hook effect / placenta takeover or miscarriage

[Dodds87]

First test is fmu. Rest have been diluted with water

Wondering if anyone can give me their opinion please. Any test addicts out there.
I've attached photos .
Test this monring with fmu was light , last week my tests were super dark so hcg has decreased. Now..

So my hcg levels were actually tested just over a week ago and were 16.000 so not that high for the hook effect right ?

Would the placenta really be taking over at 9 weeks ?
Nhs state 12 weeks and hcg should peak at 10 weeks. So this dosent sound like me does it ? And would hcg get stronger when diluted due to placenta?

Lastly , of course it could be a miscarriage. Would it be getting darker when diluted if I was a miscarriage?

Any thoughts?
I shouldn't be testing but I am a serial tester as my last pregnancy was a miscarriage but happened at 4 weeks. Started bleeding day after period and hcg went down few days later but I'm aware you can have a missed miscarriage and not be aware

@Dodds87 no I don't think it's placenta related. Call the hospital and see if you can get a scan if you can't afford an early privately. If you've suffered a miscarriage previously, they may be more sympathetic and see you!

Epu wont see me unless accompanied by bleeding.
i did have cramping on friday which concerns me.
I can't get a scan until after Christmas due to holidays there's no slots

Wrote this on your other thread but copying it here. I say this with love:

After a point testing is just torturing yourself. Torturing yourself expensively. Stop testing. I know you're anxious and I've been there, but this will make no difference to the outcome. Try some mindfulness techniques, they really worked for me when I was in this position. Good luck.

I second what @LambriniBobinIsleworth please stop testing, it'll tell you nothing at all and it is just causing you stress and anxiety at this stage, especially if your miscarriage was at 4 weeks in your previous pregnancy.

If you're worried, pay for an early scan or if you get bleeding/cramping call your EPU. Otherwise try to keep your brain busy on other things until your 12 week scan x

@Dodds87 not sure what are we looking for in the picture. To me they all look the same.

Maybe this gives a better idea of what I'm talking about. The test was lighter but gets darker if i diluted it with water strangely. Bottom test is diluted with water @emmatcc1 it looks darker in pic , i think theyve dried down but was actually very faint in real life.

But OP, testing will not change the outcome.
It just wastes money.

I'm sorry you're so worried but you're just torturing yourself.

@TheShellBeach I know it won't change the outcomes.
I'm just curious If anyone has experienced similar what the outcome was as I find that confusing. I had a load of testing lying around that I was going to be binning anyway and since I can't get a scan til new year

@Dodds87 I does seem like hook effect. Every pregnancy is different and it doesn’t matter what nhs says. In my opinion you have nothing to worry about.

@emmatcc1 thanks. I'm really crossing my fingers thats what it is.
I guess I just thought the hook effect was incredibly rare according to clearblue website it needs to be above 500k . Weird since i know mine wasn't exceptionally high I don't think it would be over 100k based on last bloods but close and was just curious if others had experienced anything similar that could tell me what theirs was as its so odd . For example the photo attached top is fmu but if I add water to the cup it's dark again bottom pic. I've never heard of hook effect before and would have thought if I was miscarrying surely it dosent make sense how hcg would get darker if you water it down. You'd suspect it would be even lighter wouldn't you .

I would imagine the concentration of reagent on each individual test would make a difference. Maybe pay for a private scan.

@Dodds87 I just read on a forum where women started experiencing this and the were only 5 weeks, all healthy babies.
https://community.whattoexpect.com/forums/march-2021-babies/topic/hook-effect-experience-98537446.html

I'm usually quite sceptical of the hook effect, but tbh I can't think of any other reason why a test with urine you have diluted would be darker that the test with the supposedly more concentrated urine. I do think this could be the hook effect.

To be honest at 9 weeks, it's not that common to have kept testing. Agree with pp that the time to stop testing was weeks ago, at this point if you have concerns you need a scan.

The reason it's odd and confusing is that pregnancy tests aren't designed for the purpose for which you're using them. They're accurate in terms of pass/fail - whether there's HCG or not. Not for how much HCG there is. So varying results might mean your HCG level, or it might mean the hook effect, or it might mean inconsistent quality in the tests. You can't know which and will drive yourself mad figuring it out. And I say that as someone who's been in your position - I do understand the mindset.

Also, just to reassure you that cramping on its own isn't a cause for concern (I had it loads my first pregnancy and everything was absolutely fine).