Pregnant with no HCG?!?!

[smc83]

So I’m dealing with an absolutely crazy situation. I’ve been TTC for almost 3 years now. I chronically test with both OPK and HPT…like multiple times a day. My cycles are usually 28 days like clockwork. However, since February, the cycle length has been shorter, periods have been lighter and OPK was somewhat confusing in March to the point where I couldn’t really tell if I ovulated or not. ALL HPTs (multiple brands/types) have been BFN. I have a history of endo, so I thought maybe I needed another laparoscopy. So I go in to OBGYN, he does an internal sono and there’s this sack with what appears to be a fetal pole in it. It measured at 6w 3d, but had no heartbeat. Both blood & urine HCG tests were 0. The thing is, they’ve clearly been 0 this whole time or I would have caught it with HPT. Dr. is insisting on D & C, but I’m not sure enough of what is going on to jump to that extreme so quickly. Tried going to hospital & since my HCG was 0 they refused to do another sono to check things further. All the pregnancy clinics in my town and surrounding areas are the same (no positive urine = no sono). I’m left with absolutely no way to figure out what’s going on.

In the meantime, I continue to bleed sporadically. Pretty good flow with a few small clots, but nothing like usual (I usually bleed and clot A LOT, so this is definitely less than usual). Other than this, all pregnancy signs are present (sore breasts, slight nausea, extreme fatigue, gas, full-feeling abdomen, headaches, slightly elevated blood pressure, REALLY high cervix, stringy fertile-like CM…EVERYTHING I’ve always had with all 7 of my previous pregnancies)

I’m extremely confused & stressed out already, so if you have negative comments, please just keep scrolling. I’m looking for specific information.

1. Has anyone had any personal experience, or personally know anyone who experienced, a stealth/cryptic pregnancy (pregnancy with no HCG for weeks or months)?

2. Has anyone had a heartbeat be undetectable past 6w 3d then later get a heartbeat? I’ve had 7 kids and I would swear mine were more around 8 weeks, but can’t remember for sure.

I’m not so far out as to believe that I’ll be pregnant for years as some literature suggests is possible with these “cryptic” pregnancies, but it seems at least somewhat reasonable to me that a hormonal imbalance caused by stress etc. could cause HCG results to be off. Whatever the case, this baby grew for 6w 3d completely undetected by HPT. Therefore, what’s to say it won’t continue to grow? And what’s to say 6 weeks with no heartbeat automatically means it was a miscarriage? I’m just confused…please help!!!

 

[BrendaJ]

I'm sorry I cannot offer much advice, only to try and remain calm. Check back with your OBGYN in 2 weeks with a follow up U/S, by then you should have a definite answer. I've only read about some women not hearing a heartbeat at 6 weeks and have went on to hear it a little later, so here's to hoping! Monitor your bleeding and try to rest a lot. Should you bleed more than usual, go back to your OBGYN and try to get another U/S to check on the baby. So sorry you have to go through so much just to get some answers, I hope all goes well for you

 

[LittleLala]

Hmm... There should be a heartbeat there at 6 weeks 3 days, but it *might* be possible that it is still early.
However, in all honesty, unfortunately it sounds as though you have experienced a missed miscarriage. If your HCG is at 0, it sounds as though the baby will no longer continue to develop.

The things you have read about "cryptic" pregnancies lasting years are very unfortunately from women who have experienced some form of mental illness. I have read a lot about them, and I'm sorry to say, but they are not correct. Those who DO eventually have a child, have happened to get pregnant throughout the middle of their "years long" pregnancies and have then had the baby after a gestational period of approximately 9 months.

I really don't want to upset you (or question your sanity) but please keep in mind that not everything you read is true.
Hopefully it is just early and things will turn around for you

 

[Xpecta]

The only thing I can offer is during this pregnancy, I had an ultrasound at 6 weeks and there was only a sac. Not even a yolk sac or fetal pole yet. So not seeing a heartbeat at 6+3 is completely possible. I'm now 32 weeks with an extremely healthy baby girl I'm sorry for all the confusion. I have heard of people not getting a positive results until like 3 months or so. That is so stressful for you! I hope you get some answers soon!

 

[StillPraying]

I think you're right to hold off on the D&C. If you're bleeding, it could be your body slowly misscarrying. Will your Dr see you again for a follow up? I don't blame you for wanting confirmation before opting for the procedure.

 

[DobbyForever]

I agree, I would hold off of the d&c. It sucks but it sounds like you are stuck with this doctor. Tell him you want to give it a week or two and scan again to see if there is any change before agreeing to anything. Sending positive vibes

 

[maddiesmum1]

It sounds like a missed miscarriage I'm afraid. I would tell your doc to rescan you in 10 days, then if no growth or heartbeat go from there xx

 

[DobbyForever]

Just to help ease your mind that you are not loony. I found this article and this guy hypothesizes (keyword hypothesize) that cryptic pregnancies are real and either result from the mother's body deciding to produce lower amounts of hcg to protect her at the expense of the fetus or that, like pp said, it's the result of a mmc. Either way, I hope you get some answers hug

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306987706005548

 

[LittleLala]

Just to help ease your mind that you are not loony. I found this article and this guy hypothesizes (keyword hypothesize) that cryptic pregnancies are real and either result from the mother's body deciding to produce lower amounts of hcg to protect her at the expense of the fetus or that, like pp said, it's the result of a mmc. Either way, I hope you get some answers hug

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306987706005548

Correct me if I am wrong, but is is article not about REDEFINING "denied pregnancies" (pregnancies that are of normal length and not known about until the end) as "cryptic pregnancies"? so it's not talking about cryptic pregnancies which are spoken about online from women who say that their pregnancies last years, they are just using a new term for those pregnancies that are hidden for most of the pregnancy period. It is interesting, and suggests that these women (essentially the ones who were on shows such as I DIDNT KNOW I WAS PREGNANT) had pregnancies they didn't know about as their bodies were trying to keep the pregnancies safe by stopping the mother stressing about said pregnancy.

