First cycle after chemical pregnancy?

[MEPride]

I have absolutely no way to confirm I had a chemical pregnancy, only what I felt.

Last month I O on CD 15. By CD 21 I had some really interesting experiences/symptoms: unbelievably bloated, superman sense of smell, a really 'heavy' feeling in my low abdomen, pin-prickling sensations in my low abdomen, and this general 'awareness' that something was different about my body. On CD 21 I also had some spotting. On CD 22 I had the worst menstrual type cramping with back aches for 5 hours. I've NEVER experienced that severe cramping before and absolutely never mid-cycle. In the following days to week, those 'symptoms' I had slowly disappeared and that 'awareness' disappeared. AF showed up a week late on CD35. If I was pregnant it would have been too early to test and get a positive reading so I didn't bother. But I just had this 'feeling' that it was a failed implantation or a chemical pregnancy. Now I'm charting temperatures this cycle and I really don't think I've O yet at all. I've had multiple LH surges but nothing in my chart to indicate successful ovulation. In fact, my warmest temperature was on CD1 and I've had a downward trend in temperatures since.

My question is, does this sound like a chemical pregnancy? And for those of who have experienced one, how long did it take your body to re-adjust and re-regulate?

 

[Mrs. Atole]

Chemical pregnancy normally will come up on a pregnancy test, maybe you just had extra cramps ... us wanting to be preg our minds mess with us so our bodies respond

 

[MEPride]

I never took a pregnancy test because I figured it was too early to test. It could have been positive. And this really wasn't just extra cramps. This was me not being able to sit, stand, walk, etc severe cramping. I've never had cramps a week before AF. And never had anything except mild cramping, a minor annoyance. This isnt reading into symptoms hoping I was pregnant. This was almost send me to urgent care kind of cramps.

Have you had a chemical pregnancy and how long did it take for your cycle to regulate?

 

[KatO79]

I had a confirmed CP after IVF #1 in November 2015 plus a highly suspected CP in April 2014 (been TTC #1 since about October 2013).

I have a few questions: was that your 1st month TTC? Was it your 1st month off of any type of birth control? Because if it was, going off birth control can do strange things to your body. I felt pregnant the first 3-4 cycles off of BCPs (that I was on for 9-10 years before stopping) and had almost every pregnancy symptom in the book those months - except I wasn't and got AF each month at around the same time (I was lucky to get regular cycles from the get go, 26-27 days). Also having been on any type of birth control means it can take up to 1 year for your cycles to regulate and get back to what's normal for you. I also think TTCing makes you hyper aware of your body and you can quickly convince yourself you're pregnant even when you're not. Also the fact that the cramping was so severe leads me to think it most likely wasn't implantation as those types of cramps are suppose to be about as strong or lighter than AF cramps (mine were a good deal lighter but that's me). You may want to discuss it with your GP or OB/GYN as such severe cramps could be a sign of a problem if you have them each cycle. Spotting doesn't necessarily mean implantation, you can spot for many reasons during your cycle that aren't pregnancy related. Not saying you definitely didn't have a CP, just some food for thought.

Either way, no one can tell you that you were definitely pregnant based on those symptoms. Symptoms vary so much from person to person and from pregnancy to pregnancy for that matter. Plus PMS symptoms are super close to pregnancy symptoms and it can be difficult to sometimes separate the two, especially if you haven't been through a pregnancy before. The only way to have known for sure it was a CP was to take an HPT as close to your expected AF day as possible (preferably a FRER if you can) since that increases the accuracy.

As for how quickly cycles regulate, if it indeed was a CP and you lost it that early I don't think it'll affect your cycle and it's ok to get pregnant the cycle after.

 

[MEPride]

Thanks KatO79.

It was my first month ttc. It was my 3rd month off BCP. I was also lucky to get two 28 days cycles before that. Both were pain-free, pms free essentially. The third cycle was 35 days, and I experienced all those weird things which were never normal for me before or while on BC. This month I'm on CD 25 and while my BBT chart really doesn't show any ovulation I feel like my body is gearing up for AF in the next few days. This month I do have some PMS including irritability and gas (sorry tmi).

I honestly don't know what to make of last month as I feel like everyone is (not necessarily on here) saying its in my head and wishful thinking. My body has ALWAYS been sensitive to any chemical change, including medications and hormones. Being in BC was awful and I didn't realize it until after I went off and I tried sooooo many different pills. I am always hyper aware of my body too, not just now (though now even more so). I am a professional who specializes in human anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, and biomechanics. I KNOW the human body and most especially my own.

I am seeing my ob/gyn this morning and will ask her to see what she says. I'll follow up here with what she says later. Thanks again