Pregnant, but possible MC with increasing HCG

[TonyaW]

So I thought I was having a miscarriage. I started having light red bleeding on Monday and some dark red bleeding on Tuesday, however it comes and goes and a flow never really starts and then I get brown spotting. I am 5 weeks pregnant. My progesterone was a 6 on the first day of my +HPT (despite using OTC progesterone cream) and an hcg level of 7 blood test. I assumed I was miscarrying with the bleeding and the period like pains and general discomfort. However I went ahead and had another HCG level drawn yesterday and it was 148. It way more than I would expect in 6 days if I am calculating correctly. Also my +HPT was darker today than yesterday. Of course I started progesterone suppositories on the day of my +HPT.

I do realize that I could still have a miscarriage and that it is also possible that this is happening because of my progesterone having started so low and that my uterine lining was trying to shed. However I am interested to know if this has happened to anyone else. Has anyone else started out with a way low progesterone and had bleeding like a period and then have a positive pregnancy outcome?

This is such a roller coaster and I just wish I could know what is going to happen.

[MaerynPearl]

I honestly do not think that the bleeding and low progesterone are actually related. And women get period-like pains through pregnancy all the time, this is really quite common.

If this pregnancy IS healthy and progresses (and despite bleeding, that sounds very possible with your levels rising) then its very possible your bleeding is from a subchorionic hematoma (this is a somewhat common cause of bleeding in early pregnancy that is NOT related to a miscarriage... and can be heavy and sometimes with clots!)

I know a few ladies in my DDC and several others have posted about bleeding and that is all it turns out to be.

Are you planning on having an ultrasound soon to find out? At 5 weeks they cannot tell you much but in about a week and half to two weeks they should be able to find a heartbeat!

As for your progesterone levels... OTC cream is believed by many medical professionals to not even work for fertility usage because not enough of it goes where it needs to, it is absorbed into the fat on your body and very slowly let out into your blood stream. This is why most doctors that prescribe progesterone give suppositories, which go right where they need to.

Also, I would not worry about a virtually unmedicated level of 6 to be honest. I had a level of 7 around 8 weeks and am now 17 weeks and totally fine!

Yes, going on the suppositories is a good idea, but I don't think that level is really a sign that you are going to miscarry.

[TonyaW]

Originally Posted by MaerynPearl

I honestly do not think that the bleeding and low progesterone are actually related. And women get period-like pains through pregnancy all the time, this is really quite common.

If this pregnancy IS healthy and progresses (and despite bleeding, that sounds very possible with your levels rising) then its very possible your bleeding is from a subchorionic hematoma (this is a somewhat common cause of bleeding in early pregnancy that is NOT related to a miscarriage... and can be heavy and sometimes with clots!)

I know a few ladies in my DDC and several others have posted about bleeding and that is all it turns out to be.

Are you planning on having an ultrasound soon to find out? At 5 weeks they cannot tell you much but in about a week and half to two weeks they should be able to find a heartbeat!

As for your progesterone levels... OTC cream is believed by many medical professionals to not even work for fertility usage because not enough of it goes where it needs to, it is absorbed into the fat on your body and very slowly let out into your blood stream. This is why most doctors that prescribe progesterone give suppositories, which go right where they need to.

Also, I would not worry about a virtually unmedicated level of 6 to be honest. I had a level of 7 around 8 weeks and am now 17 weeks and totally fine!

Yes, going on the suppositories is a good idea, but I don't think that level is really a sign that you are going to miscarry.

I do plan to have an ultrasound if my HCG levels keep going up to see what could be causing the bleeding. I got my prog levels back just a bit ago and they are 18.4 after taking 100mg suppositories every day since my first blood draw. This is in the normal low level. I certainly hope it is a SCH. Although it will quite scary if it isn't an SCH to have all this bleeding and then maintain this pregnancy because I will be so afraid something is wrong with the baby.

Both my midwife and doc considered my level of 6 to be too low. Iguess I am not really 5 weeks, more like 4 and a few days.

[2sweetboysmom]

First off, lots of hugs for you.

I think that as of right now it sounds good. I had bleeding like that in my 3rd to term pregnancy, in weeks 5-9. It was not SCH but simply a very low implantation causing cervical iritation.

[RedOakMomma]

have you been checked for an ectopic pregnancy?

[MaerynPearl]

Originally Posted by RedOakMomma

have you been checked for an ectopic pregnancy?

Im not sure they would be able to see that if she isnt 5 weeks yet? (like... really i dont know, would they? is the sac visible that early?)

yes, the 6 was low, but its not necessarily a sign you are losing the pregnancy. 18 is nice though after my 7 my next draw (although unmedicated) was 17.

If they dont spot a SCH at your ultrasound I would say that does not necessarily rule that out as a cause.

[soso-lynn]

An ectopic could not be seen on ultrasound just yet, but the BHCG would not increase normally. Bleeding would not be a symptom of it either at this point.

[TonyaW]

Originally Posted by MaerynPearl

I honestly do not think that the bleeding and low progesterone are actually related. And women get period-like pains through pregnancy all the time, this is really quite common.

If this pregnancy IS healthy and progresses (and despite bleeding, that sounds very possible with your levels rising) then its very possible your bleeding is from a subchorionic hematoma (this is a somewhat common cause of bleeding in early pregnancy that is NOT related to a miscarriage... and can be heavy and sometimes with clots!)

I know a few ladies in my DDC and several others have posted about bleeding and that is all it turns out to be.

Are you planning on having an ultrasound soon to find out? At 5 weeks they cannot tell you much but in about a week and half to two weeks they should be able to find a heartbeat!

