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Hcg levels after miscarriage

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Ocotillopro - Oct 30th, 2005 12:05 PM
[Original Post]

I am new to this group, so please excuse me if I sound ignorant. We recently endured our first miscarriage. My husband and I have been married 6 years and underwent infertility issues (endometriosis and PCOS) for 2 years and finally had a beautiful baby girl...6 months later, we were shocked with our unexpected blessing..a fabulously awesome little boy! We decided to try again and I got pregnant immediately in Aug. 2005. Because of my previous infertility issues as well as preterm labor and birth with both, I am considered "high-risk" and literally started being closly monitored as soon as I knew I was pregnant. I had a vag. u/s at 5 weeks, they said they could see a sack but nothing in it. I requested they check the hcg levels- they did and as I assumed, they failed to double. Of course I held out hope that everything would still be okay, and I returned two days later for another u/s. There was a very wonderful, strong heart beat- we were told not to worry about the hcg levels because once a heart beat is established it doesn't matter. I started spotting that afternoon, was told by the nurse I worry too much, relax, enjoy the pregnancy. The next am I was in the office with intense bleeding, after another u/s and the heartbeat was still great, I was sent home again. The next morning I was back with horrific cramps along with the bleeding. My Dr. wasn't available, so another did a pelvic exam, said he was pretty certain what he obtained was the fetus, however another u/s would confirm. It indeed confirmed the baby was no longer- I was told to go to the restroom, clean up and they would see me in the office. I went to "clean up" as I was advised only to pass my entire baby and sac on the restroom floor. Fortunately a caring nurse was there to help me, since the Dr. seemed to be more concerned with keeping his schedule than helping me mourn my loss. I returned home and waited for my husband to get back to town before I told him what happened. Now MY Dr. called me last week telling me my hcg levels were still high, that they need to be monitored. Apparantley they are 70 and need to be less than 2, if they do not decline on their own in the next two weeks, I will be sent to an OBGYN oncologist! I don't understand why they can't just go in and give me a D and C now, but he says it's more complicated than that. Does anyone have any info. on this? Like I don't have enough to worry about and now I may be sent to an oncologist? Please respond quickly if anyone has any info. We recently moved from Phoenix to Atlanta and I wish I could find a Dr. half as good as mine back in Phoenix....I am so frustrated right now it is ridiculous.


Fortyfour - Oct 30th, 2005 3:20 PM

Hi, I dont know why they are putting you through such worry. It took my hcg 5 weeks to get below 5 with both of my d/c's. They should check it every 2 weeks before jumping to the conclusion you need a cancer doctor or a d/c. As long as you are not bleeding alot with blood clots and severe cramping you should be fine. After my last m/c I didnt bleed much the week after the d/c but started the following week for 10 days and it was considered normal. Take care and keep in touch. Let us know how it turns out.


silli_kitti - Oct 31st, 2005 9:45 AM

I am so sorry for your loss.

I agree with 44, they are worrying you unnecessarily.

You were pregnant, you had a miscarriage, that's why your beta is still elevated. Betas aren't as instant as the physical miscarriage - it takes time for levels to return to 0. My RE told me it could take up to 1 month, and he was not going to intervene (D&C) until after a month of elevated betas. A natural m/c is best for early pregnancy loss. After my beta started dropping, it took 2 weeks to get back down to 0.

I hope your levels come down soon.


Mo - Jan 24th, 2006 5:27 PM

I went thru IVF, and became pg on the 1st attempt - only to find out at my 12w check up that the baby stopped developing @ 9w. Had to have a dnc the next day. (1/20) - my blood levels are still @ 155. How long will it take to get back down to 0? We are devestated about our loss, but at the same time I think the only way I can begin to heal, is to be able to start another IVF cycle .. We want so very badly to be parents and the waiting hurts so much (also the fact that I will be 37 on Saturday does not help either)- any advise would be appreciated ... Thank you


Andi - Feb 3rd, 2006 1:01 PM

I Suffered a m/c and had a D&Ac Jan 4th. My HCG levels are still not back to normal. They were questioning a partial molar preg. My question is if my HCG levels are still elevated can I still become pregnant right now? Were waiting to try but we had n oops and was wondering if it is possible. Or does you body still think your pregnant and not ovulate? ...Thanks


Stacie - Feb 22nd, 2006 3:28 PM

Hi I recently got pregnant for the first time and it ended with me being 7 weeks along. For some reason I still feel pregnant even though its been almost two weeks since I've miscarried. I took a pregnancy test and it still came up as positive. I was wondering if it could be leftover hormones or if I could have had more than one baby inside of me. I was thinking about this becuz my mom miscarried but still was pregnant with my sister. I just wanna know.......



applespice - Mar 3rd, 2006 2:49 PM

I had a friend who had a m/c in the end of Feb, before she found out she went in and got her levels checked they were at 18, she went in 2 days later and they were 21, her period started,and it has been here for 4 days, the doc wanted her to come back and take more blood, and her levels are now at 87 WTH is going on
could she still be pregnant?