Either way, it suggests that there may be lower levels of HCG in these "hidden pregnancies". But saying that "crypic pregnancies" are real is very misleading, as this article is just trying to redefine that term.

I'm not trying to have a go or anything, and it was interesting about the suggestion that hcg may be lower, I just didn't like the idea of people reading that and then believing that cryptic years-long pregnancies are real and possible.

 

[LittleLala]

I really do hope that your dr allows you another scan in a week and that they find a heartbeat.

 

[Orglethorp]

I've only had 1 ultrasound so far (at 11+5), but my doctor tried to find the heartbeat on doppler before that, and even at 9+6 she wasn't finding it. Scan day came, 11+5, and the baby's heartrate was 158. (heartrate peaks (170-180) at 10 weeks, then starts to decrease until it's about 130 for delivery.

 

[DobbyForever]

Correct me if I am wrong, but is is article not about REDEFINING "denied pregnancies" (pregnancies that are of normal length and not known about until the end) as "cryptic pregnancies"? so it's not talking about cryptic pregnancies which are spoken about online from women who say that their pregnancies last years, they are just using a new term for those pregnancies that are hidden for most of the pregnancy period. It is interesting, and suggests that these women (essentially the ones who were on shows such as I DIDNT KNOW I WAS PREGNANT) had pregnancies they didn't know about as their bodies were trying to keep the pregnancies safe by stopping the mother stressing about said pregnancy.

Either way, it suggests that there may be lower levels of HCG in these "hidden pregnancies". But saying that "crypic pregnancies" are real is very misleading, as this article is just trying to redefine that term.

I'm not trying to have a go or anything, and it was interesting about the suggestion that hcg may be lower, I just didn't like the idea of people reading that and then believing that cryptic years-long pregnancies are real and possible.

He's asserting a change in terminology from denied pregnancy to cryptic (synonymous with hidden). Neither I nor the author are talking about year long pregnancies. It talks about stress as reason why a pregnancy might produce lower to no hcg than average thereby making the pregnancy less likely to be detected. Which is what I gathered the OP was talking about since she referenced stress and medication in her life that may have led to a cryptic (hidden) pregnancy... I wasn't asserting year long pregnancies are real... some people argue that the lower hcg stalls development which elongates gestation but that's not what the article was about. Granted, I only read the abstract.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blo...-could-you-be-pregnant-months-and-not-know-it

 

[SonnyH]

I've not read the articles or anything but I'm pretty sure you can't be pregnant and have 0 HCG? HCG is what supports pregnancy in the early stage, so it would surely be impossible to have none? Maybe low but not none what so ever? I wonder is it's possible your HCG levels were too low to pick up on a test early on and then unfortunately dropped to 0 when the pregnancy wasn't viable.

It very sadly does sound like a missed miscarriage or a slow one hence the continuing to bleed. I'm so sorry it's all very confusing, I hope you get some answers as quickly as possible. I really don't understand why they won't scan you again.. can you pay to go to a private scanning place? Do they have them in the US? I know you can get quite cheap early reassurance scans in the UK these days.. it's worth paying the money to know for definite and to be able to move on?

 

[DobbyForever]

It's not impossible simply improbable. The level of stress and, frankly, unstable psychological state that are required to produce a cryptic pregnancy are very rare. And they do tend to be less healthy pregnancies, but some are viable. The idea is the body cannot healthily support mom and fetus. In a healthy woman, the body favors the fetus. In these cases, the body sacrifices the fetal development for the mother. It continues to operate as if not pregnant, blocking production of pregnancy hormones. You'd be surprised what your body can and will do to protect you. Our brain is incredibly powerful. It's like how I can't remember two years of life because my brain literally decided I cannot handle/process those memories so it just wiped them. These safeguards only happen with extreme stress and fragile mental state. They have been documented.

As for op, as much as I hate to say it, it likely was a mmc.

 

[Savasanna]

I've not heard of a pregnancy without any HCG personally, but I will saw we didn't see a hb until 6w5d (previous us was 5w5d when there was just a sac, not even a fetal pole) so the no hb at 6w3d doesn't seem TOO crazy.

The neg pg tests is a bit confusing, though - even if you were miscarrying you would still have SOME hcg in your system. Are you following up with your doc?

 

[3boys]

I wouldn't have a d&c based off no hb at 6w 3. I would want them to check for growth and hb in a weeks time. As for hcg being 0 I've never heard of this so can't advise. Love that you also have 7 kids. I love big families. Hope you get answer soon.