Was this chemical or clinical pregnancy loss?

[resipsa]

HNY everyone. Hope your evenings were better than mine.

Trying to work out when my body will recover from this loss. Can you help?

I had a scan at 7+1 yesterday which revealed an empty uterus (and I felt like a fraud, as if I'd made up the whole thing).

I tested +ve on 15 Dec at 4+6, getting '2-3 weeks' on a CB digi. If CBs literature is correct (?), that would have meant an hCG level of 200+.

I spotted lightly from 17 Dec so knew there was a problem. Total blood loss has been less than a usual AF but the spotting has now been going on for more than 2 weeks. HCG yesterday was 83 so still high enough for a +ve test although pregnancy obviously failing.

For anyone who has had a chemical pregnancy, does this sound like yours? Does it mean I can treat the end of the bleed like the end of AF? Or do you think the pregnancy might have been too advanced for my body not to register it as a miscarriage?

Sorry if this is a bit convoluted but as you will all appreciate, the need to move forward and try again is overwhelming and I can't bear the thought of another week or so of drip drip loss.

Hi resispa and sorry for your loss. I'm not sure it is any less crap whatever you call it, but the terminology being confusing doesn't really help, so here's my take on it.
A chemical pregnancy is when you get a positive pregnancy test but then your period arrives pretty much on time. An egg was fertilised and began to produce HCG but did not implant successfully or in time to prevent AF occurring. AF would be fairly normal, I.e. if you hadn't tested you would not have known you were pregnant.
I'd call what happened to you a missed miscarriage where the pregnancy failed early on but the body continues to produce pregnancy hormone. It's also sometimes called blighted ovum when there is nothing visible on a scan.
Your HCG should continue to fall to the point where you get a negative test. How long the spotting continues depends on how thick the lining still is. It will probably say this on your scan notes, so worth phoning up to ask. For most people they will get their next AF 4-6 weeks after the start of a MC, but this first cycle is not so affectionately referred to as WTF (what the f**?) because it is so variable how your body will handle it.
The only thing I'd be wary of with a still-positive test, spotting and nothing visible is ectopic pregnancy. It sounds like nature is taking her course anyway and the pregnancy is being lost, but if you got one-sided or shoulder tip pain then go straight back to EPU.
Do another test in a few days. It's useful to have had a negative so you can be sure any future positive is the real deal.

Thanks for the info. When I had a blighted ovum in 2012, the scan showed a gestational sac that was empty but the body went on as if pregnant (producing hCG) until week 10 so this one felt different as levels falling by week 6 and at 44 today. It's so hard not to overthink it but I guess that I will just have to be patient.

Thanks again for replying.

sorry if I am teaching you to suck eggs! If your levels have halved again then hopefully you'll get a negative test and reset your cycle soon. If you feel you haven't lost much lining maybe prepare for an unpleasant AF next month though? I've seen quite a few people say they lost less than expected with a MC then it came away next cycle.

I have had 4 miscarriages all of which happened at 5 weeks so I got the positive test and then a week or so later started to miscarry. The specialist that I saw confirmed that these were miscarriages. On the plus side, I got pregnant the cycle after my 4 th miscarriage and thankfully we are celebrating her 1st birthday.

So although this may seem like a miserable start to the new year, just remember in a matter of a few weeks thing can change considerably.

Sending you big hugs.xo