Someone PLEASE help me understand this
- Thread starter icoupon2
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With my second daughter the doctor did an internal early and removed a piece of tissue during the exam. The tissue was sent to the lab and it idicated fetal parts. Based on that and on the fact the doctor couldn't hear a heartbeat I was told I needed a d&c. They scheduled me for an ultrasound the day before I was to go in and after searching for a while the tech goes "see Carol there's your baby." I am crying now as I type this. Seems I probably had twins and one didn't develop, hence the blighted ovum, but one did develop and she is now 16.. Keep praying and we all will too. Praying for a happy outcome and the health of all.
If September 23rd was the 1st day of her last period, she is not even 7 weeks pregnant yet. Doctors don't usually want to even see you until your at least 8 weeks along because of these kinds of reasons. I would just wait it out until after she is more than 8 weeks along and then go for a second opinion. If you go for a second op. right now, you may end up with the same results.
Wishing you all the best.
Wishing you all the best.
You've gotten lots of good advice! Most women do not ovulate at exactly 14 days which is what the last menstrual period calculations are based on. SO she MAY be even earlier than the calculations show. (For example, my baby was conceived on the 28th day --we were being monitored so we know for sure this is the date--of my cycle so all the LMP charts were off by 2 whole weeks for me and we had to use a modified date.) At 6 wks it is common not to see much of anything.
Also with miscarriages the numbers start dropping... she is NOT having a miscarriage if numbers are increasing. She could have one if something is wrong with development but she is NOT having one now with those numbers. Many don't hit the perfect doubling numbers and they go on to have healthy pregnancies. This is fairly common on the fertility boards I used to frequent. So of course as everyone said, no need for the D&C and continue those prenatal vitamins and acting like a preggo mama.
Also with miscarriages the numbers start dropping... she is NOT having a miscarriage if numbers are increasing. She could have one if something is wrong with development but she is NOT having one now with those numbers. Many don't hit the perfect doubling numbers and they go on to have healthy pregnancies. This is fairly common on the fertility boards I used to frequent. So of course as everyone said, no need for the D&C and continue those prenatal vitamins and acting like a preggo mama.
Prayers for your family! This must be so difficult! Ultrasounds are a nice tool but have flaws. I wouldn't make an decisions based on one. I have had at least 10 abnormal ultrasounds with the techs seeing holes in the heart or head. All babies were fine but I about had a heart attack.
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I have no words to offer, but I wish I was there to at least give you a big hug. I will keep praying for you, DD and the baby. I pray for your strength through these next days and I pray that you have clear confirmation on Saturday.
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG): The Pregnancy Hormone
The hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (better known as hCG) is produced during pregnancy. It is made by cells that form the placenta, which nourishes the egg after it has been fertilized and becomes attached to the uterine wall. Levels can first be detected by a blood test about 11 days after conception and about 12 - 14 days after conception by a urine test. In general the hCG levels will double every 72 hours. The level will reach its peak in the first 8 - 11 weeks of pregnancy and then will decline and level off for the remainder of the pregnancy.
Key things to remember about hCG levels:
In a bout 85% of normal pregnancies, the hCG level will double every 48 - 72 hours. As you get further along in pregnancy and the hCG level gets higher, the time it takes to double can increase to about every 96 hours.
Caution must be used in making too much of hCG numbers. A normal pregnancy may have low hCG levels and result in a perfectly healthy baby. The results from an ultrasound after 5 - 6 weeks gestation are much more accurate than using hCG numbers.
An hCG level of less than 5mIU/ml is considered negative for pregnancy, and anything above 25mIU/ml is considered positive for pregnancy.
The hCG hormone is measured in milli-international units per milliliter (mIU/ml).
A transvaginal ultrasound should be able to show at least a gestational sac once the hCG levels have reached between 1,000 - 2,000mIU/ml. Because levels can differentiate so much and conception dating can be wrong, a diagnosis should not be made by ultrasound findings until the hCG level has reached at least 2,000.
A single hCG reading is not enough information for most diagnoses. When there is a question regarding the health of the pregnancy, multiple testings of hCG done a couple of days apart give a more accurate assessment of the situation.
The hCG levels should not be used to date a pregnancy since these numbers can vary so widely.
There are two common types of hCG tests. A qualitative hCG test detects if hCG is present in the blood. A quantitative hCG test (or beta hCG) measures the amount of hCG actually present in the blood.
The hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (better known as hCG) is produced during pregnancy. It is made by cells that form the placenta, which nourishes the egg after it has been fertilized and becomes attached to the uterine wall. Levels can first be detected by a blood test about 11 days after conception and about 12 - 14 days after conception by a urine test. In general the hCG levels will double every 72 hours. The level will reach its peak in the first 8 - 11 weeks of pregnancy and then will decline and level off for the remainder of the pregnancy.
Key things to remember about hCG levels:
In a bout 85% of normal pregnancies, the hCG level will double every 48 - 72 hours. As you get further along in pregnancy and the hCG level gets higher, the time it takes to double can increase to about every 96 hours.
Caution must be used in making too much of hCG numbers. A normal pregnancy may have low hCG levels and result in a perfectly healthy baby. The results from an ultrasound after 5 - 6 weeks gestation are much more accurate than using hCG numbers.
An hCG level of less than 5mIU/ml is considered negative for pregnancy, and anything above 25mIU/ml is considered positive for pregnancy.
The hCG hormone is measured in milli-international units per milliliter (mIU/ml).
A transvaginal ultrasound should be able to show at least a gestational sac once the hCG levels have reached between 1,000 - 2,000mIU/ml. Because levels can differentiate so much and conception dating can be wrong, a diagnosis should not be made by ultrasound findings until the hCG level has reached at least 2,000.
A single hCG reading is not enough information for most diagnoses. When there is a question regarding the health of the pregnancy, multiple testings of hCG done a couple of days apart give a more accurate assessment of the situation.
The hCG levels should not be used to date a pregnancy since these numbers can vary so widely.
There are two common types of hCG tests. A qualitative hCG test detects if hCG is present in the blood. A quantitative hCG test (or beta hCG) measures the amount of hCG actually present in the blood.
Guideline to hCG levels during pregnancy:
hCG levels in weeks from LMP (gestational age)* :
3 weeks LMP: 5 - 50 mIU/ml
4 weeks LMP: 5 - 426 mIU/ml
5 weeks LMP: 18 - 7,340 mIU/ml
6 weeks LMP: 1,080 - 56,500 mIU/ml
7 - 8 weeks LMP: 7, 650 - 229,000 mIU/ml
9 - 12 weeks LMP: 25,700 - 288,000 mIU/ml
13 - 16 weeks LMP: 13,300 - 254,000 mIU/ml
17 - 24 weeks LMP: 4,060 - 165,400 mIU/ml
25 - 40 weeks LMP: 3,640 - 117,000 mIU/ml
Non-pregnant females: <5.0 mIU/ml
Postmenopausal females: <9.5 mIU/ml
* These numbers are just a GUIDELINE-- every woman’s level of hCG can rise differently. It is not necessarily the level that matters but rather the change in the level.
hCG levels in weeks from LMP (gestational age)* :
3 weeks LMP: 5 - 50 mIU/ml
4 weeks LMP: 5 - 426 mIU/ml
5 weeks LMP: 18 - 7,340 mIU/ml
6 weeks LMP: 1,080 - 56,500 mIU/ml
7 - 8 weeks LMP: 7, 650 - 229,000 mIU/ml
9 - 12 weeks LMP: 25,700 - 288,000 mIU/ml
13 - 16 weeks LMP: 13,300 - 254,000 mIU/ml
17 - 24 weeks LMP: 4,060 - 165,400 mIU/ml
25 - 40 weeks LMP: 3,640 - 117,000 mIU/ml
Non-pregnant females: <5.0 mIU/ml
Postmenopausal females: <9.5 mIU/ml
* These numbers are just a GUIDELINE-- every woman’s level of hCG can rise differently. It is not necessarily the level that matters but rather the change in the level.
What can a low hCG level mean?
A low hCG level can mean any number of things and should be rechecked within 48-72 hours to see how the level is changing. A low hCG level could indicate:
Miscalculation of pregnancy dating
Possible miscarriage or blighted ovum
Ectopic pregnancy
What can a high hCG level mean?
A high level of hCG can also mean a number of things and should be rechecked within 48-72 hours to evaluate changes in the level. A high hCG level can indicate:
Miscalculation of pregnancy dating
Molar pregnancy
Multiple pregnancy
Should my hCG level be checked routinely?
It is not common for doctors to routinely check your hCG levels unless you are showing signs of a possible problem. A health care provider may recheck your levels if you are bleeding, experiencing severe cramping, or have a history of miscarriage.
What can I expect of my hCG levels after a pregnancy loss?
Most women can expect their levels to return to a non-pregnant range about 4 - 6 weeks after a pregnancy loss has occurred. This can differentiate by how the loss occurred (spontaneous miscarriage, D & C procedure, abortion, natural delivery) and how high the levels were at the time of the loss. Health care providers usually will continue to test hCG levels after a pregnancy loss to ensure they return back to <5.0
Can anything interfere with my hCG levels?
