very low HCG is it ectopic or CP

[Angelcakee]

Hi ladies!

so I have 28 day cycle and my lmp was on 8/7/22. I had some red bleeding that was definitely more than spotting which i have experienced in my previous pregnancy but no clots on 1/8 and 2/8, i then tested and got a negative result on 3/8 and randomly tested again with a faint positive on 7/8 since then i started taking tests for a week and the line was getting ever so slightly darker with each day (but not dark enough as in previous pregnancy) I then experienced some more really light bleeding on 13/8 but this time a lot lighter mixture of brown and red blood, again no visible clots.

Worried it could be ectopic i went to hosp today but they could not see anything in scan, they took my blood and it showed HCG at only 31, this is quite low as I should be 5weeks4 days as of today, I am scheduled to go back in 2 weeks but wondering if anyone has experienced anything similar.

It wasn't a planned pregnancy so I am ok if the result is CP more worried it could be EP.

thank you for sharing any experiences!

i don’t have any answers for you but I’m climbing walls as I am in exactly same situation as you.
im 5 weeks + 2 days today, I was admitted to A&E last Thursday with pain right side and slight spotting 8 hours later, and then all pain and spotting stopped.
They scanned me and nothing and said probably miscarried or ectopic as they were concerned I had that pain for those few hours on one side and my HCG was low as well.
That was 5 days ago and went back again today for scan that again showed nothing in uterus nothing in tubes, but HCG had risen again to 219.
They have asked me to return Friday morning again for scan and bloods for HCG levels but driving me crazy with worry not know what is going on!!
I feel your frustration but hoping it’s just too early to show a sac in the uterus for both of us 🙏🏽

Yes 31 is very low for almost 6 weeks. Doesn’t mean it’s ectopic it’s could just be it’s really not growing. I had an ectopic and my hcg stayed low and by the time I was 7 weeks and still notning could be seen but ny hcg was rising they decided it was ectopic and needed removed either by surgery or a chemo injection. You need your hcg checked again ideally 48 hours after the last reading and that will tell you what is happening rather than waiting 2 weeks for a scan

@Lillybobs86 I have seen some other threads and people had mentioned having babies with lower HCG to start and much lower than 219, and when i went in for my scan they told me that baby would normally not be seen until the HCG is over 1000 which is why often nothing can be seen before around 6/6.5 weeks which may add up for you as HCG should double every 2-3 days. Really wishing you the best outcome!

@PinkBump2022 thank you for sharing this helped, and I agree that checking the blood levels after 2 days would give a better idea at an earlier date as to what may be going on

@Angelcakee I agree that 2 weeks is a long time to wait.
Is that at the EPU?
They said to me it’s routine if they suspect Ectopic to do bloods every 48 hour so they can see what the levels are doing.
I would push them to see you earlier as they wanted to see me Friday for scan but I said I couldn’t wait that long explained my anxiety and worry about this and they added one more blood and scan yesterday.
I am not sure what area you are in but my local EPU they seem to have blocked out appointments for cases like this so ask them for more regular bloods especially to see what it’s doing every 48 hours they must be able to fit you in.
Its awful isn’t it the not knowing :(
Have you had any pain at all ?

was your scan done at a&e or the early pregnancy unit? If you haven’t been seen by early pregnancy I’d give them a call and explain the situation, they can request more blood tests are done to see what’s happening with your HCG. When I had my ectopic my numbers were low but increasing, then plummeted (was told I was miscarrying) then started increasing again. It was only when I was supposedly 8 weeks pregnant was the ectopic visible on the ultrasound.

@Lillybobs86 you're right its the not knowing, I know naturally it's a waiting game but its scary not knowing what is happening inside of your body especially when you think you know and then the next day you don't. Out of curiosity i purchased some more cheap pregnancy tests and the line is getting fainter so my HCG must be getting lower so I am guessing chemical preg, just really hoping its not EP. yes that was with EPU, I feel like maybe they think i had my dates of conception wrong which is why they booked the scan in later but I will push for something sooner just to be on the safe side as I haven't passed anything yet. I'm not sure with the pain thing because sometimes I feel really light cramps/lower back pain, nothing terrible but then nothing happens and I start to wonder if I felt any pain at all, its crazy. How was your pain?

@puddleduckle oh really! yes see i think my HCG is getting lower by looking at pregnancy tests getting fainter but hearing your experience then it sounds like I cannot be sure of anything without tests and yes my scan and blood test was with early pregnancy unit. did you experience any other symptoms with your EP?

