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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

CB Digital going in wrong direction

73 replies

Northey · 15/09/2011 13:25

Has anyone experienced this and gone on to have a baby from the pregnancy? Two weeks ago it said "2-3 weeks", a week ago it said "3 weeks", today it says "2-3 weeks".

Please, please reassure me that all is not lost, as I sit in the waiting room for the first of two hcg blood tests. Or, alternatively, prepare me kindly for the worst :-(

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milkyways · 15/09/2011 13:33

Hi, try not to worry. Your urine may have been diluted with the third test which is why you got a lower reading. Also, different women produce different levels of hcg in urine at different points in pregnancy, so it's not always accurate.
Blood tests are much more accurate, so just wait for the results of the bloods and then see what happens. Wishing you the best.

MandaHugNKiss · 15/09/2011 13:35

So sorry you're going through this stress northey

Right. Conception Indicator is the work of the devil. But now they've screwed with your head lets try and establish whether all the variable are the same? All taken with FMU? Each time did you sleep the whole way through or did you get up to wee in the night? Drink in the night/before bed? Basically, ANYTHING that could have made a difference to how dilute your pee was?

Original poster

Northey · 15/09/2011 13:41

Yes. The first two were done with FMU in similar circumstances just a week apart. Today's was done at lunchtime, shortly after an early scan for which I had drunk gallons of water.

The scan showed nothing there, so I emptied my bladder and we tried a trans vaginal scan instead. Still nothing, so I was sent away to POAS as a prelude to working out what is more likely out of MMC, ectopic pregnancy, or just earlier in the pregnancy than thought, so nothing yet to see. So I squeezed out a few drops of v pale urine in a Caffe Nero loo.

Would that be enough to have dropped me all the way down to 2-3 weeks again?

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Original poster

Northey · 15/09/2011 13:42

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kat2504 · 15/09/2011 14:08

For what it's worth both times I had a missed miscarriage the Evil Blue Diffage Indicator never went back down.
They really are the work of the devil and I had a scare with it early on this time but it was all fine. Since you have done the tests a week apart and therefore must be about 6 weeks by now, I'd say you may be right to worry and it is good that you are getting the tests done, but as I say, clearblue is not a predictor of miscarriage. There is some hope if you are perhaps not sure of your dates, however if you are definitely past six weeks they should have seen at least a yolk sac by now.

Hoping it turns out well for you.

MandaHugNKiss · 15/09/2011 14:09

Oh, I should definitely think so!

Look, I can't guarantee a good outcome for you but the third test had little to no chance of showing you a 3+ result when you've only recently moved up to that! Probably, given your fluid intake and how recently you'd pee'd a 2-3 result is actually good.

I know you're a bit unsure of your dates (I'm a May2012-er too) so it's possible that it's too early for a scan to show anything anyway.

Do cling to hope, I think there's plenty of reason to.

LIG1979 · 15/09/2011 14:10

The very pale urine sounds like the most likely cause - it was diluted so the concentration of HCG was lower making the test thing that you were less pregnant than you are.

Early scans are very unreliable and I know I was reccomended after a mmc to not have a scan before 7 weeks next time since it could cause unnecessary stress if they couldn't see something because it was too early and by 7 weeks a heartbeat should be visible even if I am out by a few days with my ovulation. Good luck! x

kat2504 · 15/09/2011 14:11

They do say that the conception indicator needs FMU to be accurate, i have just looked at a box. So that might be the problem.

MandaHugNKiss · 15/09/2011 14:21

Right you ot your bfp on the 3rd of this month. Given your wonky cycles it's possible you were even less than due for af at that point (my bfp was at 11dpo!). Even if it was due, you would still only be about 5 and a half weeks. At which point even top of the range machines are only going to see a sac.

Again, I can't guarantee everything is ok, but you're very early still and it's normal to see nothing much at such a stage on a scan.

Hang in there!

Original poster

Northey · 15/09/2011 14:36

Oh thank you, all of you. It is nice just not to feel alone, as I trudge from doctor to doctor!

Just seen my GP, who was absolutely lovely, and who said that ectopic is very unlikely, as a recent dye test showed no issues with blockages. So it's a toss up between MMC and too early to see anything. She took blood today, and will take more tomorrow, and has made me an appointment at the Early Pregnancy Unit for when I get back from holiday (am in Italy next week, so will spend the time tormenting myself over whether I can eat delicious prosciutto crudo or not!).

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themightyskim · 15/09/2011 18:41

isnt there something on the clear blue about when you get to a certain level of pregnancy they cant read your hormones any more? they are so high that they mess with the reader? or is that a bit later on? fingers crossed for you x

Original poster

Northey · 15/09/2011 21:04

Thanks, mightyskim. Could well be that. Though if the levels were high enough to mess with the reader, something ought to be showing up in a scan :(

Am lying in bed googling away and currently wondering whether to entertain the idea that it could be twins. That could give me hcg levels high enough to skew the CB Digital results into thinking I am more pregnant than I am. Which would mean it wasn't surprising that nothing showed today. And the lower CB Digital result this lunchtime could just be because of the pre-scan water guzzling.

I may well be fooling myself, but hey, if it comforts me enough to let me go to sleep!

Thanks again for taking the time to respond. It really has helped.