Nothing should interfere with an hCG level except medications that contain hCG. These medications are often used in fertility treatments, and your health care provider should advise you on how they may affect a test. All other medications such as antibiotics, pain relievers, contraception or other hormone medications should not have any effect on a test that measures hCG.
A low hCG level can mean any number of things and should be rechecked within 48-72 hours to see how the level is changing. A low hCG level could indicate:
Miscalculation of pregnancy dating
Possible miscarriage or blighted ovum
Ectopic pregnancy
What can a high hCG level mean?
A high level of hCG can also mean a number of things and should be rechecked within 48-72 hours to evaluate changes in the level. A high hCG level can indicate:
Miscalculation of pregnancy dating
Molar pregnancy
Multiple pregnancy
Should my hCG level be checked routinely?
It is not common for doctors to routinely check your hCG levels unless you are showing signs of a possible problem. A health care provider may recheck your levels if you are bleeding, experiencing severe cramping, or have a history of miscarriage.
What can I expect of my hCG levels after a pregnancy loss?
Most women can expect their levels to return to a non-pregnant range about 4 - 6 weeks after a pregnancy loss has occurred. This can differentiate by how the loss occurred (spontaneous miscarriage, D & C procedure, abortion, natural delivery) and how high the levels were at the time of the loss. Health care providers usually will continue to test hCG levels after a pregnancy loss to ensure they return back to <5.0
Can anything interfere with my hCG levels?
Nothing should interfere with an hCG level except medications that contain hCG. These medications are often used in fertility treatments, and your health care provider should advise you on how they may affect a test. All other medications such as antibiotics, pain relievers, contraception or other hormone medications should not have any effect on a test that measures hCG.
Interesting read, thanks!
With DD they thought she may be a twin b/c at 6 weeks my hCG was around 50,000 :9: I was FREAKING, but obviously it was just my one little girl. Who has an attitude enough for twins, and then some!
Hoping child #3 is along with child #4, one shot and then I'd be DONE with being preggo ever! :cartwheel:
With DD they thought she may be a twin b/c at 6 weeks my hCG was around 50,000 :9: I was FREAKING, but obviously it was just my one little girl. Who has an attitude enough for twins, and then some!
Hoping child #3 is along with child #4, one shot and then I'd be DONE with being preggo ever! :cartwheel:
There is a difference between a miscarriage where the numbers are dropping and a missed miscarriage where the numbers continue to rise. With the former you are very much aware of the problem, with the latter it takes a doctor's diagnosis (generally via ultrasound) to confirm the diagnosis and you continue to feel pregnant and experience pregnancy symptoms.
I've had both and either way it is devastating.
Thanks!! I understand how difficult they are and the possible complications.
I have twins on both sides of the family; paternal grandpa and maternal uncles. :cartwheel: here's hoping!
I was hoping for twins. I gained 51#, but only one child. And shes all I ever ended up having. She is my little miracle baby. That was Gods plan for me I guess.
Well, I'm batting a 1,000 tonight. We went to Kohl's for some retail therapy, we were having a nice time (and getting free stuff with the 10/10's) until on my quest to find a new register I waltzed us right into the baby department. :faint: That was it for her and we were out of there.
Now we're piled up in bed where we've been most of last night and since dinner. So, I convince her to watch tonight's episode of EC with me. We turn on the TV to the right channel so as not to miss the start and "Secretly Pregnant" is on :faint: :faint:
Sucks...we had a talk when I got home, she said while she of course wants to know for sure she isn't going to think about Saturday's appointment because she's too afraid the result will be the same to even let it into her head.
out:
So, we'll just hang in there until Saturday and hope we know something for sure one way or the other. She can't take this roller coaster ride anymoreout:
Thank you all so much for sharing your stories of loss and of success in similar situations, for your prayers and support. It means so much :hug:
Now we're piled up in bed where we've been most of last night and since dinner. So, I convince her to watch tonight's episode of EC with me. We turn on the TV to the right channel so as not to miss the start and "Secretly Pregnant" is on :faint: :faint:
Sucks...we had a talk when I got home, she said while she of course wants to know for sure she isn't going to think about Saturday's appointment because she's too afraid the result will be the same to even let it into her head.
out:So, we'll just hang in there until Saturday and hope we know something for sure one way or the other. She can't take this roller coaster ride anymore
out:Thank you all so much for sharing your stories of loss and of success in similar situations, for your prayers and support. It means so much :hug:
