Stalled line progression - now what?

[PlumPlayer]

Hello,

Trigger warning - I have some questions about what happens if you have an early miscarriage.

I am currently 21dpo / 4weeks 6days (first very faint positive at 9dpo) and haven’t really seen change in my Premom tests since 17dpo, and I would also think the lines should be darker than this by now, especially on the FRER (photos of both attached).

I’m feeling like this doesn’t bode well, from lots of other threads I’ve read with similar photos…

I do know the pitfalls of testing causing anxiety and that they’re not always accurate so I’m not completely giving up hope but I am bracing myself significantly.

I guess I have two questions

1. Do you all agree that it’s not looking great for me just now? Anyone with similar like progressions where things went on to be okay?

2. What do I do now, if I don’t start bleeding but don’t see any further progression? I’m Scotland-based - my vibe is I wouldn’t be able to get HCG or anything checked on the NHS so would need to pay for a private test - does anyone know if that’s right? Would an early scan at 6 weeks make the most sense? What happens if they find it isn’t viable, eg is an empty gestational sac? I know they may not see a heartbeat at 6 weeks anyway so might have to go back.

Thank you all so much in advance for your collective wisdom! ❤️

Hello, I can understand your worry as I too test loads when pregnant and can get really hung up on line progression BUT remember that pregnancy tests can't measure how healthy a pregnancy is. It's just a yes or no really. There has been progression from your very early tests to now. They do seem maybe a tiny bit light for how many dpo you are however that could be down to a lot of reasons - how dilute your urine is for example.

I had a chemical pregnancy in June, I got a very faint positive (squinter) at 14dpo which progressed slightly over the next 2 days then started to fade back to negative within about 5 days. Bleeding then started a couple of days later. I have also had a MMC at about 9 weeks which I had surgical management for - if pregnancy doesn't progress but your body doesn't miscarry naturally there are a few options that the hospital will give you. Honestly though the tests being fainter than what you expect doesn't automatically mean MC.

Maybe get some HCG blood draws done and go from there if you are really worried? Ultrasound wouldn't give you a definitive answer until maybe 7 weeks if no heartbeat or growth is detected at that point xxx

Thank you for your reply!

Does anyone know if HCG blood tests are offered in the NHS, or would it have to be private? I can see some info online for some English NHS trusts, but nothing is coming up for Scotland, so I assume not, but thought I’d check!

The tests look fine to me... I'd step away from the tests...
if you want a private early scan, most places suggest waiting until 7/8weeks as feral poke should be present then.
But I completely understand the anxiety!