Had a miscarriage but might still be pregnant? Can you help me figure this out?

[*Robin*]

I had a miscarriage starting on Thursday, July 28th and bled for a week, like a heavy period.  It totally wiped me out, too.  I was shocked at how tiring it was.  We didn't know I was pregnant before the miscarriage, but a HPT came up positive on the day I started bleeding.  It was my first ovulation since having my daughter in 4/09, and we really have no idea how pregnant I was.  My midwife ordered a beta HCG test on Monday, Aug. 1 and the level was 8, so very low.  (5 is considered not pregnant, above 25 is considered pregnant)  She ordered a second one for the next week, I had it drawn on Aug 10, and it came back 48.... up?  My midwife consulted with the main doctor in the practice and they don't know why it would be up.  They think it might be a fluke.  They asked if I went to a different lab.  No, the same exact person drew my blood both times.  They don't really have an explanation as to why it would be up.  So they ordered another test for this week. 

So I was figuring, if my level of 8 was correct the first time, and the second time was some sort of fluke/mistake, then if I took a HPT today, a whole 2 weeks after my level was 8, it should come back negative, right?  (Theorectically...) Well, I took two tests of different brands today, and not first thing in the morning when your levels are highest, but in the middle of the day after drinking tons of water.  They both came back very positive.  And I have to wait until Wednesday to have my blood drawn again!!

I am trying to figure out what is going on with my body.  I am wondering if maybe I released two eggs and one was still floating around when the other miscarried and then it implanted?  I saw someone else's post where they miscarried one twin.  Does anything else explain the fluky numbers?  Any ideas?  Does anything make your HCG levels go up besides pregnancy?

[lovebeingamomma]

I would guess you're still pregnant, whether you never m/c to begin with, or you just lost one twin.  Because a home pregnancy test would not be coming up positive if you're levels were below 8.  My guess would be that second blood drawn wasn't a fluke.  I'm surprised they didn't order an ultrasound for you, that would be the logical next step IMO.  I would ask for one.  Good luck to you.  I know how it feels to be in the unknown right now, not knowing if you should grieve or get excited about a new baby, I hope you get some concrete answers soon. 

[Jaimee]

Full on bleeding can occur in a healthy pregnancy.  It is not uncommon to bleed around the time of expected AF especially.   Your hCG would only go up if there was an embryo that was releasing it.  Though it is very strange that you got an HPT+ (which would have required 25+), but your blood only tested 8.   But, if you are still testing positive on an HPT at this point then your levels are above 25 at least.  They are full on positives... not any chance of evap lines? What brand did you use?  You could go get a test that requires a level of 100 and then you'd know if your levels have gone up.  Here's a site to find a test:

http://www.peeonastick.com/hpts.html (First Response One Step would work)

Of course, I see that you were going in for a blood test today, so this may be moot.  But if they don't get your results to you today this could be an interesting test... especially later in the day.

At any rate,  either the beta test that showed a level of 8 was a fluke (and your levels were actually above 25 at the time) and you experienced bleeding with pregnancy, the test that showed 48 was a fluke (and your levels were actually below 8 at the time) and all the HPT's you've taken since have been false positives, or you're experienced vanishing twin.  Do twins run in your family?  Do you have PCOS?  I hear there are a few other things that can turn an HPT positive like certain  medications and pre-menapausal women sometimes have higher hCG levels than normal (but I don't think they normally get high enough to test positive on an HPT).  So my money is on vanishing twin.  I mean, seriously, flukely blood tests and faulty HPT's?  Not likely!

An u/s would probably not show anything at this point, which is why one was most likely not ordered.  Usually they wait for hCG levels of 1000-2000 so that they are confident that they could see a gestational sac. 

Keep us posted please... this is a real mystery!

[monkeyscience]

PCOS won't produce a false positive HPT.

My vote would be that you miscarried a twin, and that you're still pregnant, especially if you've gotten multiple + HPTS. But your beta today should clear that up for sure. Good luck!!

[Snowflake777]

Interesting. I know some people have even heavy bleeding during pregnancy without miscarrying, so who knows?

Good luck and keep us posted!

[Jaimee]

Oh, I wasn't insinuating that PCOS would cause a false positive.  I was saying that polycystic ovaries are more likely to mature more than one egg, increasing the chance of twins even if they didn't run in her family. 

