Does anyone know anything about HCG levels?

[undertheduvet]

Hi, I am pregnant again after a missed miscarriage in June this year at 10 weeks.
I have had long cycles since the miscarrige of approx 34 days so I know I ovulate late in my cycle.
Based on OPK i think I am about 4 weeks but LMP puts me at 6.

Last Tuesday I started spotting pink blood again, so have been for HCG blood tests to see whats going on (however I think I know what the outcome will be )My first result was 30,050 and todays was 37,856 so a long way off the doubling that is supposed to occur.

I was just wondering if anyone had experience of this, very high levels ans not inceasing as they should.

I am back at the EPU in the morning so should have some answers then, but have been going mad googling

Thanks in advance

Hi
I'm in a similarish situation - spotting and visit to EPU. Baby measured 5-6 weeks but I was 9 weeks. I have to go back tomorrow for 2nd scan. The wait has been very hard and so went to have bloods. They fell from 44,600 to 38,500 and so my case is pretty conclusive. In your case, it could be that your HCG doubling time is longer. I read that HCG growth tails off after high levels but not sure if this is the case towards end of 1st tri. I also read that an increase but non-doubling could indicate ectopic. However, I also read of cases where hcg didn't double but women went on to have viable pregnancies.
Good luck tomorrow.

sh77

so sorry that you are going through this too, the waiting is definately the hardest part of it all. I hope your 2nd scan tomorrow gives you your answers.

Hopefully tommorrow I will know more, trying to keep a little glimmer of positivity in me but having already experienced the worst I am being more pragmatic.

undertheduvet - I don't want to give false hope, but it is not reliable to use hcg levels after the baby is visable on scan (after about hcg level of about 2000). The levels gradually double more and more slowly and finally reach a peak at around 8 to 11 weeks. "By 6 to 7 weeks gestation beta hCG levels may take as long as 3 1/2 days to double [2,3]. The beta hCG may take more than 2 to 3 days to double in 15% of normal intrauterine pregnancies." Normal pregnancy can continue even with slow rising hcg.

Remember that OPK results are not reliable for pinpointing ovulation, so it could be that you are further along than you think and it tie in with your lmp instead.

I can empathise with you being in the limbo land at the moment. I am fairly sure I am miscarrying at the moment, but just waiting for confirmation too.

I hope that you get good news rather than the bad news you are expecting.

Sorry rainbow that you are going through this too.

Duvet - my hope is no more as everything has gone against me (bleeding, baby small for dates, fall in HCG, loss of preg symptoms). It would take a miracle now and as I have had the worst 6 months of my life, I don't believe in them either!

I really hope it will be good news for you. Let us know how it goes. x

Hi rainbow and Sh77

sh77, so sorry about your news, I know how heartbreaking it is, Im so sorry for your loss and your bad couple of months.
My miscarriage in June came at the end of a grim couple of months with the death of my beloved nan and the ill health of my dad and other nan, so I can appreciate how you must be feeling.
Take care of yourself and take as much time as you need to recover.

Rainbow, I hope your news is ok, I am thinking of you.

Well I had my scan today and to my and DH's suprise there was a baby with a heartbeat, measuring 6 to nearly 7 weeks. The doctor doing the scan basically said that the hormone increase was only really important early on in pregnancy and was no cause for concern.
However we were in this position in May this year of a scan after bleeding showing all ok but sadly the baby died approx 1 week later, only to be picked up as a missed miscarriage 2 weeks later after bleeding again, so we are still cautious of todays reults and I am booked in for another scan in 3 weeks.

So excitement is still on hold in this house until we get beyond the stage we were at last time so time will tell I suppose.

Take care both of you

That is absolutely wonderful news! Really pleased for you. Thank you for your lovely comments also.

undertheduvet - wow, great to hear you got good news, I hope that your news continues to be good and that you get to have some excitement over the pregnancy soon.

sh77 - how are you doing? thinking of you.

I had hcg levels done yesterday, and will have more blood taken tomorrow. So I hope I will know a bit more about whether this is another miscarriage or not by the end of the week.

Hey rainbow
How ae you feeling? Good luck for tomorrow.

Well, went to EPU yestetday and scan confirmed missed MC. I have had a few days to come to terms with it and am glad I had my HCG tested as that saved me from the pain of finding out on scan day. The doc was very nice and offered us karyotyping blood tests straight away, which I was surprised by as I thought these were offered after recurrent MC. I think she took us seriously and didn't say "accident of nature" or "just one of those things" due to the loss of our baby earlier in the year.

I am still hoping for a natural loss but still no blood or major cramping. If nothing happens by the weekend then I will have the EPC next Monday. Emotionally, I am feeling ok. I can't change anything that has happened and so have to plod along and plan the next phase of my life. I am tired of crying but feel very fragile. I hope I can turn a corner to something positive very soon.

Please let us know how you get on.

Duvet - sorry for hijacking!