Questions about MMC and chemical pregnancies. Please :)

[princessmel]

Hello I have a few questions that are worrying me.

1. How common are MMC? Are they more common than regular miscarriges?

2. If you have a MMC would your pregnancy symptoms stop?

3. What is a chemical pregnancy? I have assumed that it is when your body 'thinks' you're pregnant and mimics the symptoms but you're actually not pregnant. Does this mean you acually get a +ve test too? Sounds awful

Thanks wise mumsnetters

.

Not sure about 1 + 2, but a chemical pregnancy is when the egg is fertilised but does not implant in the uterus. You get a positive preg test due to the hormones. A miscarriage at this point is still a miscarriage, b/c you were pregnant. HTH.

1)AFAIK MMC are not more common than other types of MC
2) Not necessarily. My symptoms continued each time.
3) I think a chemical pregnancy is a pregnancy that is never destined to be real pregnancy but your body produces HCG just as in a real pg and you test +ve, but then get your period when it's due or a few days later.

Other people with more knowledge will hopefully come along.

Thanks jfly. How would you know you'd had a chemical pregnancy then?
Rather than a reg MC. By a scan?

Does it matter? MC is MC surely.

Just to clarify, it appears with a chem preg that the fertilised egg can implant, but dies soon after implantation. More info here

I don't suppose it does Ladylush, I was just wondering.

Ooh just read my post back and it may have seemed a bit clipped. Sorry - not intentional. Question raised in a genuinely interested kind of way, rather than a dismissive way iyswim. Do you think you had a chemical pg?

I knew b/c I had a scan at about 5.5 weeks after some bleeding. Blood work confirmed that HCG levels were falling. Day of scan I started to miscarry. Worse than a bad period, and v painful.

OK, it appears I don't know what I'm talking about. I was repeating what I was told by EPU team, but Dr Google assures me that HCG is produced once fertilised egg implants into uterine wall. Sorry to confuse the issue further. That website is very good, though, so have a look.

Thats ok Ladylush.

No I don't think that. But I am worried.

I am 8+3 with my 3rd child and worry whenever my symptoms aren't that bad. Eg not feeling as sick or tired.
I am worried this week because on tuesday I felt really rough. I was sick for the first times, had a terrible headache and was so shattered I spent most of the day in bed. But since then I haven't felt as bad (I do have a cold)and I'm scared that something happened to the baby on tuesday.

One of my friends said I should have an early can but I can't really afford that. I have an NHS booking scan booked for April 7th.

Do you have an Early Pregnancy Unit at a nearby hospital? That's where I went to get my scan. They should see you regardless and determine whether you need a scan or not.

We do have an EPU. I had an 8 week scan there with dd as I had some bleeding .
I didn't think I would get a scan as I have no bleeding or pains. My friend said I should invent some symptoms but I felt it was tempting fate and taking the scan away from real needy people.

Oh, I really feel for you I have been to an EPU 4 times in this pregnancy (13+2 weeks pg). I think a cold might mask usual pg symptoms and pg symptoms do come and go, but if you are worried perhaps you could ask for a referral for a scan. Where do you live. I know some EPUs in London have a walk in clinic and will even do reassurance scans.

Oh dear, it's so worrying.

Do they? I am in Herts.
I might call in the morning.
I just feel so much more normal tonight

I have been in bed at this time of night for lots of nights the past few weeks.

a chemical pregnancy is an early miscarriage - an egg is fertilized & the resulting embryo implants but is miscarried soon afterwards (bHCG is only produced after implantation). The only difference between a chemical pregnancy and a clinical pregnancy is that a chemical pregnancy ends before the embryo/gestation sac is big enough to be visualised by ultrasound i.e. sometime before the middle of the 5th week (from LMP).

princessmel I'm sorry you're having these worries - I've been there (this is pregnancy #9 with two living children & losses ranging from 5 weeks to 17) - hang in there.

Thanks sadminster

I just feel like this is it I feel ok this morning, sick wise. And last night I was up till 10. That's been unheard of the past month.

I suppose I can try and call the EPU or just sit it out. The dcs keep talking to the baby It's making me feel worse. We only told them I was pregnant as I was in bed so much and was worried that they were worried that I was ill. So we told them why I was so tired...

Pregnancy symptoms do come and go though don't they? I know that mine did.

That's what people have said to me but I just have this glum feeling. I was up till 10 last night and don't feel sick this morning. Would a preg test show +ve only if everything's ok?

I could be worrying for nothing. But cant shake the bad feeling I have.

St. Georges Hospital in Tooting (London) have a walk-in early pregnancy clinic Mon-Sat 8.30-11am. They will do reassurance scans even if you haven't had bleeding. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Kings College Hospital also have an EPU. You can self-refer but I think you would need to be having spotting, pain or bleeding unless you have hx of ectopic pregnancy.

It is hard when your dc know. I had the same problem this pg, as ds came with us to one of the scans and the sonographer said loudly "There's your baby". I don't think he'd have known otherwise as he's only 4. Ever since, he's been saying "is our baby growing?". That's because we told him it was tiny and might not grow (preparing him in case I m/c)so we just had to keep hoping.

I panic each time my boobs get less painful or I feel less tired so I know just how you feel. Good luck

I used hpts last pg for reassurance (the ones with the conception indicator). The problem with using those is that they are not always reliable. For eg, if you had a mmc an hpt would still be positive for up to 3 weeks afterwards. I had a blighted ovum in my last pregnancy (empty sac). The sac kept growing (even though it was empty) so my body produced loads of HCG and I had loads of pg symptoms. In fact I felt worse than I have in this pg.

Thanks Ladylush,

So even if I am not registered with St Georges I could still walk in and be seen??

Sorry about what happened to you before

Yes, you don't need to be registered. You just turn up. I would advise turning up early (9ish) as it is a popular service and you will have to wait a long time to be seen. If you arrived later I suppose there is a chance you might not be seen, which would be a shame as you are travelling from Herts. Maybe you could ring them and enquire when is the latest time you could turn up. It's great that it's open Saturday.
I don't think they will quibble about your address, but you could always say you are staying in the area (with friends) if they say anything. Tbh I live out of borough and they've never said anything. It was the same when I was seen at Kings.

Thanks - I'm in the second trimester now so hopefully all ok I have some dopplers too Though they are more reliable after 14 weeks.

You could also google Association of Early Pregnancy Units to see if there are any nearer that offer the same service. St G's is the only one I have heard of that offers reassurance scans, but there may be others.

Any news Princessmel?