Am I safe from chemical pregnancy?

[wheelz23]

Hello everyone!
I found out I was pregnant last Thursday, 3w6d, with a positive. Not very bold, but still a positive. I went and had bloodwork done that day, and my HCG was at 192.

Today would be CD32, and I've taken numerous tests throughout the weekend and they've gotten darker.
Does this mean that I am safe from chemicals? I am attaching a couple photos of them. These are rather cheap tests, and I'm getting strong positives.

I write this, because I am terrified of having a chemical pregnancy. I know this will not disregard first trimester risks, I am just hoping to be put at ease about chemicals. I keep reading they hold light positives for chemicals and for ectopic, however I don't feel a lot of symptoms, except for absolute exhaustion.

Thanks!

 

[Farmgirlalee]

You are still really early on, so the risks are high for any pregnancy at that early date, however the fact that the tests are getting darker is a good sign. Don't expect to feel anything much for a few weeks unless you are really sensitive to your body, and even still it will probably be at least 2 more weeks before you feel much of anything.

I don't think you can ever say you are past the concern for a chemical until your baby has fully implanted and the placenta is being formed. If you are nervous it might be reassuring to book an early appointment with your doctor. My doctor won't see me until February 1! Its maddening but at least that ultrasound will really show something instead of just a blob!

 

[wheelz23]

My first appointment/ultrasound is January 25th so I am right behind you! I just want this pregnancy to work out so badly, I was hoping the darker lines meant good things.

 

[misspriss]

A chemical pregnancy is a miscarriage that occurs before the baby could be seen on ultrasound, thus, can only be verified chemically. At the point you are no longer at risk for a chemical, you are at risk for a miscarriage, it's just a name for a really early miscarriage.

 

[wheelz23]

This whole process is tiring! I feel brutally exhausted (yet thankful for the tiredness)
Everyone kept throwing it in my face that 70% of pregnancies end in chemical.. totally freaked me out. The test being dark though are good right?

 

[SonnyH]

Have you suffered losses before wheelz? If not, do try not to worry! You have a very good chance that your pregnancy will be fine! I think the Internet really does add to people's anxiety in the early days I took two tests that were positive and that was that! Didn't even occur to me to worry about the darkness of the lines!

I of course worried a bit about first trimester miscarriage but they way I saw it was that there is absoloutely nothing you can do to prevent it. If it happens, while extremely upsetting and difficult to go through, it was because there was most likely something very wrong genetically (unless you have a history of losses for another reason) and baby would not have been OK. And that's not to play down miscarriage in anyway, it's just how I approached the first trimester and my concerns about loss.

Stay positive, you'll probably go on to have a very successful pregnancy! I'm not sure 70% of all pregnancies are chemical is quite correct surely?! That's very high! About 20% of pregnancies end in miscarriage. So that's an 80% chance everything will be fine! Which are pretty good odds! Congratulations too you!

 

[wheelz23]

I had a chemical I'm pretty sure back in May of 2015. I was unaware I was pregnant until after the fact... We just started TTC again this fall. I like the way you think about the 80% odds! I hope all goes well. It's scary not knowing.
Thank you for your positivity!

 

[UnderPressure]

I agree, at this point you should be out of the woods for a chemical. Your little one should be implanted by now and the longer you stay pregnant, the better the odds of everything continuing to be ok. Don't stress about symptoms. I'm on my second pregnancy and so far it's totally different than my first, but I'm going to count on it being healthy!

 

[wheelz23]

thanks! That is what I like to hear. I hope the little one is implanted and getting cozy!!

 

[second.time]

Those look like nice dark positives. Both my chemicals resulted in very light tests that never really got darker. I also started bleeding pretty quickly with both of them.

Chemicals ARE very common but you have to realize that most women don't even know they're having one. A lot of the time it just seems like a slightly delayed period. Also, chemicals, while really sad if you've been actively TTC, don't affect your overall fertility or say anything about your odds of conceiving successfully. And because they're so early, they don't usually have any unwanted consequences, like throwing your cycles out of whack. So while they're definitely sad, I found it pretty easy to move on from my two.

I think you're out of the woods and should just try to let go of that anxiety as much as possible. I'm sure you're doing everything right and your tests look great.

 

[wheelz23]

thank you! I am so sorry for your loss. I appreciate you sharing your story with me. Any miscarriage is such a sad thing, and with all those negative statistics hanging over all of our heads, it's a difficult thing to avoid all the negative!

I really appreciate everyone posting. It helps out a lot! I hope a chemical is out of the way.

 

[Farmgirlalee]

I had two early miscarriages- one was around 6-7 weeks I don't really remember for sure. That was the first time I knew I was pregnant. I had tested after I realized I should be on my next pack of birth control. I was really bad at taking it regularly so it didn't shock me too much that I got pregnant. Then the miscarriage happened. I think the hardest part with that one was I had come to terms with an unplanned pregnancy and had even started buying things. Then 9 months later I had a chemical. When I went to the doctor she even asked "Are you sure you were pregnant".

My daughter was a few years after those two and of course the first trimester I was terrified because of my prior experiences. But I really do believe that early miscarriages are a blessing in disguise for us and the baby. My daughter is happy, healthy and an amazing person. I can only imagine how hard it would be to have a child that was so genetically damaged that they have no quality of life because my body hung on to a pregnancy that should have gone away.

But the good news is that if you are still getting dark pregnancy tests and you are this far in, you have beat the first scary bit. Try not to worry to much because what will be will be. Hang in there!!

 

[wheelz23]

Thank you so much for sharing!!! Congrats on your little one I can only hope the CP scare is over! Stats are not friendly to read!

 

[mara16jade]

It's rare to have back to back chemicals. And my chemical never got even close to how dark your tests are. 1st tri sucks...Lol Its so stressful!