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What is your age?

Im 36 years old.

A "chemical" pregnancy occurs when an embryo develops to the blastocyst stage, attaches to the endometrium and intiates implantation. As the embryos gains access to the maternal blood supply, the pregnancy hormone (hCG) released by the embryo is picked up by the maternal blood supply. When the blood is tested for the presence of hCG, the level can be determined. If the pregnancy is going to continue, the hCG level in the blood continues to rise during the first few weeks of pregnancy. If, during the first few weeks of pregnancy, the hCG rises and then subsequently falls, this is termed a "chemical" pregnancy. "Chemical" because the only evidence of the pregnancy was hormonal (i.e. hCG in the blood).

There are three common causes for this kind of very early loss. The most frequent cause for a chemical pregnancy is that the embryo was genetically abnormal and this is nature's way of preventing an abnormal pregnancy from continuing. The frequency of genetically abnormal embryos increases with age which is why I asked you your age. At 36, about 60% of your embryos are genetically abnormal. The second most common cause is elevated natural killer cells where the immune system attacks the embryo and prevents continued development. Elevated NK cells can be aquired after previous successful pregnancies and can be a cause of secondary infertility. A blood test can reveal your NK cell level. The least common cause of chemical pregnancies is a clotting disorder where the small blood vessels that supply nutrients to the developing embryo are shut by blood clots. In the absence of adequate nutrition, the embryo is lost. A blood test can screen for clotting disorders.