Thanks


Fortyfour - Mar 5th, 2006 1:15 PM

It may take awhile for the levels to go down. If there is any concern of continuing pregnancy they can do an ultrasound that will show if there is a baby or not. Take care. Sorry for your losses. I have had 2 m/cs.


Ela - Mar 17th, 2006 7:39 PM

Hey,
I had miscarriage at 14weeks, appar. fetus dies at 9weeks :( Had a D&C, 18dyas after HCG levels at 500! Ultrasound showed "suspicious tisue" they decided to do nothing! Went back 4 days later - now at 275...so they are coming down very slowly....wish they would come down faster so i would have a little closure
Anyone have a similar case


Lorien - Mar 20th, 2006 6:18 AM

hi everyone its been 5 weeks since my miscarriage and my levels yesterday where 30, pregnancy tests still showing postitive, levels were 40 exactly a week ago... my lining looks back to normal but they found fluid filled cysts on both ovaries 4 on one and 3 on the other last week. This week there where 2 on one side and a follicular cyst on the other. My levels seem to be taking their time.Has anybody experienced such a slow decline ?...I'm also still bleeding lightly..I just want it all to be over. Doc has asked me to do another test in 10 days. I'm scared that it will still be pos with all the crappy feelings it brings.

Thanks Lorien


Lorien - Mar 20th, 2006 6:23 AM

i forgot to say it must have been very early in the pregnancy. I took test on day that my period should have started 13th of Feb and started bleeding 3 days after and since.


nicklz - Mar 24th, 2006 5:39 PM

Hi all...

It looks like a lot of you have similar stories to me...I was 6 weeks preggo and miscarried on March 6, then went in for an ultrasound the following Monday. It confirmed my miscarriage. Howver, for whatever reason I took a pregnancy test last night, and it was positive. I have a call into the doc, but I feel like it's playing with my emotions. I just want closure! Is it possible I'm preggo again? We were not told to wait to have sex after the miscarriage, which I thought was strange, looking back. I just didn't think it could be possible to get pregnant again so soon after... Anyway..any advice is appreciated! :)


Crystal - Mar 28th, 2006 10:52 AM

Hi, well, I miscarried on Friday. My HCG levels continue to rise, only a little bit at a time. My doctor tells me that they are not rising fast enough to sustain a pregnancy and that we may have to do a D&C. My levels are at 1600 currently. I don't know what to do, or if we should wait and see what my body will do or to go ahead and have the d&c done. I don't understand if my body miscarried the baby, why would my HCG levels continue to rise?


