well. It sucks. But I was just an unlucky too and next time I got my beautiful baby 😍

I’m now on cycle 5 ttc #2. Always in the back of my mind what happened first time. But just got to try trust to process

@Nicolelinda96
A cp is counted anything up to 5 weeks but a test could become nagitive a few days before that.

Thanks so much x I’ve just been horribly triggered by accidentally seeing a post where someone basically mocked a woman who planted a tree for her “chemical” loss, saying that it wasn’t a miscarriage and others saying similar things. Idk I feel like mine was a bit different from getting one very faint positive then bleeding the next day- I got 9 consecutive positives over about a week and I felt pregnant. We named our baby bean and bought them a lot onesie. My period was 8-10 days late, so I know implantation occurred and something was there.

I don’t know how to reconcile feeling like I’ve lost a baby when realistically it’s something that happens to so many women all the time and although it is a real pregnancy, these people made out like I’m being absolutely ridiculous by feeling this way and it’s due to the nasty early tests that detected a process rather than a pregnancy.

Am I being ridiculous? I still cry sometimes and it happened 3 weeks ago. I feel like I loved that bundle of cells and now I don’t know how to feel. I got a tattoo of a bean and a picture frame but now I feel dumb for doing that because it was just a natural process and not a baby

Ah ok. I was between 5-5.5 when the bleeding started if we go by my last period. I’ve head that bleeding can start after 5 weeks with a CP tho. Obviously my hcg was very low to have been barely caught by a 25mu test. It’s so awful feeling the most intense grief of my life and it feeling wrong and misplaced. Although I do understand that that comment I referred to was rather cruel and it takes a mean spirited person to mock how one chooses to channel their grief.

An early loss is obviously incomparable to a much later one. I hadn’t known I was pregnant for long , but nevertheless, the pain of that loss was terrible and I’m still feeling it now even though I feel like I should just get over it. I have had thoughts of getting my tattoo covered with something else because I don’t know if something so common and honestly normal is worth memorialising.

Also, what actually develops during a cp? Because of abnormalities in either the sperm or egg, does it ever progress beyond a zygote? Or do those cells begin to divide?

@Nicolelinda96
A cp norm happens because something not right from the moment the sperm enters the egg like to many or not enough chromeasons not spelt yet thou you grieve if you want and don't let anybody tell you any different.
I have had 4 miscarriages and 1 cp it's tough and I would never let anybody tell me I should not grieve.

Don’t let anyone tell you how to feel hun. A kiss at any stage is hard. You feel attached the minute you see those two lines and you grief all the hope you had almost.

Like above poster said it would of started to implant but maybe totally not been successful etc. Once successful implantation takes places, it would begin to alter. But the fetid doesn’t develop a heartbeat until 6-7 weeks.

Every loss is hard hun. 3 weeks is still early. But you can get pregnant. And the right sperm and egg will create a healthy baby which is inevitably the end goal isn’t it.

Hugs to you hun.

I don't think anyone can know as the nature of a CP is that it happens before AF is due so many people could have them abd not know unless they are testing early.

I think the best way to avoid this is to not test until after AF is late.

I’m also a bit confused r.e hcg levels and what they mean. Going by dates, implantation would’ve occurred, but after 12 hours of light going into medium bleeding, mine was 30. I’m confused because I had real symptoms and my period was definately at least a week late, probably more- does all of this indicate a chemical? I had positive tests over the course of a week and if it was a chemical, would I still get a positive test after the bleeding had started?

They say up to 5 weeks and you can have symptoms

Also don't forget it takes a while for the hcg to clear from your system. Women who miscarry often have positive pregnancy tests for weeks after their loss.

Chemicals are really common, my GP said up to 75% of all conceptions end, mainly before a women is even aware. If it wasn't for modern sensitive tests your period would just be slightly late.

They're awful, I've been there. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't grieve. Sending you virtual hugs x

I’m sorry but 75%? My gp said that the figures given for CPs are inaccurate because many women don’t know they had one or just assume that they did. If it’s that high then why are commercial pregnancy tests even a thing? Why do women surprise their partners with a positive test? Why isn’t almost every woman who actually tries for a baby and tests regularly having at least one chemical ?

It’s nice knowing that the thing you loved and continue to grieve was nothing more than a normal natural part of a cycle. The plan of action is to get my tattoo covered and straight up not take a pregnancy test ever again.

Cheers.

To add….if they happen this often then why do some doctors say to seek Help after 3 losses including chemicals? Surely if you got pregnant 4 times 3 would be chemical?

