Can someone tell me about miscarriage/blighted ovum/ectopic pregnancies...not sure what is going on

[Anonymous]

I went in for a beta at 14dpiui and it was only 17. Three days later it was 28. I understand that this most likely means a nonviable pregnancy. My RE wants me to keep on my Crinone for now, and go back for a third beta tomorrow.

If I don't miscarry on my own, when will they be able to tell what is going on? (ie is this a blighted ovum, ectopic, etc). I am feeling very devastated right now, and if I could at least know how long this will go on (maximum) it would help me to at least be able to have an end date.

If it matters, I'm 38 yo and have 3 children (10,8 and 1) and we are using IUI due to male factor issues (my husband had radiation so we have frozen samples stored at andrology). I used follistim and had 3 follicles this cycle, my first IUI this time I only had 1 follicle and was a BFN. (Using follistim to try to get more eggs due to my age) My third son was conceived on my 6th IUI (second with injectables)

[Anonymous]

If your third beta is not good, then this will basically be a "chemical pregnancy" and you'll most likely have an essentially heavy period a few days after you stop the meds.

Blighted ovums usually start with strong betas and are detected with an u/s.

I hope for you this is merely a late implantation and it turns around.

[Anonymous]

(OP here)...thanks so much for responding. I appreciate it. I doubt it will turn around at this point, and as terrible as it sounds if it is not going to be viable, I just want it to be over .

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately, all you can do is wait it out. When will you have an u/s?

With my first, my betas were SUPER low (only a 7 at 10DPO) and slow to rise. My doctor was concerned about an EP (I am at risk due to endometriosis) and told me to expect a miscarriage. Baby kept on growing and is now a very hyper 3 yo.

I don't want to give you false hope, OP... just reiterating that all you can do is wait and see. And push for an early u/s.

[Anonymous]

I found out about my blighted ovum at my 7 wk u/s - we expected to see a heartbeat, but didn't. Not sure if it could be detected earlier. But my betas were pretty strong in the beginning. I also had an u/s at around 5 weeks where I think they would have detected an ectopic (everything looked okay for us at that one, but then things failed to progress).

Good luck, OP - hoping for good news for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went in for a beta at 14dpiui and it was only 17. Three days later it was 28. I understand that this most likely means a nonviable pregnancy. My RE wants me to keep on my Crinone for now, and go back for a third beta tomorrow.

If I don't miscarry on my own, when will they be able to tell what is going on? (ie is this a blighted ovum, ectopic, etc). I am feeling very devastated right now, and if I could at least know how long this will go on (maximum) it would help me to at least be able to have an end date.

If it matters, I'm 38 yo and have 3 children (10,8 and 1) and we are using IUI due to male factor issues (my husband had radiation so we have frozen samples stored at andrology). I used follistim and had 3 follicles this cycle, my first IUI this time I only had 1 follicle and was a BFN. (Using follistim to try to get more eggs due to my age) My third son was conceived on my 6th IUI (second with injectibles)

Hi there. I just went through something similar. I had a miscarriage last year at 8 weeks. Have been trying all year for my first and had my first IUI at SD. I got a strong positive on day 14/15 after the IUI. My HCG beta was 91 first, 4 days later it only went up by 20, 3 days after that it dropped to 44. I stopped my progesterone suppositories and got AF right away. (much heavier than usual). Had another blood test and it dropped to 11 on day 3 of my cycle. I am waiting 2 more days for it to be under 5 or at 0 and will continue treatment to try again.

The explanation I got for a chemical was that something didnt connect and that the good news is, you know you CAN get pregnant. The next step is to understand why the fertilization is not happening on course. Prayers to you for patience and success. Don't think about it to hard and every time things don't go the way you planned, try to remind yourself that your time is right around the corner...we can't dictate those things, but having hope that it's all just a matter of timing can make it a little more bearable. I am still going through the the cycle of such excitement to such disappointment. But then I remind myself that this is just one step closer to where I will be...soon soon soon. best wishes!

