Pregnant again?

[Dill]

First off: Hi! I'm new. My pregnancy and subsequent MC have been kept a secret from pretty much everyone except my SO.

It's been an ordeal.

Backstory:
I started bleeding August 17 and had a full-on miscarriage August 27. I didn't realize I'd been pregnant at the time, though I'd been having symptoms for nearly two months (I'd had an IUD in until July 14 so I shouldn't have gotten pregnant, and didn't suspect. My guess is that the IUD removal prompted the subsequent loss of the baby). I was still bleeding several weeks later and saw a doctor on September 10. A blood test showed my hcg was at 55,000. Surprise! The doctor told me I was pregnant. A follow-up blood test on September 15 showed a drop down to about 32,000. They did one more on September 22, and I was at 15,000. I had an emergency D&C on September 25 after I began showing signs of infection and an ultrasound showed that my miscarriage had only been 50% successful -- I still had a blighted ovum (amniotic sac and all) inside. It had been a sad attempt at twins. My symptoms went away the first week or so after the D&C... all the bloating, cravings, vivid dreams, sensitive sense of smell, sore breasts, digestive issues, everything.

Follow-Up:
I did a follow-up blood test October 10th just to make sure that everything was progressing normally. My results showed that my hcg at over 300, which is significantly lower than it was, but my doctor was concerned that they still weren't closer to 0 and has me scheduled for another follow-up on the 22nd. I did a home test today (the 15th) and it still came up positive. In the meantime, some of my symptoms seem to be coming back. My sense of smell is ridiculously sensitive and my digestion is acting up, both issues that started early on in my last pregnancy. I am not sure if this is mental or not. It's only been 3 weeks since my D&C.

I've been bad and started having unprotected sex again one week from the date of my D&C. It seems like my hcg levels have probably been much too high to ovulate. Could the resurgence of my symptoms be related to the last of the hormones leaving my system, or could I be pregnant again?

I guess I'll find out for sure by the 24th, but I don't know if it's even worth being cautious about or not.

 

[Cloveredwards]

Hi Dill,

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss and it sounds really traumatic. I had an early natural miscarriage 4 weeks ago. I was 5+2 weeks. It was a really upsetting time and I just wanted it to be over with.

To be honest I've been driving myself mad thinking I'm getting pregnancy symptoms again and I've read a lot of posts from women who say you can be extremely fertile after a mc. The waiting to do a test is enough to drive anyone crazy. It just seems strange that your HGC went all the way down to 0 and your symptoms went and now you're starting to feel the same again. I will keep my fingers crossed for you and keep me posted.

Take care for now xx

 

[Dill]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I understand what you mean about just wanting it over with!

My hcg never did drop to 0, which is why they have me scheduled for a follow-up later this week. The lowest it's gone was 300 at the last follow-up. That was 15 days post D&C (for the retained blighted ovum) and over a month and a half from the date of the miscarriage itself (of the fetus). The doc thinks it's weird that I haven't gone down to 0 yet. My symptoms seem to be going away again, so I think maybe that was just the last of the hormones leaving my system. I guess we'll see.

It is my understanding that you're most fertile for the 3 months following a MC! So I'm hoping I get pregnant right away. How about you? I know some women prefer to wait afterwards. Have you done a test yet?

 

[Dill]

Well, I did a home test this morning, and the line is almost gone. It's hard to believe it's still registering at all nearly a month after the D&C, and I am definitely disappointed that I'm not pg, but this at least means the time to try again will come soon!

 

[Peanutt]

4-6 weeks is normal for the hormone level to return back to 0.

 

[Dill]

I just got the results of my 4-week test, and my count is 69. They want one more follow-up test and think the count should be zero by then (though they've said as much with EVERY SINGLE follow-up test I've done so far).

I do think I've ovulated, though. I felt the usual twinge, and had some faint cramping this morning.

 

[Cloveredwards]

I'm so sorry for the late reply. The same thing happened to me with the HGC blood test! My last result showed 27 and they wanted me back in the following week but I never bothered going which I know is bad but I just wanted to move on! My doctor called me and asked me to do one more urine test which turned out to be negative! We'Ve been trying to get pregnant again and I didn't wait around! I've done 2 tests earlier this week - both negative. AF was due yesterday and I still haven't had anything yet but might just leave it a few more days and see what happens! How are you anyway and how are you feeling now? Xx

 

[Dill]

How long did it take before you finally came up negative?

I did a home test yesterday and it came up positive. No squinting necessary, there was clearly a pink line. My 6-week hcg blood test is this Wednesday.

I don't even know when AF is due for me. I haven't had a normal cycle since June. I got pg in June, MC'd in mid-August, kept bleeding until my D&C in late September, bled another week or so after that, and now it's just been the waiting game while my counts drop.

 

[Dill]

Well, I may still have the hormones in my system, but my body must be ready to get back on the horse again, because AF finally came last night! I started cramping during the day, and at bedtime, there she was. I don't think I've ever been so happy to see her!!!

 

[Dill]

Well, AF did her thing, but my 6-week-post-D&C hcg was 21. I told the nurse that I'd AF'd anyway, and her response was, "Wow. I don't even know what to say to that." She said I should feel reassured that my count is still dropping, despite it only going down by 48 in two weeks.

I am so frustrated.

 

[Dill]

They rushed me in a week early for another hcg count because the owner of the clinic was concerned. My results came back as 11 (7 weeks post D&C) and they feel I'm low enough now that it's not an issue and I don't need further testing. They can't explain why my count is dropping so slowly. Almost two months post-procedure and I am STILL POSITIVE. They don't seem concerned about the pain I have been experiencing.

Ready to just rip out all of my parts, at this point.

 

[Cloveredwards]

Hi Dill,
How are you feeling now? For some reason I couldn't find your messages. Anyway I hope you are feeling better. My HGC took 2 weeks to drop down and even then it was still 26. I didn't bother going for another blood test. It's so stressful the waiting game. Anyway i just wanted to say keep your head up, stay happy and positive. xx

 

[Dill]

Thanks, Cloveredwards. I'm still feeling frustrated and upset. I MC'd in August, D&C'd in September, and here I am in November, still testing positive and dropping verrrrrrrrry slowly. I just want to TTC again. It's really disheartening. All of our friends keep asking if I'm pregnant yet, and why I'm not pregnant yet, and it just makes me want to hide from the world.