sadmommy - Mar 29th, 2006 2:06 AM

hi everyone, i wanted to say im so sorry for all of your losses. i have 2 children my son is 12 and my babygirl will be 2 in may. there is such an age difference because i have pcos and have a hard time getting pregnant. we had been trying since sept 05 to get pregnant and to are suprise, we conceived in feb. it is my b day month and i had been praying to get pregnant on my b day which indeed i did. i tested positive early in march but about a week or so later i started to spot lightly, this didnt concern me at first as i know from my previous pregnancies this can happen and it never was an issue with the others howver, the spotting kept persiting into the next day so i called the ob gyn, i was told to take it easy not to worry, no lifting and so on. it still persisted and i begged for an ultra sound to at the very least rule out an ectopic pregnancy and i pleaded for an internal to see how my cervix was looking. i was told it was to early for either of these things but they did tell me they would send me for my hormone levels to be tested. my results were that my betas were 1928 and progesterone was low at 6. they said that 1928 was too low for a 6 week pregnancy but i should keep my fingers crossed, maybe it was just an early pregnancy. they ironically ordered for an ultra sound to be done asap which is what i wanted in the first place. the ultra sound showwed gestational sac not even measuring at 5 weeks yet so they repeated an u ltra sound 4 days later and i was told that still there may be no change but not to worry, maybe still to early to tell so they needed to give the baby time to show up which i fully agreed with as i didnt want any rush to judgment and go straight for a d n c without waiting. so i had the second ultrasound and it in fact still showwed nothing changed. went in for my levels to be tested again. my levels went from 1928 to 2552, progesterone now 13 and i guess ok but they did put me on progesterone 2 times a day so maybe that is what increased it. my levels didnt double as they should but i was still told to be hopeful since in about 10 percent of women, the levels just do not corrolate. went in again 6 days later for levels again , this time no comment on the progesterone so i assumed it was ok,betas were at 3500, still not doubled but increased. friday march 24, spotting became full flow like a period but no pain to speak of. saturday i called the hospital and explained that i was now cramping, bleeding heavily and passing clots, i was told to remain optimistic that these things sometimes happen and that it could still be ok. monday evening i went it for my scheduled ultrasound and it was confirmed what i already knew in my soul. the gestational sac was now moving downward and now right on my cervix and that i should expect to pass it in a couple days or so. well.. i lost the gestational sac at 10 am this morning marh 28 on my wedding anniversary! i am sooooo sad and devestated and mad and im still in shock! i want to heal from this and try again , i was given the go ahead by the ob gyn to start right away, that since i misscarried naturally that i wouldnt have to wait. i want to with all my heart but i admit im terrrified. ill never know if this was caused due to low progesterone or was the low progesterone just a sign that the pregnancy had ended? if ive got a problem with low progesterone this could happen again and again and im scared! the doc told me that as soon as i missed my period i am to get on the phone so she can prescribe progesterone as soon as we know im pregant again. i will be praying for all of you and myself that we heal from this and go on to have heappy healthy beautful babies! carrie


sadmommy - Mar 29th, 2006 2:24 AM

sorry, i wanted to add a question, being that my doc told me i didnt have to wait, does that mean to try after the bleeding stops or after my next period? im confused to as to why my levels were still increasing even though my pregnancy was not viable. but i have read that sometimes the body just doesnt realize the pregnancy has ended and that sometimes levels can still rise if you have a blighted ovum which is what they thought possible in my case.


christy - Mar 29th, 2006 12:01 PM

I got my period on Feb 14th. On March 16th I decided to take a home pregnancy test bc I was noticing signs of pregnancy. It was positive. On Monday the 20th I started bleeding. I was done bleeding by Thursday. It never got heavy and I only passed blood clots that were about the size of a point on a pen. They took my hcg levels on the 20th and 22nd. They said that I miscarried and the levels were both <1. But the thing is that I still feel pregnant, look pregnant and still can feel something moving at times in there. This would be my 4th pregnancy and I have never miscarried before. The other thing is that they told me on the 20th that my uterus was enlarged but then on the 27th they tried to tell me that it never developed out of the chromosomal stage. I don't understand.


confusedalltime - Apr 3rd, 2006 11:37 AM

could somebody please help me understand this, i took a pregnancy test, came back positive, took another one to be sure, again positive... went to doctor few days later as i started bleeding heavily with a clot about the size of a 50p coin... there i had a blood test, to determine the amount of hcg, 48hours later, i had to return for another blood test and again 48 hours after!! the doctor told me that my first test was below five and the other two were 0.5... still bleeding and lost yet another clot slightly smaller than the last the doctor told me that i had miscarried... with no d'n'c... its only been two weeks since last seeing the doctor, i was just curious as to how and why my hcg levels were that low in the first place... i'm only 20 and i dont really understand much about this and was slightly embarrased and nervous to ask my doctor.
i know that sounds silly but i just felt uncomftable.
could somebody help me along the lines of understanding this please??
thanks.


Tenille - Apr 6th, 2006 8:57 PM

Hi, I have a 2 year old son and got pregnant last September. My 12 week scan showed high nucal translucency and blood test. I had an amnio and the baby was found to have Triploidy... three sets of chromosomes. There was no chance of survival.
I had to terminate at 4 months, then had a d & c straight after. Most the placenta was still in there... at 16 weeks it was the size of a full-term placenta.
Since then I have had weekly HCG blood tests.
The reason they can't do another curette is because it's too invasive. It's far easier giving chemo because it ensures it kills all the cells. I have seen an oncologist, and had a full body scan to ensure the cells haven't metastisised (travelled and started growing in any other parts of my body). If all the cells aren't killed, then they can start growing again and are termed a "cancer", but it's totally curbale because it's just the abnormal growth of placental cells. My levels have gone down weekly. It has taken over 11 weeks to get to 61, and the doctors are thinking I may not need treatment since it is still going down. How have your levels gone down?
1200
440
290
220
19
0
140
130
130
98
86
61


Tenille - Apr 6th, 2006 9:08 PM

my placenta was a partial mole.... you only know this if the hospital analyses the placenta. Any chromosome abnormality changes the chemistry of the placenta, and can give you a high Hcg. It then goes down slowly. If HCG stops declining or goes up, it means any placental cells that have remained have started growing again, which is a form of cancer (the definition of cancer is the growth of abnormal cells... in this case placental cells). If the mc is due to a chromosomal abnormality, that's why HCG takes ages to go down. If you mc due to other reasons (ie not chromosomal) then HCG goes down quickly.