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banana87 · 15/09/2011 21:19

Try not to worry. And test with FMU again in the morning just to reassure yourself. Just because CBD said 3 weeks+ does not mean that they will necessarily be able to see anything. There are loads of stories about people who saw nothing and went back 2 weeks later to see a hb! Also 3 weeks+ only means (by the very inaccurate conception indicator) that you are 5 weeks pregnant, often too early for them to see anything on a scan anyway. What were your HCG levels?

Original poster

Northey · 16/09/2011 06:36

I should find out yesterday's levels when I go for today's blood test. Will keep you posted.

Right. I have just done another CB Work of the Devil with FMU, and it is saying 3+ weeks again. So on the one hand, hurrah for non-declining hCG. On the other, if I've been at 3+ weeks since a week and a half ago, shouldn't I be 6+ weeks with something to see on a scan by now? Argh. Well, will see what happens with blood test today.

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kat2504 · 16/09/2011 07:21

Good! If you were miscarrying the CB would be unlikely to go back up again, if it started to go down it would continue going down. Mine went from 3 to 2-3 back to 3 again, but that was all within one week [shameless poas addict]

It could be, like mine, that the first 3+ was showing up too early. I got one at 4+4 and then panicked when it went to 2-3 (although 2-3 was the correct result) According to Clearblue, the conception indicator is highly accurate with the 1-2 reading, as that is essentially just pregnant/not pregnant. When you are past 5 weeks, it is also highly accurate at showing 3+. The 2-3 rating is only 75% accurate so there is a one in four chance that the 2-3 that you saw was just a crap test.

Hoping that this all turns out well for you. Step away from the sticks now and good luck with the blood tests.

MandaHugNKiss · 16/09/2011 09:26

Northey It's probable you got the 3+ reading early because of your hcg levels, not because you were actually 5+ weeks when you got the result. The 'normal' levels for hcg very SO MUCH from woman to woman in early pregnancy that I can't see how they claim such a high accuracy. What is consistent from woman to woman in a healthy pregnancy is the amount of time it takes the hcg to double and that's what they will be measuring with bloods 24 hours apart.

Good luck!

SlightlyScrambled · 16/09/2011 10:23

This sounds a little like what I went through at 6 - 7 weeks. MW couldn't see anything on the ultrasound and told me I may be miscarrying. She got me to POAS and the line was very faint.

I had to wait another week to go back for another scan and in the meantime, pee'd on numerous sticks and it was a really faint line. Much fainter than when I got the initial positive result.

But an internal scan at 9 weeks showed a healthy baby and I'm now at 23 weeks and no problems.

I'm swearing now, if I ever get pregnant again, I'm not going to visit the doctor or midwife until I'm at week 10. Too much stress.

Original poster

Northey · 16/09/2011 11:10

Yesterday's results weren't yet available when I had blood taken just now, which spoils my plan to spend the next hour googling hcg ranges. But hopefully I should get both results when I

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Original poster

Northey · 16/09/2011 11:12

[oops] ... phone tonight.

Thanks again to everyone taking the time to comfort me and advise me and share their stories. It really is lovely of you all.

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kat2504 · 16/09/2011 11:14

Step away from google. Normal HCG ranges are so massively wide that it won't tell you anything. Try to find yourself something reasonably distracting to do instead if you can.
Fingers crossed for you :)

Original poster

Northey · 16/09/2011 11:22

I am meeting a friend for an unnecessary cakefest, kat! I shall distract myself with buttercream and sponge and chocolate and frosting :)

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Original poster

Northey · 16/09/2011 19:02

Ok, lovely helpful people. Yesterday at 2pm my hCG was 9586. Today at 11am it was 11969. GP feels this is on track to double in 48 hours and I can feel reasonably content that it rules out earlier miscarriage. I don't feel content. I feel all anguished still. It ISN'T halfway to doubling (even though I know the increase isn't necessarily in a straight line), so I still feel like I can't be certain nothing is wrong. Though I might just have to live with that feeling for a while.

I'm not sure I can tell anything else from those levels. Are they high enough that the scan really should have showed something?

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pinkytheshrinky · 16/09/2011 19:10

It is unusual that nothing was on the scan. I was scanned the other day (as had no idea at all of my dates) and was 6 weeks and 3 days and it was all very clear and measurable with a heartbeat - the scan was done vaginally.

And agree with everyone else, step away from google and ask to go back and be rescanned asap. My fingers are crossed for you x

banana87 · 16/09/2011 19:48

Look here: www.babymed.com/hcg-level-in-early-pregnancy

You still could well be in the very early stages of pregnancy hence nothing showing on the scan. Your GP is right, your levels are very good.

Maternal instinct on the other hand, can be very powerful, so if you are pretty convinced something is wrong, there may well be :(

kat2504 · 17/09/2011 07:23

Really your gp should have done the tests 48 hours apart! The doubling every two days is a rough estimate and after the earliest stages it can be more like every 2-3 days and still be ok.
What was the size of the sac? Did they tell you? That makes quite a difference to the outcome. If it is very small it may be just too early. If it is above a certain size, it is more likely to be a blighted ovum that they just cant diagnose yet for sure without as second scan.
Once you have had ultrasound, and ectopic has been ruled out for sure, hcg isn't that useful anymore. Either the scan will show progress or it won't. Hopefully you are wrong about the dates but I agree, if you have a bad feeling about it, it may well be a blighted ovum. Horrible thing to happen, and no comfort knowing how common it is either.
When it happened to me they didn't even bother re-scanning me because my empty sac was bigger than 20mm. That is the cut off point that they use.

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