18dp5dt / 23dpo Very worried about line progression

[Clove86]

I’m 18 days past a 5 day transfer of 3 blastocysts. I expected to see a dye stealer by now but it looks as though my lines have stopped progressing today. I’m very worried as I had a miscarriage last cycle. My betas have been on the low side but doubling.
11dp5dt 21.1
13dp5dt 49.8
Currently waiting for the results from my third beta taken yesterday 17dp5dt.
Why has my line stopped progressing? Does anyone think I need to panic?

They’ve advised a fourth blood test in a couple of days then of that shows progression a scan next week. It’s so stressful being stuck in this grey area, I don’t know whether to celebrate or commiserate. My urine tests seem to show progression but I guess that’s not the full picture.

@Clove86 I'm so sorry to hear that. The tough thing about these situations is that you just don't know what's going to happen. Yes it's true that those numbers are very low and in most cases this could mean miscarriage is likely. But I do also know a few women for whom things have worked out with very low hcg. There is no way of knowing which of these groups you are in other than time.

Sending you so much love. I have been through something similar xxx

I think if your next blood result shows a rise, you should also request a scan straight away to check the location of the pregnancy.

I don't want to worry you but if you get any significant bleeding or shoulder tip pain you would be sensible to check it out asap just in case it's ectopic. I'm sure all will be fine but it's something to consider just in case x

@Janefx40 thank you. Do you have any idea at what stage a miscarriage would be most likely if that’s where it’s heading?

I’m hyper aware of ectopic as I have a blocked tube but as yet I’ve had no pain anywhere. I really hope it’s not that as it sounds horrific 😫

@Clove86 I had an ectopic pregnancy & had to go in for tests every 2/3 days. I was told that the most important thing was to see the numbers were doubling, unfortunately mine weren't but even though yours are low it's a good sign they're increasing by so much. Wishing you lots of luck.

@PrincessConsuela12 I’m so sorry 😢. Were your numbers as low as mine? What other signs or symptoms did you notice? It sounds truly a truly awful experience for anyone

@Clove86

I don't know how you personally deal with things but when it was me I needed to hear a mixture of hope balanced with some harsher possibilities. I'm sorry if you work differently and something I say upsets you.

You may not miscarry at all. You may have a healthy pregnancy and I can name at least 3 women that has happened to that I know of. If you did miscarry it is most likely to happen before 9 weeks but again there is no way to know.

I really hope this is your miracle x

@Clove86 Thank you, I didn't really know much about ectopic pregnancies so it was a scary and confusing time.

I was 7 weeks pregnant & my numbers were around 650/700.

I didn't actually know I was pregnant until a week or so before I found out it wasn't a viable pregnancy, I'd been spotting on & off for a while & a few days after the test I started bleeding quite a lot & had sharp period type pain.

Sorry to hear it wasn't more reassuring news OP. You must feel so anxious. I don't know loads about hcg levels, but surely the fact it is doubling is a good sign? I've read other threads where women had hcg on the lower side and things turned out fine. I've also just had a Google and although I'm not certain how assisted conception dates compare with dpo (am I right in thinking 17dp5dt is the equivalent of 22dpo?) it seems to be in the normal range?

@Janefx40 yes I like to hear the truth mixed in with a bit of positivity so don’t worry.

@Noodella18 yes it would’ve been 22dpo. It’s within range but very much on the low side. I’ve decided I’m going to try and go into the EPU tomorrow and ask for a blood test and a scan as I’ll be one day off being 6 weeks. I need answers as the anxiety is eating away at me.

Also I feel like my tests are now getting lighter, or at least staying the same

Hi OP, yes, I think you should go into EPU - you deserve to know what's going on now. Can you go in today? It's been a good few days since your last beta, I expect they would run another one, and it would be good to see what's going on with the egg sac etc.

I really don't think you should pay much attention to your tests - they all look as dark as each other to me and as I said previously, I didn't ever get a dye stealer on FRER.

I'm sorry it's such an anxious time. Keeping my fingers firmly crossed for you xxx

@Noodella18 thank you for your concern 💐.
I’m booked to the EPU on Saturday. They wouldn’t see me any earlier as you need to be 6 weeks which I will be on Saturday. They will do a scan, and if it’s too early to see anything another blood test. I feel relieved to have an appointment but terrified.

