Tell me about your chemical?

[RunningOnHope]

Hoping for some stories just to help understand what my body is doing.

I've been getting positive tests since Thursday, gradually getting darker I think. Tonight's one is below. But I've also been bleeding since Friday, brown at first but red and heavier since Saturday and today feels much like a full blown period (although not quite as heavy as mine usually are). I'm assuming chemical pregnancy because of the heavy period-type blood.

If you've had one before, when did your tests start to get lighter in relation to when you started bleeding? Can I expect them to keep darkening for another few days before lightening off again?

When I had a chemical I got a clear positive one day and then negatives from the next day followed by my period, so for me it was quite quick.

However I have also had an early miscarriage where I bled for weeks and kept getting strong positives but a scan showed it was a miscarriage (had been eptopic). I think it took about 7 weeks for it all to settle down.

And also with my most recent pregnancy I bled like a period for about 14 days and then took a test which came back positive, I thought it was probably another early miscarriage but a scan showed I had a subchorionic haematoma which had caused the bleed and thankfully resolved itself. I'm now 21 weeks.

So it really could be any number of things and doesn't necessarily mean a miscarriage/chemical, I don't want to get your hopes up unnecessarily but this is what I have experienced. I would try and see your local early pregnancy unit if possible (usually need to be referred through your GP) although they probably won't see you until you're 6/7 weeks depending on which trust you're with. My EPU couldn't see me straight away so I went for a private scan, I was supposed to be 6 weeks by dates (which was the earliest they would see me) but I ended up being earlier than this in the scan I think around 5 or so weeks but it was reassuring that the pregnancy looked normal for that stage and the SCH explained the bleeding, and then also when I went for another scan a week and a half later they found a tiny heartbeat and it had developed from the last scan so was glad I went for the early scan.

Anyway sorry for the long message! Hoping for the best outcome for you lovely ❤️

Just to say I had bleeding throughout my pregnancy with my third son. Baby was fine and scan showed I had placenta praevia, very scary but I had regular scans and had to have a planned c section but he was absolutely fine so bleeding doesn’t always mean miscarriage. I would ring the early pregnancy unit up tomorrow as they will scan you with bleeding and a positive test. Best of luck to you x

Hi ladies, thanks so much for your stories. Can I ask did your bleeding when it was a positive outcome, did it start as early as this (I guess it started at 4+2) and was it different to period blood at all? Mine has been mostly liquid but with some bits in...

Mine started at 12 weeks but I did have implantation bleeding around the time of the positive test which was just like spotting when I wiped for a couple of hours, not enough to go on a pad (I thought AF arrived so put one on) That was discharge mixed with red blood, no clots or anything.
I did have a chemical last month and my positives were nowhere near as strong as yours so fingers crossed for you x

Sorry you're going through this stress.

My chemical experience was positive tests for 3 days followed by negatives and then bleeding the following day. I got pregnant again the following month and she's sitting next to me now.

Thanks for the replies. I had this positive this morning but with heavier bleeding still, and really painful bloating and cramps today.

I'm IVF so my clinic have just said it's probably chemical, test again in a couple of days and let them know.

I tested positive from 13dpo, they were faint lines. Then I started bleeding a week later. It started light but then it was bright red. I had a scan at an early assessment unit and they confirmed there was nothing visible in my womb and I had probably had an early loss. I continued to test positive on pregnancy tests for another week. The epu people said I had an early miscarriage rather than a chemical, because my period was late and the positive tests continued well past when my period was due.

Sorry just wanted to add that I’m sorry this is happening, I remember it being so painful not knowing what was happening. As pp said, it may not necessarily be a loss. Wishing you all the best.

Thanks @HavinKittens. I actually feel better thinking of it as an early miscarriage - especially if it goes on a bit longer and my HCG continues to rise before it falls. Feels more justified in feeling it as a significant thing. The pain has gone, thank goodness. It was a pretty horrible morning.

With my chemicals the lines never got stronger. They faded very quickly and then the bleeding started quite soon after that. With both my successful pregnancies I had spotting/light bleed and cramps which I was positive my period was starting. I always would spot pre period so nothing unusual, I only tested as it stopped. Wishing you all the best xx

Can anyone help me with what might happen next? I'm due to call the fertility clinic tomorrow to let them know where I'm at, and so far still strong lines - I'll test again tomorrow before I call.

If it's still strong will they likely want to do blood tests, or wait for when it would be possible to scan? What do they do if they're concerned about ectopic - can blood tests show that? Just trying to psych myself up for the next stage.

@RunningOnHope this is so stressful and upsetting, I'm sorry you're going through this. I thought I'd share my experience as it might help. I had a frozen embryo transfer in December and got positive tests early on (I have a chronic pee-on-a-stick addiction!). I kept testing daily but then on the day I was due to do the "official" test I had cramps and bleeding. And I mean, proper period-bleeding, with clots and everything. I was devastated, thought it was game over, went in for a scan where it was too early to see a heartbeat so they didn't really know . . . to cut a long story short I bled on and off like I was miscarrying right up until about eight weeks. It was so incredibly stressful and I do not know how that little embryo survived, but it did, and I'm currently 25 weeks with a little girl.

I googled INCESSANTLY during this time and learned that bleeding and cramping in early pregnancy is incredibly common. It doesn't always mean miscarriage. So I would say, don't lose hope just yet, see what the scans tell you, because that's the only way of knowing for sure what's going on.

Wishing you lots of luck

Oh I'm sorry, I should have said what actually happened when I called the clinic, they called me in for a blood test and when the results came back it was over a certain level - I think if there is over a certain amount of hcg in your blood, they are confident they'll see something in a scan - so they got me in for an ultrasound where they could see a sac in the right place. Then I had to wait another three weeks for a scan (at seven weeks) where the heartbeat was visible . . . in spite of lots of bleeding and cramps! They have no idea what caused it all but the baby was alive and well.

@RunningOnHope Hi love, sorry you’re going through this stress, are you still bleeding?
It’s good news that your tests are still strong. I’d imagine the first thing they’ll do is a blood test to check HCG levels. Do you have any pain? Or pain in the shoulders? Usually ectopics are painful and it’s localised right or left hand pain and you can get some shoulder tip pain too.
They may do an internal scan which is just like a small plastic prod (looks a bit like a dildo 😂) with a camera that can look more closely if you’re only early on. It doesn’t hurt I’ve had one and it was fine. Everything crossed for you, try and think positive of you can xx

Hi @zorrodrt thanks so much for your story. I've had two days of lighting bleeding, three days of heavy bleeding and now another day where it's dropped from medium to light. Hoping it might stop tomorrow. Not too dissimilar to my period in length or heaviness really. I had heavy day, more like bloating/trapped wind pain with some cramping for about 2-3 hours. And then that afternoon passed something sort of white and stringy which I assume was any 'products' of the pregnancy.

So it really does seem impossible that the embryo has survived. But I do appreciate the hopeful story. I'll gear up for a blood test, if the pregnancy test is strong tomorrow.

That was meant to say *I had pain on one of the heavy days...

Everything crossed for you. I had a chemical beginning of April but have had no bleeding and have gone onto a completely new cycle after it. Had a scan and they said body has just reabsorbed the pregnancy and gone onto a new one. So currently 8DPO and on day 72 of my cycle. I know how crap it is not knowing. It’s emotional torment. Try and take one day at a time and just concentrate on looking after yourself xx

Just to conclude this thread: I've been to EPU and had early miscarriage confirmed. Thanks for your supportive messages along the way xx