Resting HR sudden drop - worried about MC

[AnonyHB]

Just that really. I am about 5 weeks pregnant and since ovulation RHR has been 70-80, averaging 75 over last 17 days but today has plummeted to 65. Everything I read says associated with MC. I haven't had any real pregnancy symptoms so far, so hard to tell if any changes there. Should I be worried? Would a scan at 5 weeks be able to reassure me or would they not be able to see anything of value? :(

Can’t say I’ve ever monitored rhr or heard anything about it being associated with MC. It seems like more things to stress you out unnecessarily. For a scan you need to be a minimum of 6 weeks really to see anything, better to leave it until around 8 weeks of you can. Early pregnancy is really hard with worrying about everything. I’d really advise staying away from google and not monitoring everything as it just stresses you out

HR 65 is normal. Less than 60 is a bradycardia. That's not to say less than 60 isn't ok at times though. Are you sure you have not googled foetal HR?? If you have any other concerns re pregnancy you need to contact your GP!

This is a useful thread, I've linked you to the (positive!) outcome but you can go back to the initial post which is very similar to your worry: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/pregnancy/3632790-Resting-Heart-Rate-Early-Pregnancy?page=5&reply=124067666
Important to note though that OP says they experienced the exact same pattern once with a miscarriage, once with a healthy baby. RHR might just not be a good indicator of anything, especially if you're taking your HR from a wrist monitor!

Hi @AnonyHB for full transparency have experienced both signs of the coin.

I experienced a chemical pregnancy in December and the first indication something was wrong was a drastic drop in BPM (10-15).

I was lucky to get pregnant the following month and around the 5/6 week mark (can’t recall exactly) I had the same again and emotionally prepared myself for another early loss. Thankfully, I didn’t experience anything of the sort and I’m now almost 32 weeks with that pregnancy!

For what it’s worth, after my second BPM drop I turned off the heart rate monitor function from my watch because I found hat the stress it was causing me far outweighed any benefit. I turned it back on after my happy 12 week scan.

Keeping everything crossed that it’s a positive outcome for you 💐 xx

Apologies- are we talking about OP's HR or some sort of foetal reading ??

My resting heart rate!

Thanks everyone and thanks for the experience @LucyEleanorModeratz. Mine has also dropped by 10bpm from my average. Did you see the same drop in the second successful pregnancy? Or was it less?

I’ve just checked @AnonyHB - my chemical was 10 and my healthy pregnancy was 8, so not much difference at all. For what it’s worth, having just checked, my RHR was very up and down during the early stages of my healthy pregnancy, no real consistency at all (in contrast to now for example when I consistently hover around the 80 mark) . So hopefully it means nothing for you - and as PP has said there’s some reassuring comments on that thread :)

Interestingly, there is an optimal amount of testing for health concerns in pregnancy. After a certain point our bodies should be just allowed to get on with it. Constant monitoring, worrying, unneeded interventions aren't a good idea. Neither is early pregnancy testing (because so many early pregnancies end in miscarriage) nor early scans. What's the point of a scan? To reassure you? It's feeding your anxiety.

Switch off the machines, see how things go, hope for the best.

I totally hear you @MrsTerryPratchett and agree, but can’t help myself. I’m a massive worrier and find pregnancy where you have least control over the process to be really difficult personally. I know I can’t do anything and that makes it worse, hence constantly trying to prepare myself :/ I’ve been ok until now as tests have progressed (1-2,2-3 and 3+) and my temps have remained high but this sudden RHR drop has really thrown me :/

It's reading tea leaves though. Embracing a lack of control is incredibly difficult. Because the more things you measure, the more likely you are to 'find something wrong'.

BP and temperature are affected by all sorts of things. And even if it's bad news, there's nothing you can do. Anxiety wants us to seek the semblance of control but that just feeds it. It's a tricky tricky mental process and you have to tel it to do one!

I've never heard of this and Im a doctor. Not an obstetrician. However I have to ask is this concern evidence based or just anxiety??

Obviously drop in foetal heart rate especially during labour is a bad sign of distress but that's different!

I’ve actually just looked back at my last (successful) pregnancy and actually it looks like my RHR varied a lot in first trimester from mid 50s to up to 80 and anything in between so feel a bit more reassured!

Op if I'm reading right, you are monitoring your temperature, heart rate, and also peeing on the clear blue weeks sticks?

Please try to stop. It's not good for you or (indirectly) your kids.

I used to have an ED many years ago and, although I recovered as in I have eaten healthily ever since, in my last pregnancy I was monitoring my weight too much and comparing it to pregnancy weight gain charts (kept soaring off them). Second guessing if I was eating the right things etc.

In the end I just had to do a battle of wills with it. I told myself the best thing I could do for my baby is just to stop doing it. You can do the same. It's like quitting smoking.

... eg, delete the app you've just screenshotted from. That's the equivalent of me putting my scales in the loft. You can do it, op.

I'm 7 and a half weeks (had a scan today and all is still well). My resting heart rate dropped a couple weeks ago. It was running around 74-76 but then for a few days was as low as 67. So I wouldn't worry about this.

I had an up and down HR in my first trimester too. I didn’t experience a drop of 10 but did spend hours googling and looking for experiences (think I had a drop of 6ish). In the end I decided to let it go - I do still wear my fitbit but I don’t panic with a drop. It’s easier said than done and I understand the worry. If your temps are still as high I wouldn’t be concerned x

Thanks everyone. It’s back up to 83 today - as high as it’s ever been, so was just a blip yesterday I think!