I’ve had an influx of symptoms today, like an extreme hungover feeling. It just hit me all of a sudden. Also been very breathless when just walking between rooms. Hoping these are signs that my hcg is rising 🙏

Hi all, so been to EPU. I should be exactly 6 weeks today based on when I had my IVF. They did an internal scan and first thing she said was that she couldn’t get a good view because my colon was so blocked. I don’t feel constipated in the slightest but she said it can be common in pregnancy. Then she said she couldn’t see any evidence of a baby in my tubes or uterus 🙁 but wasn’t sure if it was just due to my colon being full. So then they did a blood test and my levels are now 2062, so they have more than doubled every 48 hours since the last test. They asked if I wanted to have a laparoscopy there and then to check my tubes properly, but as I have no symptoms of an ectopic and as she said it can be risky if the baby turns out to be in the uterus, I declined. Now I have to take these laxatives and go back in 2 days for another scan. Has this happened to anyone else? I just don’t know what to think.

Oh bloody hell, so positive in one sense and anxiety-inducing in another. Really sorry it wasn't just straight good news for you. But yay for the hcg, really encouraging! The restricted view from the blocked colon sounds frustrating - if she couldn't even get the right view at first because of the colon then I think there's a good chance that baby was just hiding. I mean you're pregnant and your hcg is going up well now, so baby has to be there somewhere... keeping massive fingers crossed for you, keep us updated xx

@Noodella18 thank you! I’m currently sowing pregnancy-safe laxatives in preparation for the next scan. Praying we can see something on Monday, also tempted to book a private scan tomorrow to ease my anxiety.

@Clove86 gosh you poor thing. Good luck with the laxatives. So hard to still be in limbo. Sending lots of love x

@clove86 at this point i think I would do anything that relieves the anxiety, and if that means a private scan then that's money well spent. Sending really positive vibes into the ethos for you xxx

@Clove86 sending you so much love & strength OP I really hope you get some good news soon🤞🏼♥️

Hope you're doing OK @Clove86 , have you had another scan?

Hope you got on ok at the scan, OP

I still don’t know what’s going on but it’s not looking good. So I had a private scan on Sunday as I couldn’t wait until Monday and they thought there was something possibly in my ovary. Sent the scan picture to my IVF doctor who thought it looked more like a luteal body than a pregnancy (I’ll attach a pic). Went back to EPU yesterday for a third scan. Still nothing seen in my uterus, but they also do not think the thing in my ovary is a pregnancy. Had bloods taken and it’s risen to 2822 so only a 40% rise this time. It could be a pregnancy of unknown location but the consultant at EPU was baffled at how my hcg has been perfectly doubling up to now. It’s very confusing and worrying. Still have no pain or bleeding. I have to go back again tomorrow for more bloods and scan. If my blood is still going up they are suggesting a laparoscopy. They can’t see any evidence of it anywhere on the scans. I’m going to also start a new post about this but has anyone got any ideas what is going on?

Oh @Clove86 I'm totally gutted for you 😥 I was so hoping it would be better news. I hope you're doing OK - take care of yourself the next few days. I hope things become clearer soon. Sending lots of love and support xx

Thinking of you @Clove86 hope you're doing OK xx

I just thought I’d update this for anyone looking for answers…

The suspicious thing seen in my right ovary on the scan did not turn out to be the pregnancy, however it was eventually found in my left ovary. This is strange as the NHS told me my left tube was completely blocked, so nobody can explain how it got there.

After the nurses at EPU telling me I had ‘more chance of winning the lottery’ than an embryo ending up in my ovary, especially following IVF, my gut instinct that something was wrong was correct.

I had surgery to remove the pregnancy as well as part of my ovary.

Fast forward to now and I’m currently pregnant again following another IVF, but again my betas are low:

11dp5dt - 63
14dp5dt - 110.

Im just over 5 weeks but trying to get an early scan as I’m apparently more at risk of another ectopic now. Not feeling too hopeful 🙁.

This journey is so very hard…

So sorry to read about your ectopic last year. And sorry that you're in limbo again, praying that you have a healthy pregnancy this time!

I'm not sure if you're looking for positive stories or not but friends of mine conceived via IVF and their Beta was so low they were told it was negative. She had a bleed but didn't feel right. A week or 2 later took a pregnancy test and it was positive, when speaking to the clinic her numbers were apparently still too low for it to viable. Their little boy is now almost 2!