[*Robin*]

I called and have an appointment with a doctor in the office tomorrow morning.  I am not sure what they'll say, considering they just wanted a blood test again first, but I am hoping to get this somewhat cleared up sooner than later.  Wish me luck.

[*Robin*]

BTW, the HPT tests I took were multiple brands and they were all very positive, no evap lines.  The ones I took when the MC was just happening came up with a clearly there, but fainter second line.  The ones I take now, all three brands come up with pretty clear positives.  I tried to figure out which brands to buy, which are the highest, but it was really hard to figure since more tests are more sensitive than they report and everyone else is always looking for the most sensitive test. 

[Jaimee]

  Good luck!

[monkeyscience]

Jaimee - Thanks for the clarification. :)

Robin - Good luck!!

[*Robin*]

PCOS doesn't run in my family and I am not on any medications. 

I went into the office today.  Got an exam, nothing out of the ordinary, nothing they can tell either way.  They took another blood draw; I'll get results tomorrow.  The doctor says molar pregnancies tend to have much higher HCG levels, so she kinda thinks it's not that.  They are ordering a 'high risk' ultrasound, meaning a more specialized person does it at the hospital.  It should be in the next two days.  So just more waiting over here...  The doctor was thinking maybe the 48 was a fluke cause apparently another women had the same thing, a miscarriage and the beta HCG numbers going up, not down, but when I told her about the multiple HPT that were positive this weekend, she said it seems less likely the lab was wrong then.  So here I go waiting......

[Lisa1970]

You could have had bleeding and be pregnant. I have had bleeding with half my good pregnancies. One, I almost had a d&c because my hcg was not going up. Thank God I did not! That little boy is 23 months old. Give it more time. You sound pregnant to me.

[Jaimee]

Ugh, sorry you have to wait a few more days for some more definitive answers!  Seriously, I would go get that FR One Step and see if it comes up positive. 

[*Robin*]

I have looked around for a First Response One Step test and can't seem to find them.  I have a regular FR HPT, but that's different, right?

I have a high tech ultra sound scheduled tomorrow, mostly to rule out ectopic pregnancy I guess, and should get my blood results tomorrow, too. 

[*Robin*]

I had the ultrasound today.  They couldn't see anything.  Basically, it's too small to determine where it is at this point.  My doc wants to keep taking blood and watch the numbers to see where it's going... either up quick (which would mean a viable pregnancy and is unlikely but not impossible), or down, which means it stopped growing and my body should either expel it if it's in my uterus or absorb it if it's tubal, or keep rising at an obnoxiously slow rate which means it's still growing abnormally.  When it gets big enough to be a risk, or to see where it is, or just if it keeps growing, I can get either a D&C if it's in my uterus, or some kind of shot of cancer medicine to get it to stop growing, or a surgery to remove an ectopic pregnancy.  In any case, I don't really know anything new...

My blood level from yesterday was 89, so it didn't even double in 5 days.

[Snowflake777]

How frustrating to not know what's going on! I hope you know one way or the other soon.

[Jaimee]

ARgghh!  Sorry you didn't get any real answers!  But at least you do know that your hCG levels are rising and all the HPT's you've been taking have been accurate.  I guess that first blood test you took must have been wrong...? 

More waiting... please keep us updated and know that we're here if you need to vent!

[lovebeingamomma]

update?

[*Robin*]

Let's see...  So I have had the following blood tests:

Aug 1st- 8

Aug 10th- 48

Aug 15th- 89

Aug 19th- 92

Aug 23rd- 92 (doc thinks it likely went up a tiny bit possibly over the weekend and we caught it at the same level on the way down)

Aug 31- 40

I'll have another in another week or so, but it's all going down now.

Basically, no one knows whether is was ectopic or an abnormal uterine pregnancy, but it stopped itself growing and I am now bleeding again, actually miscarrying this time I suppose. Although, my doc did say it is pretty likely that it was twins and I miscarried one the first time and the other one wasn't growing right and is miscarrying now.  The second one could've been ectopic, in which case is should just reabsorb.  Sorry for not updating, it's been a crazy month.  I am kinda relieved at this point to be on the final pass of things.  Watching the numbers abnormally growing upward was really hard, knowing it was growing, but not in a way that would create a viable pregnancy. 

[lovebeingamomma]

I'm glad you at least know one way or the other now.  So sorry for your loss :(  I've lost 3, it's so hard. *Hugs*