HCG not increasing and no symptoms - help

[BeckyP321]

I am just over 6 weeks pregnant and I have no significant symptoms. At the beginning of week 5, I did a digital test and it said 1-2 weeks pregnant. I then re-tested a week later and it still says 1-2 weeks. I guess this indicates my hcg isn’t increasing.

I have also noticed that my post-ovulation bbt is lower than my last pregnancy. It was 98.5F last time and this time only 97.9F.

I don’t think the outcome is going to be good. I have got an early scan booked in a few days time. Anyone been in this situation or any success stories that might make me feel more positive?

Step away from the tests. If you don't have bleeding or pain then just assume you're pregnant as you're going to drive yourself mad otherwise. Even if you book for a private scan, they may not be able to tell you anything. Just try to wait for a bit although I know its hard.

If the pregnancy isn't viable then unfortunately there is nothing you can do and it just wasn't meant to be. If it's fine, then worrying will just be pointless.

Try to take your mind off it!

@Cuppa12345 I completely understand where you’re coming from and it is good advice. I find the waiting very difficult as with my first pregnancy, I found out at my 12 week scan that there was never anything there. I don’t think I could bear it a second time and the (lack of) symptoms makes it seem that i’m just imagining it all. Thanks for your sound advice though :)

I had lack of symptoms and I still do at nearly 16 weeks symptoms don't always say if ur still pregnant or not I had a missed miscarriage and found out at my 12 weeks scan to but I new I just felt different but just gotta stay positive and not over think everything good luck xx

@kkl1 I’m really sorry to hear about your miscarriage. Best of luck to you with your current one.

Thank you so much I hope everything turns out good for you zx

The digital tests don’t always give the right weeks. If you can afford it you could have two hcg blood tests privately.

It took me just over 2 weeks to get a 2-3 instead of 1-2, then a week after (yesterday) I finally got 3+
Honestly the fact it still says 1-2 is a good sign I find these way less sensitive give it a few more days I'm sure you will see 2-3
I'm booked in for a private scan on Sunday I'll nearly be 8 weeks, I just want to see everything is okay as it doesn't seem real at all xx

@SamRwl This is really reassuring. Thank you. How many weeks pregnant were you when you were still reading 1-2? Best of luck at your scan. I have mine Sunday too x

@BeckyP321 I was around 5 weeks and still got 1-2 xx

The thing to remember about digital tests is they rely on reaching a fixed level of hcg to change the ‘weeks’ result. However, it is normal for different women to be exactly the same point in pregnancy and have different levels of hcg as it’s not a fixed result but a point in a range.

As pp have said, the only accurate determination is blood tests. You can buy a test from a company called Medicheck where you put a drop of blood on the cartridge and send back to them and they’ll give results. You need to do 2-3 tests and, at £40 each, they aren’t a cheap option but could give more reassurance.

It may be that, at the time you did the first test, you were just into the bracket for getting a 1-2 weeks reading and now a week later you are at the top level of 1-2 weeks and not quite ready to tip over into the 2-3 week range. Also remember digital tests give approximate time since conception not lmp so you have to add 2 weeks to the result displayed.

@Rememberallball Thanks for this and I guess every pregnancy is different too. My first pregnancy, I did the digital test 3 weeks after conception (and 1 week after implantation) and it read 2-3 weeks. I didn’t get implantation bleeding this time so not sure when it happened. Maybe that effects it too.

It’s not implantation date it tracks as that can be up to 12 days post ovulation. They read the level of hug and base weeks since conception on those levels - as you say, every pregnancy is different, so levels can be different for the same person between 2 different pregnancies. It’s why hospitals/Drs/clinics require a minimum of 2 blood tests at least 48 hours apart to check blood levels of hcg.

I had my first level checked 7 days post embryo transfer (ivf pregnancy) and my levels were deemed high at 99. My next bloods were booked in for 6 and 8 days later back in the UK and I was told, if things were progressing appropriately, I should see levels of around 800-1,000 then 1,500-2,000 - in my case, they were 2,544 and then 5,233 (or thereabouts). All the way along I was advised these were high levels and to prepare for a twin pregnancy - which is exactly what I’ve got!!

@Rememberallball That’s so lovely that you had twins!! I’m so happy for you :)

Re what you said about implantation, I didn’t think HCG was released in the body until implantation has happened, but I see what you are saying about the levels being different for each person and having to get to a certain amount for each weekly range. I don’t think i’ll Be using the digital again as it seems that hcg can vary so much from one person to another that they can’t really be fully reliable for dating pregnancy. I really appreciate the information by the way :)

@BeckyP321, I’ve got 12 or so weeks to go to welcome my little bundles of joy (am 24 weeks and been told to expect them around 36 weeks!).

It’s a strange one because, as you say, hcg doesn’t actually start being released until you have had implantation and the blastocyst becomes a trophoblast but clearblue calculate weeks from conception and expect you to add 2 weeks to calculate lmp/edd. I guess part of that is because it can take up to 12days from ovulation to implantation and because, on average, you ovulate around 2 weeks after the start of your cycle. They don’t take into account people with cycles longer than 28-30 days or who ovulate early in their cycle.

I used FRER as they are amongst the most sensitive tests available and less prone to false positives than blue dye tests are - and they’re not too expensive on deals from Amazon!!

@Rememberallball Aww that’s lovely. I hope the rest of your pregnancy goes smoothly. You must be so excited! Let me know how it all goes.

I haven’t heard of FRER before but I am going to have a look at these. If this pregnancy doesn’t work out then I can look at purchasing these next time :)

I hate digital tests for this very reason but gets us worriers overly anxious for no reason. They are not there to track the progress of pregnancy and as others have said your hgc levels vary from person to person.

Please only rely on tests done by a medical professional or you will cause yourself so much anxiety as your pregnancy progresses trust me.

I had no symptoms at all with my first until I felt her move and that was the only sign apart from getting bigger.

If you need reassurance then please use professional services. I would hate for anyone to suffer the same anxiety through pregnancy that I did.

Best of luck xxx

Lack of symptoms doesn’t mean you aren’t pregnant. But I get your worry. I was worried about there being nothing there at 12 week scan, as with my first I had no symptoms other then a missed period. Tummy stay flat and same size, felt normal , boobs normal etc. But at 12 weeks there was something there! Good you have an early scan booked, that will ease your mind. I did this for my third pregnancy as I had spotting (which I didn’t have in my previous two pregnancies). So got worried. But it was fine and now 13 weeks. Every pregnancy can be different in symptoms and how you feel. Good luck!