Is this a chemical pregnancy?

[Mary1986]

Hello, I'm 4+4 weeks pregnant with my first at 36 and started having a watery pale pink discharge 2 days ago which has now turned brown and thicker with some cramping. I put it down to implantation bleeding at first but it feels like something more significant now.

It's not as bad or painful as a normal period but would I be right in thinking this could indicate a chemical pregnancy?

I'm getting faint lines on pregnancy strips still but shouldn't these be stronger by now? I tested positive a week ago.

Has anyone been through anything similar?

I've phoned EPU who said to phone back if bleeding is still going in a week and I don't feel ill or anything - I've kind of accepted the worst may be happening but not sure if I'm being paranoid. X

@Mary1986 it could be, I’ve never used those tests before so I don’t know how strong the lines get! Have you used any others? X

No only digital ones which are a yes or no!
Wish I'd used these stick ones last week for a comparison 🤔 x

It could be a CP or it could be nothing. Unfortunately when I had a CP at 4+5 the test lines did look similarly quite faint, whereas with the pregnancies that lasted longer the test lines were stronger than that by the time I missed a period.

But generally, line darkness is not a good measure of viability as the normal range of HCG is so wide. My strongest lines at 4w were for the pregnancy that ended in a MMC at 8 weeks.

All you can do is hope for the best and test again in a week. Fingers crossed for you!

If you start passing clots and filling a pad or tampon then probably yes. If it stays watery and brown possibly not and only tine will tell. At the moment op it really could go either way, fingers crossed for you xx

@Melusina123 sorry for your losses and thank you for your finger crossing.

I'll accept the worst and try and hold out on testing until the weekend x

It's too difficult to tell at this stage. I would say your lines should be getting darker, but sometimes the strip tests just aren't very good so it may not be a great indication either. I think you're going to just have to wait it out a week and see what happens, you won't be able to get a scan this early so best thing is to wait and test again in a week and monitor the bleeding to see if it gets any worse.

@sarahc336thank you, I've been keeping an eye out for clots but didn't know if they'd be noticeable this early into a pregnancy? Gosh I wish I had a crystal ball 😂

@Overthebow thank you, this is going to be a looooong week 🙈

Sorry you're in this situation, OP. If you are bleeding and the lines on your tests are getting fainter then it is almost certainly a chemical pregnancy. You may or may nor see clots/have pain.

Sometimes you will see a faintly positive test even after an early miscarriage. The best thing is to see lines getting darker. If you're bleeding, and lines are still dark or are getting darker, that is a good sign.

I hope things are okay for you. I know it's horrible.

Thanks @Mary1986 . the good news is I'm now 20+4 after two tri 1 MCs, so for some of us it is just a longer game. Hang in there. :)

@theshellbeach thank you x I'll keep an eye out for lines getting darker but also prepared for the worst.
In a way this early is the best time for it to happen if at all so I will take a bit of comfort from that. x

@Melusina123 ahh congratulations!!! That's fantastic to hear, sending positive vibes for the rest of your pregnancy and hope you're enjoying it 😍

This is my first time TTC and I had no idea what was involved, I've got even more respect for mums and pregnant ladies now - this is a tough gig 😁 x

Hey, what was the outcome for you? 🥺 I’m currently having the same symptoms as you.

@Laur99 unfortunately it was a chemical for me that time but I'm now 4 months pregnant with another baby.

I really hope it's not bad news for you - lots of luck 🙏🏻

If it is - it's awful, your hormones fall off a cliff and you'll feel alot sadder than you expected so be gentle with yourself but it's a great sign you can get pregnant and this was just a practise run x

Thank you for your reply. I’m so happy to hear that ❤️ when did you find out it’s a chemical? Did you get a scan at all? I’ve had the bleeding and spotting for 7 days now. The stick tests are negative, but strip and clear blue week indicators are showing positive 1-2 weeks. Not sure if it’s just too early and the HCG is too low? By going by my last period, I’m just over 3 weeks and the wait and helplessness from the GP is getting to me a lot 😫

I found out as bleeding got worse then tests went negative - is yours getting worse? It could be too early but if strip tests are getting lighter it's usually a sign of a chemical so keep an eye out for that but 3 weeks is still very early so got my fingers crossed for you.

Have you contacted early pregnancy unit? They might be more helpful than your gp.

Hi, they’re light anyway. The first 2 attached are the first ones, the negative is from yesterday and the positive from this morning. The bleeding stopped yesterday, I’ve got little to no spotting now. Both A&E and GP said to wait another week and test.

I called the midwife and they said to wait the week as I might still be showing positive but miscarried or it was just a bleed that’s normal as some women have this. I hate the uncertainty 😣

@Laur99 oh it is absolute torture and it's made worse by the fact you've probably not told many people yet.

If the bleeding has stopped this is good news, sorry for tmi but was it bright red?

And have you got a supportive partner?

Please let me know how you get on! Xx

@Mary1986 thanks for sharing that you're now pregnant again! I had a chemical in April and now onto the 6th month following still waiting for our rainbow 🌈

@Angelselevenx sorry to hear about your loss - you will get there so hang on in! The waiting game is awful, I just had to keep myself busy to stop myself thinking about it 24/7.

I had 2 chemicals back to back at the beginning of the year and read all about how fertile you are after them but didn't experience that myself.

I was referred to a fertility clinic as I'm 37 and had been trying for 9 months and gave up drinking to improve my chances - then went on holiday before we'd had any of the clinical tests and got completely pissed on cocktails one night and that's definitely when we conceived 🤣

How are you, @Laur99?

Hi, I got heavier bleeding last night and it’s still continuing. I went to A&E and they told me to wait another week… so I just go back from a private scan and sadly, my uterus is empty :(

Hi so sorry to jump on this post but I’m currently going through this, not started bleeding as of yet. My period was due yesterday and it’s usually clockwork. I had awful lower back pain’s yesterday and period type cramping with slightest pink spotting. It’s since settled. I’ve had 1-2 week positive clear blue digitalis followed by negatives then positives again then negatives and strip tests that have seemed to fade until negative. Currently waiting hcg results from gp. Did you miss your period? Or bleed on time? Xx

Hi, I ended up miscarrying 🥺 but I’m now 7 weeks pregnant with my rainbow baby ❤️

So sorry to hear that. I started bleeding heavily last night so have also missed. Congratulations on your rainbow baby I hope everything goes perfectly for you ❤️