I experienced a chemical pregnancy last week. After bleeding I immediately rang 111 for advice, who booked me a GP appointment the same day.
ANP examined me and went through everything. She confirmed my urine test was negative and advised a chemical
pregnancy loss at exactly 6 weeks. If this was 1 day later it would be listed as a ‘miscarriage’. She advised I was too early to be scanned, and said I could book a bloodwork appointment but it wouldn’t be the same day, and unlikely to show anything as my levels will have already dropped. We discussed chemical pregnancies and what to expect and when to seek medical attention if required. She booked me an additional appointment a week later to confirm the pregnancy loss, to check my results were still negative (which they were), incase it was just implantation bleeding.
I had miscarriage symptoms still and felt too unwell to return to work on Friday. My manager has been amazing, and the ANP advised she’d issue me a fit note for this week (from today) to cover my absence at work whilst I recovered. My manager is aware of everything and this has been logged as a pregnancy related illness at work.
Sick note arrived today and reads ‘vaginal
bleeding’ - I have never felt so invalidated. As if the physical loss wasn’t hard enough but the emotional loss as well. I called the drs and asked if they could amend it and at least list it as pregnancy related, a loss or chemical or whatever, as my employer has logged this as a pregnancy loss. The receptionist was lovely, she could hear I was upset and advised she’d been through the same thing.
unfortunately, they might not be able to list it as ‘pregnancy’ as they never recorded a positive test! I have 6 positive tests at home, a midwife appt booked for the 8th week, the earliest they would see me, but lost the pregnancy at exactly 6 weeks. ANP advised it’s unlikely they’d see me for a scan being 6 weeks and a blood work appointment would not be immediately after or same day, so how can I possibly get a pregnancy recorded sooner if the loss happened before the NHS is willing to see me? At the time I felt so reassured and supported, but now I feel invalidated. I have just read my records and my midwife appt was booked, along with contact with 111 and the 2 appts with the ANP discussing the chemical pregnancy and my symptoms.
Now concerned my employer won’t log this as pregnancy related and it will be treated as an absence, meaning it could be used against me in the future like a normal absence, when I am supposed to be protected.
We’re supposed to have employment pregnancy rights, even before 24 weeks, but how can I validate this if the NHS won’t even acknowledge it on a fit note? I was just starting to cope and this has sent me into a spiral, just when they told me to rest and recover after my loss. Hoping my employer will understand but so scared if HR don’t.