As for your progesterone levels... OTC cream is believed by many medical professionals to not even work for fertility usage because not enough of it goes where it needs to, it is absorbed into the fat on your body and very slowly let out into your blood stream. This is why most doctors that prescribe progesterone give suppositories, which go right where they need to.

Also, I would not worry about a virtually unmedicated level of 6 to be honest. I had a level of 7 around 8 weeks and am now 17 weeks and totally fine!

Yes, going on the suppositories is a good idea, but I don't think that level is really a sign that you are going to miscarry.

Why didn't you go on progesterone?

[MaerynPearl]

Because my doctor didn't feel it was necessary, nor did I. I tested at a low, it doesn't mean my progesterone was low, just that at the moment I was tested it was. I could have had all of my symptoms strengthened for a few weeks for no reason whatsoever had I gone on it. As it is, by my next test it was perfectly fine and at 17 weeks we have no reason to believe I should have ever been put on it anyway.

Progesterone is not a constant hormone, it comes in spurts. If you get tested at the tail end of a spurt, just before your next, it will appear much lower than if you test just after the spurt starts. I had strong morning sickness, tender breasts, stuffy nose, several very strong pregnancy symptoms... so we didn't worry about it at all.

As well, my doctor is one of those that believes that low progesterone is not necessarily connected to miscarriage at all. She had high progesterone with both of her miscarriages, even after the bleeding started. However, with her twin pregnancy (which went on without a problem) she tested low. I dont know about with her first two, I didnt know her back then... she moved next door to my mom after her second child was born and she didnt talk about those pregnancies when talking about her miscarriages/twins since they had different fathers and she believes that can make a difference (and I'm seeing it in myself, with a different father with this baby)

[TonyaW]

So would your doc have put you on progesterone if you tested with low prog at the beginning of pregnancy and or with previous miscarriages? Does she believe in a LPD? I am just curious because I am trying to decide what to do if I have TTC again soon.

[MaerynPearl]

I'm not sure... it was my first appointment that I tested low at, but we had no reason at all to think anything was wrong and that's not necessarily a sign of anything wrong either.

I was only 8 weeks when I was tested that low... and it was about 5 weeks later when I tested perfectly fine... and the time in between my morning sickness only got worse and I started to feel baby bouncing around.

I just cant help but feel that progesterone really isn't going to help if you are going to have a miscarriage. It wouldn't have helped my first and I lost it at 13 weeks.

I mean, if you have an LPD that's one thing, but just testing low isn't enough to signify anything wrong.

[TonyaW]

I do have and LPD which is usually 10 days. I knew this with my first pregnancy which resulted in a healthy living child and no treatment. However the last two pregnancies I started with a progesterone of 6 and and HCG of 7 with what I consider late faint +HPT's at 14DPO. I,m not sure what to do about prog in the future. On the one hand I feel like if it was a healthy pregnancy then I wouldn't need to supplement, but so many people seem to think that prog supplementation is needed to maintain a pregnancy. Since I had two pregnancies that are the same, one for sure a MC and the other a probable one, I feel that I should take prog but I hate how I have to keep going in for testing before I can let myself naturally MC.

[rlandnl]

Well I started bleeding at 5w6d with this pregnancy, I *KNEW* it was low progesterone, I know my body, I know that I have PCOS and I just *knew* I asked the Dr to test my progesterone he said no. I asked for suppliments, he said no, I went to the ER they said the pregnancy wasn't viable, even with an HCG level of 9931 (the ER felt they shoudl see more than just a sac at that point) I continued to bleed into my 7th week when I finally took it upon myself to start progesterone cream. That STOPPED the bleeding, UNLESS I put it on a spot that was too fatty- ie my thighs so I stuck to chest, upper arms, neck, and if i went on my thighs bam bleeding was back. I brought this to my doctor at my 9 week visit and finally I was taken seriously and she gave me progesterone pills. I took 200mg a day till I was about 15 weeks pregnant, (she said to go off at 12 weeks but I had some left so I kept going till they were gone - i weaned off them). And as soon as I started the progesterone pills I never once had one more spot of blood. And here I am 20 weeks pregnant and everything looks great so far

so I definitely believe that spotting/bleeding CAN be caused by low progesterone, and if you think that's your issue I would definitely keep taking it! Good luck!

[TonyaW]

Well I am still in limbo. My HCG on Tues was 145 and Thurs was 276...not quite doubled but pretty darn close. I plan to have another HCG draw Monday and if it gets up in the 1000's then a sonogram. I still feel at times an intense feeling like my period is about to start and still pink and brown blood although not constantly. Finally my HPT is darker today than yesterday's. I really don't want to get my hopes up to have them dashed!

[MaerynPearl]

Originally Posted by TonyaW

Well I am still in limbo. My HCG on Tues was 145 and Thurs was 276...not quite doubled but pretty darn close. I plan to have another HCG draw Monday and if it gets up in the 1000's then a sonogram. I still feel at times an intense feeling like my period is about to start and still pink and brown blood although not constantly. Finally my HPT is darker today than yesterday's. I really don't want to get my hopes up to have them dashed!

That feeling like your period is about to start any minute is a totally normal part of pregnancy... expect it to last a couple months.

[TonyaW]

Turns out I had an ectopic pregnancy which accounted for the low HCG numbers and bleeding. Now my doc says I have to wait 6-12 TTC again.

[NullSet]

Originally Posted by TonyaW

Turns out I had an ectopic pregnancy which accounted for the low HCG numbers and bleeding. Now my doc says I have to wait 6-12 TTC again.

Oh no, I'm so sorry.

[matey]

So sorry mama.

[Ellen Griswold]

So sorry.

[happythistle]

so sorry for you - take good care of yourself!