# How long should it take for HCG numbers to drop after methotrexate (ectopic)



## Cocobrowns

This is a nightmare:devil::help: As some of u might know, I am having an ectopic pregnancy and it has been very hard for me. My beta numbers were:
73 18dpiui

228 20dpiui

688 22 dpiui (Found out that I was ectopic this day)

low 400's (Dr. told me that I might be miscarrying naturally. At the time, I was spotting and cramping.)

998 ~Monday~ 7/23/12 (stopped spotting but cramping was pretty bad the night before and this day. Dr sent me to the ER and advised them to give me the methotrexate shot)

Wednesday (Follow up! No more spotting or bleeding and still cramping. Dr. admitted me into Hospital to keep me for evaluation. Discharged the next day)


Today 7/27/12 Follow up (Took blood and HCG is now 1500 Still no bleeding but bad cramps that feel like gas pain. Have to return on Monday for blood work and follow up!!



This sucks and it's torture:growlmad::growlmad:. For all of this, I prefer to get the surgery. I am trying to move on and I am trying to get over this and I am stuck here (2 days before my birthday) messed up, cramped up and do not know what to expect the next time. The numbers are scaring me and the fact that I am cramping and no longer bleeding is scaring me. Can someone please shed some light?? Are my HCG numbers supposed to be this high and rising 4-5 days after the shot?? Am I supposed to be bleeding by now?? Someone please help me. I am at my wits end!!:hissy: This really sucks. The thing is that I don't think I can even get :drunk: for my birthday!!! ~Le sigh~


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## Cocobrowns

No one???:wacko:


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## Dollybird

I wish I could help but unsure! Didn't wanna read and run though! I'm back at hospital tomorrow.. Possibly for methotrexate injection if my numbers not heading south naturally. Of I find out anything about it I will let u know! Xx


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## Cocobrowns

Thank you for responding. I really appreciate it and good luck to you as well. Peace, blessings and best wishes to you!!


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## Hopeful126

I just went through this yesterday. I took the shot at 4 pm and I feel no cramps or bleeding. I am SOOOO scared. My beta was at 7500 yesterday!! I think there is a bomb inside of me waiting to explode. I am so angry and I cried all day.


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## Dollybird

Hopeful126 said:


> I just went through this yesterday. I took the shot at 4 pm and I feel no cramps or bleeding. I am SOOOO scared. My beta was at 7500 yesterday!! I think there is a bomb inside of me waiting to explode. I am so angry and I cried all day.

Aw hopeful let us know how u get on. Thoughts are with you. Such a sad and difficult time xxx


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## Hopeful126

Thanks Dollybird. I will keep you posted. I am so scared that the shots are not working since I don't feel anything. I want to be able to feel some cramping but I'm scared that if I do, I won't know if it is from the shots or from a rupture of my tube. I hope that doesn't happen. 

Cocobrown, how long did it take for your metho shots to kick in?


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## Cocobrowns

Hopeful126 said:


> Thanks Dollybird. I will keep you posted. I am so scared that the shots are not working since I don't feel anything. I want to be able to feel some cramping but I'm scared that if I do, I won't know if it is from the shots or from a rupture of my tube. I hope that doesn't happen.
> 
> Cocobrown, how long did it take for your metho shots to kick in?

I don't think it did. I was cramping before the shot and it felt like bad gad pains. My thing is that I am not bleeding and my numbers went up instead of down. I just might have to get another one if by Monday the numbers do not decrease. This is torture!! I am trying to go out tonight for my birthday weekend but now, I can't even drink. This just sucks in every way shape and form. 
:cry:


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## Hopeful126

Cocobrowns,

Hang in there! I am in the same boat so I know exactly how you feel. I did hear that your day 4 beta might go up after the shot. Then your day 7 beta will be looked at to see if it'd drop from the results from day 4. So hopefully your follow-up beta goes down. 

I am not bleeding either and have no cramps. But I've only taken the shots yesterday. I am afraid to feel cramps/pain but am also afraid not to. It really does suck! But I think we will both get through it, eventually. 

Happy birthday and try to go out and forget about it, at least for a couple hours! Good luck and keep me posted.


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## Cocobrowns

Update: My beta has come down to 863 from the 1500 but he said that the baby did get bigger from the last time. I feel I will be OK because I started to bleed on my birthday. I am now bleeding and clumps are coming down. So, I think progress is being made. This is very hard for me to deal with!! I hate this so much :(


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## jammers77

Make sure you are NOT taking a prenatal with folic acid. Hopefully your doctor told you this, but mine did not! I found out two days after mtx when I'd taken prenatal for 2 days. My numbers only got as high as 89, but it took 3 weeks to go down. Very slow fall, which my doc said was very unusual (maybe because he didn't tell me to stop taking my prenatal?!).

From 1500, it may take about a month to get to 0, give or take.

So sorry you've had to go through this. Hoping next time for you is a sticky bean in the right spot!