Melanie - Apr 12th, 2006 5:36 PM

I tested positive on hpt 6 weeks after my misscarriage. I thought I had my a week ago...it was only 3/4 days with only one day heavy. 2 weeks ago I thought I was getting my period, but it was only spotting. I'm confused. Did I have a period or is this still due to the misscarriage?


tamigirl33169 - Apr 12th, 2006 6:52 PM

i found out i was preg on 3/01/06. on 3/13/06 i started spotting. i rushed to the er and the findings were 6wk 6day gest sacs. no heartbeat. not a viable preg. dr's say i will expell fetal tissue on my own, but i fail to do so. on 3/21 dr's did d&c. on 4/12 i felt sick did hpt that is positive. could this be old hcg levels or could i be preg again.


Tenille - Apr 12th, 2006 11:02 PM

most likely after a miscarriage, a positive test so soon prob means u aren't preg. if u mc is due to a chromosome abnormality, hcg takes weeks to go to 0. 15 weeks after my termination then d&c, my hcg now 40... it started at 1200.


Tenille - Apr 12th, 2006 11:04 PM

i continued to bleed on and off for 15 weeks so far... the body is still shedding placental tissue.


hmattison - Apr 20th, 2006 10:16 AM

[quote author=sadmommy link=board=17;threadid=1564;start=0#16592 date=1143617078]
sorry, i wanted to add a question, being that my doc told me i didnt have to wait, does that mean to try after the bleeding stops or after my next period? im confused to as to why my levels were still increasing even though my pregnancy was not viable. but i have read that sometimes the body just doesnt realize the pregnancy has ended and that sometimes levels can still rise if you have a blighted ovum which is what they thought possible in my case.
[/quote]
I just wanted to reply and let you know the same thing happened to me. I miscarried at 6 1/2 weeks, and my hormone levels are still not back to normal. When I was pg they kept rising but not enough for it to be a healthy pg and then I started passing clots. The saddest part was when I passed the baby and I could see it and thats when I broke. Anyway, I had it naturally and my doc said I didnt have to wait either, so Im not. It has been 2 weeks since it happened. I think you just have to figure out if you had a period with the miscarriage and will be o'ing soon, or if your period will be coming. They way I figure it is that I havent had my period yet and its been 2 weeks so might have had it during the mc and I think I had some o pains yesterday and a little this morning, so we are trying. It will take longer to find out that I am pg if it happens this time b/c of the high hormones and the fact that a test will still show up right now which is sad enough in itself. But if it happens and everything is fine......its worth it. I dont know if this helps at all but I felt compelled to write you.


Tenille - Apr 20th, 2006 11:17 PM

if you def know why you miscarried, then it makes it easier to know what is happening.
we know mine was a partial mole, therefore it was expected the hcg would take a while to go down. nearly 4 months after termination my bleeding stopped 2 weeks ago and my hcg is now 28 (from 1200 3 weeks after termination and d&c). i have to wait 6 months until i go to 0 to start trying again, in this instance a doc's protocol for a partial mole so they can observe me. most docs would say not til try til u go to 0, since it indicates a problem the hcg being around, unless it is going down week by week.
if my levels were rising it would indicate i still had placental cells left that were continuing to grow. since a partial mole's placental cells are abnormal, they can start growing abnormal with hcg, being a form of cancer.

you really should find out what was wrong with your pregnancy. my baby and placenta were sent off to the lab for testing... she had triploidy (3 sets of -69- chromosomes, not the normal 2 set -23), and the placenta was a partial mole due to the excess chromosomes. finding out would help explain all the symptoms you are experiencing, and make you understand it all a bit better.


