Help! - Apparently I'm an enigma!

[Ses15]

To cut a long story short, I'm currently in the position of just not knowing what's happening with my body and the EPU don't seem to know for certain either and yesterday told me I was an enigma!

I'll explain the background to that and will try and keep it brief.....

We discovered I had a mmc at 12 week scan on 11th April and then had ERPC on 16th April. On 17th May, I did a hpt as had been feeling tired and had been weeing a bit more. I got a BFP but wasn't convinced as didn't know how long hormone levels took to get back to normal.

10 days later - and after another 3 BFPs - went to see GP who told me to wait a week and if still +ve she'd organise a scan. Sure enough, still +ve so had scan last Wednesday. Sonographer said scan was inconclusive and there was a small area that could be a new pregnancy but she thought more likely "retained product" from mmc. She sent me down to EPU. They asked if I'd had any bleeding since bleeding after ERPC had stopped and I haven't so they thought retained product unlikely. They did HCG blood test followed by a 2nd HCG blood test 2 days later, last Friday. Results were 2055 from Wednesday and 1925 on Friday.

Everyone seems confused! The levels of HCG are high enough to suggest a new pregnancy but they've dropped. Also my first BFP was 17th May, then in theory I should be about 7 weeks pregnancy now which would show on the scan! One possibility is that it's a new pregnancy that has again miscarried but EPU don't seem convinced by that either!

I had to go back to EPU yesterday for another blood test and then back again tomorrow fo another scan and blood test results.

If you're still reading then thank you! What I have written so far is pretty factual but this is really messing with my head too! It seems to have been draggin on for ages! Do you know of anyone with similar experiences? Do you have any ideas??

Oh how distressing for you.

I don't have any advice, but I hope they can give you something a bit more concrete today.

Thanks Lou. It really is v distressing. Don't think I'm going to get anything more concrete today as just seeing GP but hopefully 2nd scan tomorrow might (?!?) help.

Anybody else with any ideas or similar situations???

Bump!

oh it sounds awful!

I don't have much advice, I'm afraid but hopefully someone will come along soon with loads of experience and they'll be able to actually help.

Thanks Squonk! I hope so...!!

How awful for you, am so sorry you must be feeling so confused and had enough of this!!! When i had a mmc at 9 weeks i had a medical management as oppose to a d/c but still four weeks afterwards the tests kept coming back positive and the scan was inconclusive then it was decided that there were retained products left in utertus! It did come right in the end but was very distressing and ironically in the end i was wishing for a negative to appear just so there could be some kind of closure! Takecare and keep us posted.
XXX.

Thanks Sue. Another scan tomorrow so will let you know what happens next....

Seems strange that I can still be getting positive tests in the 000s, 8 weeks after ERPC but you never know!

I know what you mean about wishing for a negative. Can I ask how long it took in the end for you to get a negative?

2nd mc it took 3 months for me to get -ve after mc -and that was an early mc so wouldn't have had high levels to start with. I got extra close monitoring due to previous problem, so scans and bloodtests - but, yes, it is very ironic that you end up waiting for -ve test. Even surprised the EPU nurse who was giving me results of blood test by my 'fantastic' greeting to the news - she hadn't read my notes .

Good luck and hope that it sorts itself out soon.

Thanks mistlethrush. Hopefully at my scan tomorrow they'll be able to decide what to do about the "irregular area" too!

Do you know what levels your HCG were at? I know a hpt usually tests +ve from about 20 but at the moment I'm reading about 2000!

Just seen my GP and she said to check that they're certain it isn't a molar pregnancy. I know they sent a bit of tissue to histology after the mmc in April and I thought part of that was to rule out a mole. Does anyone know if that's the case? I know they said thehostology all came back ok and that it was pregnancy tissue???

Update.... Went back to EPU today. Blood tests stil show HCG levels dropping and scan showed no change so they want ot do another ERPC. They're still not sure whether it's still "retained products" from mmc in April or whether it's a new pg but whatever it is it's not a viable pg so ERPC on Monday

for you

I should imagine the histology was to rule out a mole, but it would be as well to confirm this with the hospital. I had a partial mole in April diagnosed after an ERPC for mmc - my hospital is the local centre for molar screening and follow-up, so you'd expect them to be on the ball. The mole has quite distinctive chromosomal abnormalities, though, so I suspect histology would have picked this up. So sorry you're having to go through this - mc plus limbo is pretty grim.

Thanks lou & Habbibu.

I did ask about a mole today and they said normally the HCG levels would be a lot higher (mine was 2055 last Wednesday and has since decreased to 1795). They also said they would have tested for that last time as a sample did go to histology. I guess they'll sent another sample this time too!

yes - my 1st mc was mp - which is why I get such careful monitoring... But I didn't want to say anything to unduely worry you as it is so uncommon.... with that levels after 3 months were over 7,000 afaikr

Hope all goes well

Thanks mistlethrush, that's reassuring. Hope things are better for you now.

hey ses, just catching up on this. so sorry to see the results of the scan

Thanks squonk. I guess it's a relief to - hopefully - be heading to an end point in this so we can have a couple of months break from it all before ttc again. Definitely not looking forward to 2nd ERPC in 10 weeks but just really want to have dc1!!!

If you want to, you can look at the pics on my profile, the two littlies were both conceived after two miscarriages.

good luck for when you do start ttc-ing again.

xx

Ses - I had 2 erpc in 10wks - but that was because it was a mp and the hospital I had the 1st erpc in (on way home from holiday ) didn't get back with the results to say that I needed to be checked up - so when I kept on going back to the drs saying that I wasn't right they just said things would settle down... I hope that this sorts things out, you can have a bit of a break, and things work out in the end (Ds arrived after mp treatment...)

Thanks mistlethrush - encouraging to hear your story although sorry you've had a rough time getting there.

Ses - so sorry you are going through this. Im still going through my whole nightmare at the mo that started back in Jan, but wotn bore you with all teh details. I only had to endure one ERPC though so good lcuk to you, hope it goes well xx

With molar the HCG would be alot higher, mine at 7 weeks was 222,000 (poor dp!) This is when alarm bells rang and they thought it was molar but as it turns out mine was a twin preg, sadly mc'd both of them.

Either scenario is likely for you but Im so sorry its a sad ending. Keep going though. As Squonk said. My DS2 (on profile) was conceived after 5 consecutive mc's, hes a 16 month old monster now

Hi Ses,

I have been there and know how horrible and
confused you feel at the moment. But keep posting for both: emotional and factual support.

I had a very similar scenario and in my case they had not removed all of the placenta in the first ERPC. The placenta kept producing hormones. I had no bleeding at all, which is why they didn't think there were "retained products" but as it turned out they had calcified very quickly and would have never come out by themselves. I had another ERPC.

I would ask for a scan after the second ERPC and continue to monitor the hormones yourselves. Once you have a -ve you know what a +ve thereafter means!

I cannot remember if that would have helped me when I was in the same situation, but I have now a 6 month old conceived 30 days after all complications were sorted!

All the best to you and CAT me if you would like more info!