Low HCG and nothing on US.

bonnie7321

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Hey y'all,

First off, a disclaimer -- I know so many of you are TTC and have been through so much, and I want to be sensitive to that. However, I was trying NOT to conceive but may have ended up doing so anyway, and it's difficult for me to post this knowing it might be painful for someone. But I need answers and I know this community would know.

My last period was June 11. I'm fairly regular (27-28 days) with moderate endometriosis (no laprascopy, just based on doctors' observations/my cycles). I had sex on June 28... supposedly right after my fertility window. He pulled out and I took Plan B within 24 hours. The next day, I was in excruciating pain near my left ovary, which is where my endo is worse. I continued to have pain for 5 days, and it gradually wore off.

I took a pregnancy test on June 6 juuuuuust to make sure. It was clearly negative.

I was due for a period on July 9, and the pain started picking up right before then. It hasn't slowed down. July 10, no period. Took three HPTs (First Response and a Clear Blue), all showed the faintest little lines. Ran to my primary care doc, was a "faint positive" on his urine test. I later found out that my blood hcg on July 10 was 30.

Fortunately, I had an US scheduled for my endo on July 11. There were no signs of pregnancy, no sac, nothing. I had a corpus luteal cyst on my right and two small tubal cysts on my left. I failed the GYN's urine PT. She didn't seem to think it possible for me to be pregnant, but did a blood hcg test just to be sure. It came back 43.5 -- very low considering how far along I would be, right?

Today I took another ClearBlue and another First Response. The CB was definitely positive, and the First Response was a little faint, but definitely there. I go in tomorrow for more blood hcg. The GYN is concerned about ectopic pregnancy.

Anyone have experiences with the constant pain, low hcg, and empty ultrasound? It seems so unlikely I got pregnant under the circumstances, but the tiny, growing amount of hcg suggests otherwise...
 
You are far too early to see anything on an ultrasound. Your gyn should have known that. Was your ultrasound vaginal or abdominal?

Re the beta, it really should be done after 48-72 hours not a day. But I plugged your #s into the CTP beta doubling calculator and it says your doubling speed is 46 hours, which is great. Puts you in track to double in just under two days.

I think that 5 day pain after sex was you ovulating after taking the pill. Unfortunately, the pill is not perfect. I got pregnant after taking the pill but I took it two days later after I had ovulated. So I'm not sure how it works if you had taken it several days before ovulation. But you're max 14dpo (4 weeks exactly) so the low numbers and lack of anything on the ultrasound is normal. That pain near af she was likely implant, and I would guess it was painful because of the endo.

If you need to talk privately, you can pm me. I've been pregnant after plan b and a separate time was pregnant with a large ovarian cyst. Hoping things work out how you want <3
 
Thanks, Dobby! I was scheduled for the ultrasound anyway for endo stuff... I guess it was just wishful thinking we'd see some pregnancy stuff too...

Friday's test will be what really helps make everything make sense! I just don't see how I could have been ovulating after June 28... I tend to have thicker mucus/ovulation pains starting around Day 10 and ending by Day 14, and my cycles tend to be a bit shorter. I had already experienced thicker mucus and what I assumed was ovulation pain about a week before intercourse, so I figured I was past that point. Ahhhh!

I have heard about corpus luteal cysts giving off hcg, but other than that, I don't think there's any other explanation...
 
It won't give off hcg like that from my experience. Mine was quite large and didn't give off enough hcg to cause a false positive. Pregnancy hormones can also cause the cyst to grow.

Unfortunately what it can do is mess with your cycle. That's exactly how I feel with my cyst: dtd cd 26ish thinking my cycle was almost over, but the cyst had delayed my ovulation. Unfortunately, your body can go through all the motions and prep work to O and then not. Even without a cyst.

But yeah you won't really see much until like 5-6 weeks. And even then it's a bit of a toss up.