Tara Cocco - Apr 21st, 2006 2:05 PM

confused

4/14 had an appointment transvaginal u/s saw a sac but nothing in it my hcg level was 424

had some cramping and brown bleeding

4/17 my hcg level was 420
Dr. said that I am having miscarriage

stopped cramping and bleeding

4/20 my hcg level was 574
called my dr. and he said that my levels might plateau then fall- I will have another level on 4/27

has anyone experience this- I was convinced that since my cramping and bleeding stopped that my levels were coming down

Thanks
Confused one


Tenille - Apr 26th, 2006 1:48 AM

How far are you along? Brown bleeding and cramping is not 'usually' a miscarriage... BRIGHT RED blood is more cause for concern, therefore I am thinking you didn't miscarry even though you had cramps and they stopped. I started brown bleeding at about 8 weeks, but it stopped after a week or two, but cos it's not that abnormal didn't think much of it. A lot of women have that brown bleeding, about 30%.
HCG therefore kept going up. 12 week scan the HCG was high, indicating a problem... baby had too many chromosomes (3 sets) so at 18 weeks I had to terminate.
The brown blood and cramping may mean something, then again it might mean nothing at all. I cried initially when I found out, but as the baby was wrong from Day 1, and I didn't cry for her again. The termination was probably the easiest thing I've ever done... I was induced and had to deliver her. I wasn't emotional, it was something that had to be done. I'm not a cold person, just realistic with a Science degree. Everything happens for a reason, and it makes you stronger.
Don't worry too much... just have your tests and see how the baby progresses.


Anxious@31 - Apr 26th, 2006 10:06 PM

Hi All,

I was 9 weeks pregnant when I started to feel some cramping, which eventually lead to bleeding. I had an ectopic pregnancy on April 11, 2006. When I went for a follow up visit on Monday, April 17th the doctor told me that my hgc levels were at 6000 while in the hospital (April 11) and then had dropped to 600 on the Monday (April 17). My second follow-up visit is Thursday, April 27 and I am hoping that my level will be 0, so that I can simply wait for that first period and then start trying again. I didn't have the d&c procedure, but was given the methotrexate injections. This was my first pregnancy but hopefully not my last.


KATE9778 - Apr 27th, 2006 3:46 PM

i has a miscarriage on 2-27-06. I got blood work done and my levels were around 600. I got a sonogram and a T/V done which showed I had nothing still in there. I went to the Dr. March 21, and he didnt order any more blood work. I still havent gotten a period, but I just haent been feeling right. I took a pregnancy test and it came up positive. Could it be from my previous miscarriage or a new pregnancy? I called the Dr. and I go in for labs tomorrow, but I am worried about it. I didnt get a D&C done.. not sure if that could cause it or not. Thanks for any help!!


anna marie - Apr 27th, 2006 9:41 PM

Hello, everyone. I hope someone can relate to this. I had an m/c March 15; most of the tissues came out so there was no D&C done; my hcg levels were dropping, slowly but consistently. Last week it finally went down to 5.8 and I thought, yes, I'm in the clear! I got a call from the doc today; my levels went up to 7. I know it's not by much but considering the consistent drop, the rise, although minimal, worries me. Repeat for bloodwork next week and if it doesn't go down, there's a talk of D&C after a month and a half! Please, help!Thanks.


Tenille - Apr 28th, 2006 2:02 AM

I don't know how they can tell you most the tissue came out. I had to terminate and give birth at 18 weeks. The doc said most the placenta came out, but I went in and had a d&c as normal routine. When i woke the doc said there was a heap of placenta left... at 18 weeks the placenta was the size of a full-term, due to being a partial mole. Also, there is no guarantee a d&c will eliminate every cell... it only takes ONE cell to start growing again. The bleeding on and off means there are still cells which the body is getting rid of. I have stopped bleeding which should mean the cells are all gone, and if HCG continues to fall it confirms the cells are no longer there.

If you didnt have a d&c, the level going up may mean the cells are beginning to grow, but wait until next test because it may drop again. If it rises again the cells may be growing, or you may be pregnant (however you will know if this cannot be the case).
I started at 18th Jan at 1200... 26th April down to 27. My level has never risen, but it moved 0 one week, and only down 1 last week. Over 3 months. It'll prob be at least 4 months b4 im at 0.

If you're not pregnant, maybe chemo would be good. I am seeing an oncologist, because I plateaued for a bit. She recommended to me that with a level so low, I would only need one tablet which would kill the cells very effectively. With your level under 10 you would need less than this. A d&c is so invasive, and risks damage to your reproductive organs.

Wait until next test. Keep us posted.


Anxious@31 - Apr 28th, 2006 10:48 AM

Hi All, well like my nickname says, anxious at 31. My blood work from yesterday showed my hgc level at 44, so although dropping nicely, not yet at 0. I have a doctor's appointment on Monday, so he will likely send me back one more time for blood work. Wish me luck... I have never been anticipating a period so much in my life as I am now...


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