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Pregnancy

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

Original poster

In such a confusing and difficult situation and need help please!

68 replies

PollyCazaletWannabe · 14/01/2017 09:36

According to my dates I am 10 weeks pregnant (10 + 1) but today I had a scan which showed that the baby was only measuring 6-7 weeks and there was no heartbeat, so was told that the baby had most likely died :( anyway so then I was given a blood test to determine my progesterone and HCG levels in order to make the decision about what type of medical intervention to go for. This is where it gets confusing - my HCG and progesterone levels are not consistent with the baby having died! In fact I have a progesterone level of 19 (normal range for the first trimester is 9-47) and HCG level is 52,509 which is also consistent with a 6-8 weeks pregnancy!
Now I know I didn't get my dates wrong because my LMP was on 4th November but I only came off the pill at the end of August and so I suppose it's possible that my cycle was not yet regular?
I am very confused and don't know what to think. The doc wants me to go back for another test on Monday to see if progesterone levels are rising but I am finding it hard to wait! Had anyone had anything similar happen?
In case you are wondering how I have managed to have a blood test and results already today, I am in China ;)
Thanks in advance for any or all responses

OP posts:
TeaCakeLiterature · 14/01/2017 09:40

Hoping you got your dates wrong as at that early stage sometimes a heartbeat can't be picked up.

We had an early private scan around 7wks to see if there was a heartbeat as I was a bit paranoid after knowing lots of people who'd miscarried...is it possible to have another scan privately if you can't wait?

Original poster
PollyCazaletWannabe · 14/01/2017 09:50

Thanks, I'm hoping that's the reason there's no heartbeat. It's just so hard waiting to know! Has anyone else had a similar experience?

OP posts:
Original poster
PollyCazaletWannabe · 14/01/2017 11:02

Bumping as feeling pretty desperate

OP posts:
casiopeia · 14/01/2017 11:05

Polly

I hope this is not your situation, and a second will be a good news; but to explain about the HCG, having had several early losses, the HCG is slow to decrease and leave the body, especially with missed miscarriages, where it took in my case anywhere between 3 to 6 weeks to go down to 0, and this was after a medical management.

casiopeia · 14/01/2017 11:06

*second scan

Original poster
PollyCazaletWannabe · 14/01/2017 11:10

Right, OK that is useful info thank you :) but surely if the baby had died 4 weeks ago the HCG would be less than that by now?

OP posts:
MouseLove · 14/01/2017 12:44

So sorry you are going through this. There are multiple different explanations. You are way out with your dates, and you ovulated super late. Or the baby stopped growing and then died recently. When did you get a positive pregnancy test?

Original poster
PollyCazaletWannabe · 14/01/2017 12:48

I got a positive test 5 weeks after my last period

OP posts:
ferriswheel · 14/01/2017 12:50

I'm so sorry. My first pregnancy was a missed miscarriage. I only realised when I went for my first scan at 12 weeks. There was no heartbeat. They did an internal scan, but nothing. The scan showed the pregnancy sac starting to collapse. During the following procedure the surgeons said my baby had gone at about 6 weeks.

If you have any other questions then please feel free to contact me. I hope it all works out for you.

Original poster
PollyCazaletWannabe · 14/01/2017 12:51

I just don't understand, if the baby died at 6 weeks, why my HCG would still be at 6 weeks level 4 weeks later? It seems strange that it hadn't decreased even a little bit

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Original poster
PollyCazaletWannabe · 14/01/2017 12:52

Ferriswheel I'm so sorry for your loss. Can I ask if they tested your HCG and progesterone levels at that point?

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fuzzywuzzy · 14/01/2017 12:57

With a missed miscarriage the HCG levels don't drop. When I had my MMC I got positive pregnancy tests and didn't know till my scan at 10 weeks which show baby had died at eight weeks.

Whenwillitstop1 · 14/01/2017 12:58

I have pcos and irregular periods so when I found out I was pregnant going by my last period I should have been about 8 weeks but in reality I was only 3/4 so there was barely anything visible. I had bloods to check my levels over the next few days an as they kept rising the doctors were satisfied I was pregnant just not as far along as previously thought. I went back for scan a few weeks later and saw baby's heartbeat. If you have irregular periods it is possible you are not as far along as you thought and if your levels keep rising it is definitely a good sign, but very worrying while you wait for results I know. Good luck

ferriswheel · 14/01/2017 13:14

I don't think they tested anything but I was so upset that I can't be sure.

I don't know if this is the right time to tell you this but I truly was devastated. I never thought I'd get over it. But very happily, over the following 39 months I gave birth to three very healthy and happy boys. Whilst I will always be sad for the loss of the baby I'll never meet if I hadn't lost that pregnancy I wouldn't have what I do now. I wouldn't want to change that for anything.

ferriswheel · 14/01/2017 13:17

Also, at some point I was told that after the initial surge of hormones the level drops. I had a weird coping mechanism of doing pregnancy tests to somehow check.

And, this is maybe tmi but after the procedure I asked to see what they had removed from me. I know it sounds odd but it made me feel like I knew everything about my baby that I could.

How are you coping?

Original poster
PollyCazaletWannabe · 14/01/2017 13:18

Thank you for your replies and Ferriswheel I am so delighted for you that things turned out happily in the end.
fuzzywuzzy I'm sorry you went through that :( are you positive that the HCG levels don't drop at all? Not even after 4 weeks? What about the progesterone?

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Original poster
PollyCazaletWannabe · 14/01/2017 13:23

I am coping OK but the uncertainty is the hardest thing to deal with :(

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ferriswheel · 14/01/2017 13:27

I can imagine it must be awful. Do you have children already? One of the things I found the hardest was all the well meaning 'oh, its very common ' comments. And, because it was my first pregnancy I was terrified it meant my body didn't know how to make a baby.

Original poster
PollyCazaletWannabe · 14/01/2017 13:29

No, this is my first pregnancy :( it's so hard

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fuzzywuzzy · 14/01/2017 13:30

Hi Polly even after I had a surgical management of miscarriage my HCG levels were still high two weeks after initially discovering the MMC and four weeks after my baby had died. I had to have a repeat SMM for retained product.

Was the worst time of my life, it felt like my body was trying to hold on to my baby as much as I wanted to.

Do you have any scans scheduled in the next couple of weeks? I was scanned several time before the doctors diagnosed a MMC.

Original poster
PollyCazaletWannabe · 14/01/2017 13:33

That is so sad fuzzywuzzy, I'm very sorry. No, I have no more scans scheduled - the doc seems to think that if hcg and progesterone levels have dropped by Monday then this will indicate that the baby is no longer alive :(

OP posts:
JaxingJump · 14/01/2017 13:37

OP, could you just have had a seriously long cycle? You would have to have ovulated and dtd 5 weeks ago. It does seem unlikely so I don't want to get your hopes up. But I guess stranger things have happened.

Original poster
PollyCazaletWannabe · 14/01/2017 14:41

I don't know :( I have been going over the dates and it does seem almost impossible :( do you think I should give up hope?

OP posts:
Original poster
PollyCazaletWannabe · 14/01/2017 15:01

Bumping again in the hope some more kind people can help

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ConvincingLiar · 14/01/2017 15:05

I have pcos and had pretty much the same experience as Whenwillitstop1. LMP suggested 8 weeks, scan said 5, but now at 25 weeks and all is well. Good luck managing the limbo.