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## Dollybird

I got my methotrexate Sunday (hcg 114) due to get it checked again tomorrow. Started cramping today and back feel sore. They said cause my numbers fairly low it shouldn't take long to get to 0.. Maybe 2 weeks xxx


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## AMP26

Cocobrowns said:


> This is a nightmare:devil::help: As some of u might know, I am having an ectopic pregnancy and it has been very hard for me. My beta numbers were:
> 73 18dpiui
> 
> 228 20dpiui
> 
> 688 22 dpiui (Found out that I was ectopic this day)
> 
> low 400's (Dr. told me that I might be miscarrying naturally. At the time, I was spotting and cramping.)
> 
> 998 ~Monday~ 7/23/12 (stopped spotting but cramping was pretty bad the night before and this day. Dr sent me to the ER and advised them to give me the methotrexate shot)
> 
> Wednesday (Follow up! No more spotting or bleeding and still cramping. Dr. admitted me into Hospital to keep me for evaluation. Discharged the next day)
> 
> 
> Today 7/27/12 Follow up (Took blood and HCG is now 1500 Still no bleeding but bad cramps that feel like gas pain. Have to return on Monday for blood work and follow up!!
> 
> 
> 
> This sucks and it's torture:growlmad::growlmad:. For all of this, I prefer to get the surgery. I am trying to move on and I am trying to get over this and I am stuck here (2 days before my birthday) messed up, cramped up and do not know what to expect the next time. The numbers are scaring me and the fact that I am cramping and no longer bleeding is scaring me. Can someone please shed some light?? Are my HCG numbers supposed to be this high and rising 4-5 days after the shot?? Am I supposed to be bleeding by now?? Someone please help me. I am at my wits end!!:hissy: This really sucks. The thing is that I don't think I can even get :drunk: for my birthday!!! ~Le sigh~

My doctor told me that I won't start bleeding until my progesterone drops to zero. Also, he told me it could take over 8 weeks for my HCG to go to zero, but they didn't discover my ectopic until my CHG was over 2200. It then went up on the day 4 bloods to 4600, then on the day 7 bloods, it was over 7000. I recieved a second dose of Methotrexate and I have my 4 day bloods today to see if I'm decreasing at all. 

And I'm totally with you... I would much rather have the surgery than have this continue to drag out!!!


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## Cocobrowns

It's really difficult to deal with. It is like I am literally miscarrying but slowly and for weeks!! It's dreadful!!! Who ever thought of this did not think about the emotional strain this puts on people. Their has to be a better way. Also, I think that in my heart of hearts that their is a way to move the baby from the tube to the uterus somehow. I have looked everywhere and I have not found anything on it. I know that I am not a medical expert. However, if they can do the medically impossible with heart transplants and place small almost invisible objects in the human body. I just can't see them not being able to make a prosthetic tube or surgically remove the baby from the tube and into the uterus safely. If they are holding this stuff back for the sake of making IVF money, then I just murdered my baby because medicine cares more about making money than saving the life of babies everywhere. I know this might be a stretch but I believe this!!! I strongly do!


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## Dollybird

That's me day four after my methotrexate and my hcg down to 93 already. The doctors are pleased and I must say so am I. Still gutted over losing this wee one but I'm at the stage I just want this over with so I can move on. Dunno how I'm gonna feel about trying again, the thought terrifies me. But I wanna be a mum so hopefully I'll feel strong enough once this is all over xxx


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## Annie77

I had 1st methotrexate jab on mon 5th sept last year - my hcg was about 790. By thurs 9th it was 900 then dropped by sun to 740. At this point i was tired and emotionally very raw but bleeding had stopped and only mild gassy pain. This wasn't enough decrease so got 2nd jab.
The next day I was admitted to Epu with severe abdo pain which was the embryo effectively breaking up - it was probably the worst day of my whole journey.

My numbers started to fall well after that and emotionally I stopped focusing on my loss and started to look forward t my hcg numbers coming down. When at last 7 weeks later I got the call to say they were under 5 I cried for an hour with a mix of relief and grief.

I have had two miscarriags and with all respect to women who have m/c I now understand why the nurse said to be 'hopefully this (bleeding) will JUST be a miscarriage'. I was enraged at the time but having been through this, my 2nd miscarriage was so much easier t cope with physically and emotionally.


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## AMP26

Annie77 said:


> I had 1st methotrexate jab on mon 5th sept last year - my hcg was about 790. By thurs 9th it was 900 then dropped by sun to 740. At this point i was tired and emotionally very raw but bleeding had stopped and only mild gassy pain. This wasn't enough decrease so got 2nd jab.
> The next day I was admitted to Epu with severe abdo pain which was the embryo effectively breaking up - it was probably the worst day of my whole journey.
> 
> My numbers started to fall well after that and emotionally I stopped focusing on my loss and started to look forward t my hcg numbers coming down. When at last 7 weeks later I got the call to say they were under 5 I cried for an hour with a mix of relief and grief.
> 
> I have had two miscarriags and with all respect to women who have m/c I now understand why the nurse said to be 'hopefully this (bleeding) will JUST be a miscarriage'. I was enraged at the time but having been through this, my 2nd miscarriage was so much easier t cope with physically and emotionally.

I feel the same way. People who have had miscarriages keep telling me they know how I feel and I want to scream "no you don't!!". It's horrible because I wouldn't wish anyone to lose a baby in any way but having an ectopic is just devestating. I know my baby was perfect. He kept growing despite two doses of Methatrexate... If only he could have been moved to the right place. Waiting for the Methatrexate to work is so emotionally draining because your put in a position to hope that your baby dies. It's horrible. Now after having the emergency surgery at least I know my baby is gone. I have know exactly which day was his last. But what I don't know is how to recover from all of this. I don't know when/if we'll ever be ready emotionally to try again.


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## Looloobelle

I've had it twice - first time levels were 700, second 2020. Both time it took around 2 months - they fell rapidly but the last 100 seemed to take the longest - which I was told to expect.

Hugs to you all, it is an awful experience.


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## Dollybird

Aw ladies I couldn't agree more. Feels so wrong to be "pleased" when numbers decrease, and I feel guilty for wishing it to be over. :-( emotionally I feel a bit stronger, but I've not started to bleed yet, so dunno how that's gonna effect me. Hate feeling like this an long to feel normal again. And most of all I feel sad that, like you amp, I know my baby could've been perfect, but will never have a chance all because it landed in the wrong place. I also hate being off work for so long- work in a busy surgical ward and there's no way I could cope with it right now physically or emotionally, but I really miss my job and my colleagues.. Is that daft?? Xxx


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