Rising hcg after a miscarriage??

[clavoi2]

Hello, I had my LMP on Dec. 31. We are trying to conceive, so I used an ovulation test, which indicated that I was ovulating on or around Jan. 19. I started what I thought was a period on Jan 31 - bleeding heavily for 4 or 5 days, then spotting. I was still spotting on Feb. 9, so I took a home pregnancy test which came out positive. My doctor sent me for a blood test on Feb. 11 (came back at 1250). Had another one on Feb. 13 (came back at 1675), and a third one on Feb. 16 (came back at 2600). So my levels are going up, but not doubling.

Thinking that I was having a threatened miscarriage (I was still spotting at that point), my doctor sent me for an ultrasound (pelvic and transvaginal) on Feb. 18. They saw NOTHING. No sac, no yolk, no embryo, nothing in my uterus or anywhere else. I had another hcg test on Feb. 23 (yesterday) and am waiting for the results, and I am having another ultrasound tomorrow.

I understand it's not too hopeful at this point, but I am really puzzled. Did I miscarry (with the heavy bleeding)? If so, why are my levels still going up? If I am to miscarry, why hasn't it happened yet, and why can't they see anything on ultrasound if my levels are over 2000? If anyone has any anwers or a similar story to share, I would love to hear them!

Thanks!

[snshnkty]

no thats not stupid. closure is good no matter how u need to get it. but the doctor told me i didnt have to get them checked anymore, b/c my last u/s on monday showed that everything was going as it should. he said the sac was already gone & just a little tissue left to clear out. i was glad about that. i really didnt want a d&c. its almost over now & then i will be looking forward to my next period. who knew i'd ever say that. :o) then in april we can start trying again. & i know wat u mean about not being able to enjoy the beginning of your pregnancy. this next time around i'm going to be so paranoid at every little pain & esp if i start to spot even tho thats common. stupid me i use to think pregnancy was simple.

[clavoi2]

No, actually, it was my fifth. I had three miscarriages (5th or 6th week of pregnancy), then I had a perfectly normal pregnancy which resulted in a perfectly healthy little boy (who is now 18 months). We were trying to conceive again this time, and it was ectopic, which leads me to wonder if my miscarriages were in fact ectopic pregnancies that naturally resolved themselves in the early weeks.

Although I was very disappointed this time around, it didn't hit me as hard as my second or third miscarriage. At that time, I was wondering if I would ever be able to conceive. But this time around, I have two things I didn't have then, which are very helpful:
1- I have a beautiful son, so even if I don't have other kids, we love him enough for ten children!
2- I know that having a (or multiple) miscarriage(s) doesn't mean that a "regular" pregnancy is impossible.

It really is tough to go through for a first pregnancy, and makes you see other pregnancies differently. At least in my case it did. I didn't dare rejoice until I was four months pregnant with my son, and I feel like I missed out on a lot of the joys of the early days. But you have to keep looking forward. I wish you all the luck in the world. It can happen.

By the way - are they still testing your hcg levels? I had mine checked every time to make sure they were going down completely after the miscarriage, and to make sure the miscarriage was complete. Somehow, it provided some closure. It may sound stupid, but it did...

[snshnkty]

thats hard to go thru.
my doctor thought i had an ectopic pregnancy (found out i was pregnant jan 28th) but all 4 ultrasounds showed no evidence of it. they did find my gestational sac in my uterus but doc thought it could be a blighted ovum due to fact that no yolk sac seen(i was 6 weeks). my numbers were rising but only doubling every 4 days. & then last week i started bleeding so think its a miscarriage. tough to go thru for a first pregnancy.
was this your first pregnancy?

[clavoi2]

If anyone is looking for answers (as I was), here is the follow-up to my previous post.

I had a second ultrasound on Feb. 25, and they found a 6w2d fetus with a heartbeat in what seemed to be my left ovary. I was sent to the hospital, and was scheduled in for surgery that night. I could not get the injection because I was too far along, and because the fetus was still alive. As it turned out, the baby was in my left tube, and the doctor removed part of the tube.

What I want to point out is that I hardly had any symptoms at all - no pain, anyway. The only signs were hcg levels that weren't doubling, and an inconclusive ultrasound at 7 weeks. At that point, my levels were at 2600, so they should have seen at least SOMETHING if it had been a normal pregnancy.

I kept hoping for the best, but it wasn't meant to be for this time. I just hope that this doesn't make it impossible to conceive again.

Good luck to you all!