I’ve not heard about seeking help after chemicals but I guess that if not testing early, women would be seeking advice after 1 year of ttc and they could well have had chemical pregnancies within that.

It’s so hard to not test early but that is what I would be doing because as soon as I see a positive it becomes a future person. I understand why you’re grieving and only cover your tattoo if it is right for you.

I'm so sorry for your loss OP. It was a genuine loss and you have every right to feel grief.

'Chemical pregnancy' is just a nickname given to an early miscarriage (before 5 weeks). That's all. It's not some special different process or special type of miscarriage. It's just a particularly early miscarriage!

You were pregnant and you have experienced a miscarriage. Your grief and loss are very real!

On a side note if you were 5.5 weeks pregnant this isn't even classed as a chemical (because you're over the 5 weeks mark) but I feel that's besides the point in regards to the grief because your grief is entirely valid either way.

I would keep your tattoo for now as everything is really raw and you may like to keep it later. See you how you feel. It's a lovely idea and I think you may well like to keep that with you long-term.

When we see those 2 lines on a test we feel an instant connection. We imagine a future for that child. All the pregnancy milestones (things like ooo I can find out the gender around my birthday/xmas - stuff like that) and we think of our due date, the child's first birthday, their name, what they will be like. When we will start mat leave. All sorts. Then when it ends we lose that entire imagined future. It's honestly absolutely heartbreaking and anyone who mocks that grief is sick in my opinion and certainly doesn't understand.

Please don't feel your grief is misplaced! My heart goes out to you as you're clearly really struggling. As you can probably tell I've experienced loss and I really do understand!

Also in regards to the stats and things like that, you have to remember that a lot of women are falling pregnant who aren't actively trying or testing. That's why they say the figure is so high. Such women may have discovered a faint positive if they had tested but because they're not trying or testing they're non the wiser when their period comes as usual (or a day or two late). It's only those who's period is a week or so late, or they experience symptoms that may eventually test and stumble across a very faint positive, but they may just disregard it as faulty when their period comes straight after . Remember this is women who aren't trying/testing/hoping. They probably won't think too much of it all.

Then there's the smaller subset of the population who is very actively trying to conceive AND testing early (before or around period). Even some of those may disregard a faint line as an 'indent' and think nothing more of it. So yes 'chemical' pregnancies may be way more common than we all realise, that's what they mean.

A lot of people say they would rather not even know and therefore dont test early and that's a personal choice. Some would always like to know. I would say personally I would like to know but thats partly because I've known someone have chemical pregnancies most months and it indicated a serious issue with DNA fragmentation in the sperm! But that's not the norm.

How you chose to move forward in regards to future early testing and your tattoo etc is your choice but please only do what feels right for you rather than feeling pressure about how you're 'supposed' to feel.

Your grief is real!
Sending love ❤️

Hi OP. I totally get you (and I think @sarebear87 did too, i don't think she was trying to belittle your grief at all).

I don't think you should feel that because pregnancy loss is common, that means that you shouldn't grieve or keep your tattoo. Think of it this way- at a certain age, everyone will likely lose their parents, (hopefully to old age!!). Everyone dies, and so losing your parents is 'normal' once they get old. But do people feel bad grieving because death is 'normal'? No, of course not, death is common but that doesn't mean it's not painful.

As a PP said, a chemical is simply an early miscarriage. It's just as painful as a miscarriage or other form of early loss, and you have every right to grieve. I got a ring made for mine with the dates on. A tattoo is a lovely idea x

Chemical pregnancy' is just a nickname given to an early miscarriage (before 5 weeks). That's all. It's not some special different process or special type of miscarriage. It's just a particularly early miscarriage!

This. 'Chemical pregnancy' means the point in pregnancy that's so early that it's only possible to detect it chemically (i.e. through urine tests or blood tests measuring HCG), rather than being able to detect it clinically (through signs that can be seen or heard, such as via an ultrasound or, later, through listening to the baby's heartbeat).

If you go back really not that far in time, the kind of sensitive home pregnancy tests that can tell you you're pregnant very early on didn't even exist - pregnancies still did end very early on, but without any confirmation that they had even begun, beyond perhaps a late period and wondering...

I'm really sorry for your loss. Miscarriages suck. And I know that worry if whether it will happen again is really pervasive and hard to deal with. Maybe spend some time considering whether you'd prefer just not to test at all until later, and whether that's something that would work for you? (I'm an inveterate tester; I'd never have been able to stop myself - but it's worth considering.) Best of luck to you!