[Anonymous]

I am going through something similar right now, but from a FET. My betas have been rising VERY slowly for the past week. At this point I think they think it is an ectopic, although they couldn't see anything in my ultrasound in the uterus or the tubes. I will have another round of bloodwork and an ultrasound in a few days. I think if my betas continue to slowly rise I may have to take the methotrexate shot which I am dreading, but that is better than ruptured tube.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am going through something similar right now, but from a FET. My betas have been rising VERY slowly for the past week. At this point I think they think it is an ectopic, although they couldn't see anything in my ultrasound in the uterus or the tubes. I will have another round of bloodwork and an ultrasound in a few days. I think if my betas continue to slowly rise I may have to take the methotrexate shot which I am dreading, but that is better than ruptured tube.

So sorry to hear. Obvious pain is associated to ectopic pregnancies where the tube can burst or have problems. Hoping if it IS what the numbers are indicating, that it happens naturally. I have never had to take the shot but did have a D&C. Second time it happened naturally and since it was so early, I just had stronger menstrual like pains than usual. Stay optimistic and realistic at the same time. I always remind myself that I would rather these issues happen earlier than super late. Good luck to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am going through something similar right now, but from a FET. My betas have been rising VERY slowly for the past week. At this point I think they think it is an ectopic, although they couldn't see anything in my ultrasound in the uterus or the tubes. I will have another round of bloodwork and an ultrasound in a few days. I think if my betas continue to slowly rise I may have to take the methotrexate shot which I am dreading, but that is better than ruptured tube.

So sorry to hear. Obvious pain is associated to ectopic pregnancies where the tube can burst or have problems. Hoping if it IS what the numbers are indicating, that it happens naturally. I have never had to take the shot but did have a D&C. Second time it happened naturally and since it was so early, I just had stronger menstrual like pains than usual. Stay optimistic and realistic at the same time. I always remind myself that I would rather these issues happen earlier than super late. Good luck to you.

Thanks, I have been feeling so down that after we finally got a BFP from our 2nd FET it's Ectopic, but it's true that it's better that this happened early than if I lost the pregnancy in a few weeks. It is so frustrating and feels like one obstacle after another is thrown in our paths to becoming parents!

[Anonymous]

I've had two blighted ovums and each time I had standard betas with excellent doubling times. They were only diagnosed through multiple ultrasounds. My RE kept hoping we would see something in the sacs but the sacs just kept growing as expected, with good betas, but stayed empty. With blighted ovums you can have excellent betas. With ectopics and chemicals they're usually slow to rise.
To diagnose an ectopic or blighted ovum you will have to wait until your ultrasound.
I'm sorry you're going through this. Hopefully you just had a bad early rise but it might catch up. I wouldn't worry about the low initial number, it's the doubling that matters.

[Anonymous]

(OP here). Thanks for all of your responses, I had my third beta drawn today. Of course, I am praying for a miracle...but I am being realistic.

I appreciate all of your responses, I was wondering how long it would take to figure out what is going on.

[Anonymous]

Hugs and good luck op.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your third beta is not good, then this will basically be a "chemical pregnancy" and you'll most likely have an essentially heavy period a few days after you stop the meds.

Blighted ovums usually start with strong betas and are detected with an u/s.

I hope for you this is merely a late implantation and it turns around.

I'm sorry, OP. This was my experience with a blighted ovum. My HCH went very high, just like a normal pregnancy.

[Anonymous]

(OP Here). One week after going off of my Crinone, still nothing is happening. I am going in on Friday to see what is going on, unfortunately going off meds did not kick start things. RE says ectopic is unlikely, but he still wants an ultrasound to see what is happening. Sigh.

[Anonymous]

Sorry to hear, OP. I was in a similar situation, but thankfully HCG dropped and I miscarried on my own last week. It's so frustrating to finally get pregnant and then spend a few weeks waiting for it to end so that I can start the next cycle.