I don't know if I've miscarried or not

[LordTumble]

Hi everyone

This is my first post on Mumsnet. I'm feeling so fed up/frustrated today. I found out I was pregnant almost two weeks ago. Last Wednesday at 4+2 I started having a small amount of light brown spotting. This continued every day until Sunday (4+6) when I had some red bleeding. Immediately I thought I was miscarrying but almost as soon as it started it stopped. There was enough to fill a pantyliner but nowhere near as much as a normal period. There were no clots and no pain. Since then I've had very scanty amounts of dark brown but mainly when I wipe.

My EPAU won't do anything because I'm not 6 weeks. I spoke to my doctor when the spotting first started and he asked me to come in for a blood test to measure my hCG. I've had bloods taken this morning and the nurse said it can take up to a week to get results. So now I'm in limbo. I've no idea if the bleeding I had was a miscarriage, there didn't seem to be enough of it iykwim but then I could just be clutching at straws. I did a pregnancy test this morning and got a strong positive but that could be leftover hCG in my system. I plan to do another test in a week and see if I get a fainter line or negative.

I know that the only thing I can do now is sit and wait. I have no idea if I'm still pregnant or not, although I'm thinking probably not. Just needed to have a bit of a rant, no one knows about the pregnancy apart from my OH as we don't want people to know we're TTC.

I'm so sad and confused

Hi LordTumble, sorry to hear you're upset and having a hard time. However, you say you are 4 weeks pregnant but found you were pregnant two weeks ago... Do you mean you are actually 6 weeks, because doctors count you as 2 weeks pregnant when you conceived and 4 weeks when your AF would have been due? So maybe you are 6 weeks and could get help from the epau? I would check this and call them back. Some bleeding can be nothing, but it can be a sign of problems so worth checking, especially if you are 6 weeks.

Hi there,
Sorry you are experiencing this, it must be awful for you.

HCG results are usually available same day taken, you then go back 48 hours later and have repeat tests to compare levels.

Pregnancy tests will remain positive for a few weeks, even after miscarriage so are unreliable in giving you any information 're miscarriage.

There will be people on here that have bled in early pregnancy and who have gone on to have healthy baby's without getting to the bottom of the cause of the bleeding so don't lose all hope it could still be ok.

Can you make another appointment with the nurse tomorrow or Thursday for results & repeat bloods?

Hi Lacey, thanks for your reply. Sorry I don't think I came across very clearly in my post (it's hard to type whilst balancing a 23month old on your knee). I'm currently 5+1, found out I was pregnant using those super duper early tests so got a faint positive four days before AF was due so about 12 days ago. Done a few tests since and have been getting lovely dark lines. Hopefully should be able to get a scan next week.

Hi Jimijack

That's what I thought usually happened with the blood tests but my Dr only said about having the one because apparently if my hCG levels are above 1500 they might be able to pick up something on the scan. Did strike me as a bit pointless tbh. The nurse today said they have a backlog due to the bank holiday. I think I will ring up again and ask to speak to my Dr about getting repeat bloods taken.

Thanks for your help.

It is very possible this was an implantation bleed. I had very similar to this, and then had spotting which carried on for weeks. I had several scans - on the first they could only see a sac, on the next a tiny bean, then on the next a heart beat! It's hard, but don't despair - I'm currently waiting to pick my bean up from nursery

Knockmedown I loved reading your story. It would be amazing if I had the same outcome. Currently expecting the worst so I can be prepared however :-/

LordTumble I also think this might be implantation bleeding. I had a lot of brown gunk and stuff coming out around the 5/6 week mark. If you had miscarried, you would likely have had a lot more red blood and cramping. Fingers crossed for you - but sounds like all might be okay.

The bloods shouldn't take that long though? Hope you get results asap - there's no way you should have to wait a week.

Good luck!

I meant to say - I had same and am now 12 weeks pregnant, so it wasn't a miscarriage, just implantation spotting.

There's lots of causes of bleeding in early pregnancy, most are not sinister. I had similar in my first pregnancy with DD (now 2.7), it was a ruptured haemorrhagic cyst. Is it worth calling EPAU/local midwife? Tell them you're pregnant but don't know haw far along, and bleeding. Most will scan and then rescan in a week or two if there's nothing to see initially.