Hugs
 
If your last period was June 11, you have only just hit 4 weeks pregnant, so it would be normal to still have faint lines. You likely wouldn't see anything on ultrasound until 5-6 weeks and that matches up with your low hcg levels, pointing to it all just being really early on. Ovarian pain and period like cramps are all very normal in early pregnancy. It shouldn't be anything that keeps you from being able to get out of bed, but a mild to moderate level of discomfort is normal (I imagine it could be worse with endo, but I don't know). I have heard of cysts causing false positive tests, but if your cycles are usually regular and you haven't gotten your period and there is actual hcg in your system (measured with the beta rather than a urine test, I don't know that the cysts produce hcg or just something that mimics it causing a false positive), I think there is probably no mistaking that. I'm not sure that is the answer you were looking for, but sending you hugs. Being pregnant is rough early on as it is, and I imagine it can be especially intense when it wasn't what you were expecting.
 
I echo what Dobby said :)

Things sound positive and as far as I can tell, you have absolutely nothing to be concerned about :) :hugs:
 
Hey y'all,

I considered a new thread but I guess it would make sense to continue here. This pregnancy continues to be confusing and now, heartbreaking. I was told today that there was a 99 percent chance I've had a missed miscarriage.

My HCG levels were doubling normally -- 1735 on July 13. I went in today for a follow up scan to ensure the pregnancy wasn't ectopic. We saw nothing except an empty sac. It measured at 6 weeks. Based on my LMP I should be 7 + 2 weeks.

Granted, I believe I ovulated late and implanted late and this little one has just been late all over (it already takes after me!), but the NP I spoke to seemed certain this was a miscarriage.

I wish I'd taken a picture of the ultrasound. It looked like many of the very early (4 or 5 week) ultrasounds you'd see if you looked on Google Images. Just a little black dot.

Any experiences? I plan to keep "acting pregnant" until I do experience bleeding (which she said might not occur for up to four weeks). I have a follow-up appointment in 3 weeks, which seems like an eternity away, but both the doctor and I will be out of town in the coming days. I just question anyone who is "99 percent" certain about anything, especially at such an early point in the pregnancy.

I didn't want to get pregnant -- the relationship with the father is unhealthy and I'm not emotionally or financially ready. But this little life found a place in my heart, fast, and I don't know how to say goodbye. I have so much guilt... I know I didn't do anything, but I have a horrible feeling that somehow my shock and initial disappointment caused this to happen, and that I didn't cherish what I had when I still had it.
 
They should have offered you a follow up scan in a week. I had much the same with my last pregnancy (which did end in mmc). Though there was a fetal pole, it only measured 5 weeks with no heartbeat and I should have been 8+2. I was certain about my dates and it wasn't possible I was only 5 weeks (I'd tested positive 5 weeks before). I was booked in for a follow up a week later to confirm that there was no change, which is what they should have done with you. You're right it's possible it could be a blighted ovum, which is where nothing really develops, but it's also possible you could just be off in your dates. A one week difference isn't necessarily a big deal when you weren't trying to conceive and don't know when you ovulated. I'm not sure which might be more reassuring to you though. I'm sorry you've been left in limbo, especially feeling so unsure about the whole thing to begin with. Can you pressure them for an appointment sooner? I'm assuming you're not in the UK, so might be a bit different, but you wouldn't be left to go that long here with no follow up.

Hang in there. It's a tough thing to be going through no matter how you are feeling about it all. Don't blame yourself. Missed miscarriage happens when something just goes awry in cell development. Just a cell doesn't divide right and things don't carry on developing as they should. Nothing you could have done about it. My baby with the mmc was very much planned for and wanted, but it didn't matter. I couldn't have wished it away and made it not happen. I did absolutely everything I should have done for a healthy pregnancy, but it just doesn't happen sometimes. This baby was conceived the month after. I actually did feel a bit ambivalent at first and unsure if I was ready. Never mind I also truly didn't think I was pregnant when I was (I took several tests which all said negative) and then we had friends staying for the weekend and I drank copious amounts of wine. I felt sick the next week though and took another test and it was very positive. That baby is healthy and growing great. It's just one of those things unfortunately. But it doesn't make it easy I know.
 
^ stated perfectly

If you are in the states, you need to politely demand another scan/appointment in one week. Ultimately, it won't make a difference but any doctor I have had would have booked you a rescan in a week not three and redone your beta hcg test.

:hugs:
 

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