To hate the term - ‘chemical pregnancy’

[Salss45]

Why on earth do people use the term ‘chemical pregnancy’ it was a conception which implanted but just didn’t make it for very long for whatever reason, but if you know much about embryonic development then it actually did a lot to get to even that stage. There was maybe a a few days or even longer of excitement, working out due dates, making plans etc. Why refer to these short pregnancies with such a horrible name.

It was a term when I was pregnant in the early 2000s. As was the term ‘spontaneous abortion’ for a miscarriage (of which I’ve had two at 12 weeks each). Medical terms are there to describe facts. It’s not personal.

That’s only because the scans are not precise enough to detect the image of the embryo, it would certainly be able to be seen by a medical camera. By 2 weeks after the 1st missed period (earlier if ovulation occurred earlier than 14 days prior) a heartbeat can be seen on a traditional scan, in the UK however the first scan isn’t usually undertaken until 12 weeks) but many people still seem to refer to these pregnancies as ‘chemical’ pregnancies?
Thank you, it was several years ago I had a very early miscarriage and I’ve had children since x

I’ve had a chemical pregnancy, no medical action was needed - my period started and that was that. I thought it was my body taking care of what was never going to be a viable pregnancy as there was most likely a significant problem.
I’ve had 2 miscarriages at 12ish weeks, one needed medical intervention and the other surgical intervention.
Everyone is different but I viewed the chemical pregnancy differently to the later miscarriages.

It's a term from IVF which has made its way into general usage on forums.

What it originally meant is that it was able to be detected chemically (hCG levels) but that the zygote didn't develop far enough to be viable or visible on a scan. If I'm correct though, it's not quite accurate any more because scanning technology has improved. I had 2 miscarriages at 5-6 weeks and we were able to see the sac on a scan both times even though the pregnancy was not viable and it stopped developing - you could see that there had been some development before that had occurred. It was not simply a period, although the miscarriage itself was like a fairly heavy period and I did not need pain relief or hospital treatment. Both times I had got a faint positive around 4 weeks which just never really increased. It is possible that if I wasn't TTC, I might have thought oh that was a late/heavy period and not realised. But because I was TTC I did. And of course if you're doing IVF, you're testing.

The way people use it on forums is different and I agree that it causes confusion. I used to think it meant that the body was producing the chemicals associated with pregnancy, but there was no pregnancy, but that's not the origin of the phrase - that is a phantom pregnancy (which seems much more common on soaps etc than in real life!)

Those people are wrong. The cut off for chemical versus miscarriage is 5 weeks (one week after the missed period) this is because of the heartbeat starting in week 5. So that’s what makes the difference. Source: I can only conceive through ivf so I’ve had lots of very early scans.

I absolutely detest it. Takes away from the loss.

This

Sorry you’ve had to go through the pain of 2 later losses x We were sad for our early loss but yes I had a similar acceptance and fortunate not to have any medical complications, also given my job I’ve always been aware of how fragile these pregnancies are in the early stages. When I’ve had my other children I’ve always imagined how dreadful it must be to miscarry further on in the pregnancy so I’m in no way saying the 2 are the same but still think it’s an inaccurate and dismissive term to use about very early pregnancy loss

Just because there hasn’t been the apparatus used to see it, it doesn’t mean it didn’t exist

Thank you x I did wonder where the term had come from as wasn’t something I’d heard of when had my first baby quite a few years ago or a term we officially used in healthcare, although I think I may have seen it in medical notes more recently

I was one day late on my period and got a positive test, next day test was faint and by the 3rd day it was negative and my period started. I feel the term chemical pregnancy accurately describes what happened. It wasn't a miscarriage as such it was just a normal period once the bleeding started and to me it would feel disingenuous to call it a miscarriage. It was just something that started but didn't progress

It’s not disingenuous to call it a miscarriage as a miscarriage is a loss of a pregnancy and by the time of a positive pregnancy test the embryo (which is days away from having a beating heart) has been implanted in the lining of the womb for 5-7 days (with the absolute most sensitive of tests) longer by missed period and possibly even longer e.g I was always found to be a week or 2 over my original dates. I’ve never heard anyone claiming their loss at 4 weeks is as bad as someone losing a baby at 23 weeks (and personally think it is absolutely ludicrous that e.g miscarriage leave has been set at a standard 2 weeks for all m/c 🤷🏻‍♀️) However where as one woman is happy to just pretend is a late period as they weren’t that bothered anyway, might be heartbreaking for someone who has been trying for a baby for years and then a week after finding out they are pregnant then loses the pregnancy. If it were even an accurate term then I could understand