Honesty it sounds stupid but I just knew that there was something wrong, from my first positive which was super early but so faint I knew something wasn’t right. I also had some coffee grounds like bleeding and then later on I had some plum coloured bleeding but apart from that, no. Keep on at them, it’s always worth them checking and keeping an eye on things. They discharged me when they thought I was miscarrying but 2 weeks later I was still getting positive tests, so they repeated the blood work and then scanned me and that’s when they found it x

@puddleduckle no doesn't sound stupid i can completely relate to that, I think you know your own body. I also felt the same when i took my first faint positive as my previous pregnancy came up clearly pregnant on the day of missed period and this was days later. will keep in mind about the type of bleed, and that you had no pain so it seems it's not always so easy to detect without regular tests, thank you for sharing its helpful x

I would contact them and tell them about those pains.
Theres one thing I learnt from this experience is that I have to be on at them and extreme for them or they seem to just want to send us home.
If you let them know you had pains and insist on bloods they hopefully will get you in.
It's sad as it's our body and they are potential leaving us at risk if they are so concerned regarding ectopic.
I had extreme pain for 8 hours (1 week ago) and I was admitted to A&E for that. After 8 hours of agonising pain I had a small bleed and then the pain instantly stop and I have not had it since 🙏🏽
After some Googling I am hoping that was a ruptured cyst but only time will tell unfortunately.
I was the same I bought the dip tests from Amazon which are good but i defo recommend pushing them to get you in for regular bloods so you can see visible numbers and what's going on.

@Lillybobs86 gosh it is so scary especially when they cannot see anything on a scan as it doesn't always mean it is not there, i will push for an earlier blood test thank you.really hope you get the positive outcome and your baby is safe and sound

I am at EPU now waiting for the doctor.
I had my scan they are not sure but they may have saw something suspicious in my ovary 🤦🏽‍♀️
They said also they saw something small in my uterus but they can not be sure either if a sac or a blood clot.
So frustrating 😫😫
Waiting for the doctor now for plan I just really don't want to have the surgery with camera just for the sake of having a look 😰

Really hope your doing ok and they get you in for bloods etc asap as well x

oh good luck @Lillybobs86 do you know yet if your HCG levels are rising? hoping that's baby in your uterus.

Thank you lovely, I've been doing the pregnancy tests which are definitely getting lighter so no baby this time for me which I am fine about but still have to keep an eye out to make sure it's not EP

It's rising but slowly :

12/08 - 89
15/08 - 140
17/08 - 219
19/08 253

The doctor said would like to do surgery this afternoon as they are sure the image they saw was suspicious and Ectopic and they would definitely remove my Fallopian tube 😫😭

It's such an awful experience we have to go through.
Sorry to hear they are getting lighter but it's a good sign in terms of ectopic as if they are decreasing I guess your body is letting it go naturally rather than surgery.

@Lillybobs86 I am so so sorry I was hoping it would be ok for you especially with them seeing something in your uterus. thinking of you and if you need to speak to someone my inbox is always open xxxxxx

LilyBob86
I know this is an old thread but I just wondered what the outcome was for you in the end as I'm going through something very similar currently. Thank you 😊

Hi sorry for late reply.
My outcome wasn't very good unfortunately, it was a week of back and forth then finally they saw a suspicious mass and I went straight to emergency surgery.
They told me they would have to remove my tube however they didn't and they just repaired it and removed the pregnancy.
How is it going for you I hope it's not the same outcome and you had better news? X

Thanks for replying!
I'm sos sorry the outcome wasn't good for you. I hope you've recovered well?
How many weeks pregnant were you?
I am 5 weeks and I am booked in for an ultrasound on Tuesday and I'm terrified if it's ectopic about having to wait until Tuesday in case of rupture 😩 x

I was 6 weeks at time of op.
What makes them suspect ectopic?
Is is slow rising levels are they doing blood test every 48 hours?

Lillybobs1736

Because I had a 3 day bleed a few days after my very faint positive so dr initially thought early miscarriage then when I had my first HCG they had gone up he said it may well be a viable earl pregnancy or ectopic.
HCG levels were:
Monday- 37
Wednesday- 107
Today- 430

X

How are you doing?
I hope your news was positive when had your scan ❤️

@behappy1736 those numbers would mean a viable pregnancy at this stage

@behappy1736 also I had some bleeding in my pregnancy and my pregnancy before this but I still had babies after the bleeding so it doesn’t always seam something is wrong of course it should always be checked but it’s so common to bleed and the pregnancy continue as normal

Thanks for checking back in to see how I am doing.
Unfortunately for me it was not a good outcome, I went for my scan and they could see baby was growing with a heart beat in my right fallopian tube so I was taken in for emergency surgery that day and had my tube removed 💔 It has been the hardest few weeks of our lives and I still can't believe it happened to me.
In my heart I had a feeling things went right, the bleed early on I'm glad I followed my gut and got the ball rolling with being seen because the surgeon said a few days later and my tube would have ruptured.
Im now beginning the recovery process and whilst I'm so much better a week post op physically, it will take a while mentally for this to get easier as it's been so traumatic.
Sending baby dust to you all x

I'm confused Did you change your name behappy?
If so so sorry to hear this happened ... I thought you may have had a good outcome as your last blood level was good :(
So sorry.
It very hard isn't it but there's always another chance to try again ❤️