No one is saying the experience is the same, just as a loss at 10 weeks isn’t going to be the same as a loss at 23 weeks

For me it feels disingenuous in my case and seeing as it happened to me then I'm free to refer to it in any manner I choose. You and others are free to use what ever term feels right in your case . Hth

i disliked that term too. Lots of the terminology about pregnancy loss can be weird and upsetting.

Working in the medical profession, medical terms are not ‘facts’ and as a previous poster very eloquently explained, the medical term’ chemical pregnancy’ does not imply the meaning many think it does. Medically induced termination of pregnancy and a miscarriage are different things and although both have been insensitively called abortion (spontaneous/induced) in medical records for many years, this something we are moving away from

True you can refer to it as you like if it makes you feel more comfortable , but accurately it was a loss of a pregnancy and wouldn’t be disingenuous for anyone else to prefer it being referred to it as a miscarriage, personally I do always say ‘ a very early miscarriage’ as I don’t want to sound like I’m implying my experience is the same as someone losing their baby at e.g. 12 weeks

Its a pregnancy to you, nothing more then a late period for others. A chemical pregnancy/miscarriage/pregnancy loss….call it what you want, but remember, what is a profound experience for one woman, is for another woman an occurrence that would barely be given an afterthought. Different strokes for different folk.

I would not personally refer to it as a miscarriage, because to do so attaches a level of emotion and established expectations, to an occurrence that for me is little more then a late period… if that.

Ultimately, refer to it how you want, if it helps your healing. It doesn’t really matter.

However it’s not a ‘late period’ a late period is just that, something occurring with an irregular cycle that month (due to a non pregnancy related reason) I’ve had both and they are very very different things, both factually and for many people emotionally.

I can see it either way, though I agree for many without modern technology, they wouldn't know.

So women don’t know their own bodies? Why would someone be taking a pregnancy test in the first place? If you take that view to the extreme then before scans women didn’t know about any pregnancy until the birth

If we all just knew, we wouldn't need pregnancy tests.

Many people have taken pregnancy tests when not pregnant out of fear and other emotions, and as others said for medical reasons.

Women and girls knew they were pregnant well before scans, usually by quickening that was well written about. Most find baby's movements are not exactly subtle, and there were even laws and practices around miscarrying and abortions as well as social expectations before and after quickening for many centuries before scans - and still are in many places around the world. It's very different from the earliest days of a pregnancy, whose symptoms can overlap with other causes.

I’ve come across women professionally who didn’t know they were pregnant until 36 weeks whereas I was in hospital on IV fluids and multiple medications well before the 12 week scan so can’t really miss it from early as I’m virtually incapacitated. Regardless though, what does it matter that we have more accurate confirmation these days, people have taken a test for which it is more than 99% demonstrates they are pregnant and then they lose the pregnancy, that is a fact, why the need to imply some strange inaccurate meaning to that

Seriously think about what you are saying.
I had 6, yes 6 chemical pregnancies and a medical trial identified an issue that was resolved with medication and my daughter is only here as a result of that.
All pregnancies matter. Not only emotionally but repeated early miscarriages prove that something is happening and give clues as to what treatment may be needed to resolve it
Ignore or dismiss them and you would never know.
Not only are you talking bull you are unbelievably condescending. Try harder next time.

Don’t be ridiculous. I tested before my period was due because I was TTC. It was positive. A few days later I started to bleed. I NEVER would have known it wasn’t a normal period if I’d not done a pregnancy test.

yes I was really sad at the time- it was my first ever positive pregnancy test. Yes I’d still say it was a chemical pregnancy.

Does anyone know with this type of very early loss if it’s still enough hcg to delay a period ? I had a faint line which then had gone by the next day but now a late period ?

They are a fleeting hormonal surge and not miscarriages. Most women would have absolutely no idea if they weren’t very early.