I had a chemical pregnancy... found out on March 13th when I got my period. My husband and I were devastated! Today is April 13th and I am 3 days late for my period! I'm wondering, after a chemical pregnancy, does it take a while for the period to come back to normal, or am I pregnant?
Thanks!
-Stephanie

Hi there,
I just found out I am (was?) pregnant on 1/09, I tested the day after AF was due and got a strong positive using First Response. I tested every day after that because I was in disbelief! We have been trying for almost a year. I started bleeding yesterday and went to the ER. It was to early to see anything via ultrasound but my blood levels were 181. The doctor seemed really optimistic and said that bleeding is common in early pregnancy and that he is calling it a threatened abortion. He said to come back in two days to test my blood levels again to see if they are rising or falling. I only bled that night from about 8pm-2am, losing about 2-3 tablespoon (sorry if TMI). I feel like that is a lot of blood (I normally have a very light flow).

Now, I'm just so confused. All of my friends say that everything is probably fine. But how could it be? I took another home pregnancy test this morning and I still get two very distinct lines. I had a couple left over and just couldn't help myself, but I feel like I am trying to fool myself into thinking everything is going to be okay. I am not bleeding today, but have some residual spotting, barely noticeable on toilet tissue.

My question for any ladies with experience:

How long after an early miscarriage or "chemical pregnancy" will a home pregnancy test be negative?

Has anyone bled like this and had a sustained their pregnancy?

I have to go back to the ER tomorrow night to have my blood tested again (they don't do STAT lab work at my doctors office). I just want to have a realistic idea of what to expect.

Thanks everyone,
and baby dust to all

~Amber

Anonymous wrote:i just want to say that I experienced my first "chemical pregnancy" this past christmas. Very sad, didnt feel much like xmas. I was 4wks, I am now waiting for next month to see if my period starts on time and if I ovulate...best wishes to those who are trying...

I had the same happen to me, on Christmas Day, had cramping and took a test to reassure myself that all was Ok, but it was negative, I had lost the pregnancy, the second time in only 3 months. I am devasted and seeking medical treatment to determine if there is an underlying cause. I wish you and everyone the best and hopefully we can all post our happy stories in the very near future!

IM SORRY TO HEAR ALL YOUR STORIES,AND I GUESS MINE IS VERY SIMILAR TO MOST! I ALSO HAD A CHEMICAL PREGNANCY! I FOUND OUT I WAS PREGO NOV. 1,I TOOK 3 HPT AND THEY WERE ALL +. I WAS SO EXCITED,I WANTED TO TELL THE WORLD AND I DID. BUT A FEW DAYS LATER I BEGIN TO BLEED VERY HEAVY AND I KNEW THAT WASN'T SUPPOSE TO BE HAPPENING...SO I WENT TO THE ER ON NOV. 11 THEY JUS GAVE ME SUM FLUIDS AND SAID I WAS THREATENING A MISCARRIAGE. I WENT HOME AND STAYED OFF MY FEET TIL THE NEXT DAY WHEN I WOULD GO SEE MY DOCTOR. SO THE NEXT MORNING I WENT AND THE DOCTOR TOLD ME I LOST MY BABY! MY QUANTITATIVE LEVEL HAD GONE DOWN,I DID ULTRASOUND AND THERE WAS NO SIGN OF A SAC OF ANY KIND!THEY CONFIRMED IT ON NOV. 12. MY PERIOD CAME ON THE 28TH AND IT WAS ON TIME THIS MONTH TOO. I CAME ON YESTERDAY SO IM THINKING ABOUT TRYING AGAIN! I THINK ABOUT MY LOSS ALL THE TIME,I SIT AND WONDER WHAT IF THIS OR WHAT IF THAT...YOU KNOW BUT IM LEARNING TO COPE WITH IT! BEST WISHES TO YOU ALL AND IM GLAD TO KNOW THERE ARE WOMEN OUT THERE THAT GO THROUGH SOME OF THE SAME THINGS I DO....IT'S JUS A GOOD FEELING OF NOT BEING ALONE.
BRIANNA

i just want to say that I experienced my first "chemical pregnancy" this past christmas. Very sad, didnt feel much like xmas. I was 4wks, I am now waiting for next month to see if my period starts on time and if I ovulate...best wishes to those who are trying...

I posted back on the 10/01 and just wanted to say thank you to all the supportive comments of the PP's.

This last month has been tough after our 2nd early miscarriage as I bled and clotted for over a week but your comments remind me that it is ok to feel sad.

I am sorry for all those who have had losses and my thoughts are with you all.

Anonymous wrote:I've had five chemical pregnancies -
Incredibly, we get pregnant really quickly, but getting past that 6 week point is impossible. Anyway, following every single one I tried right away (2 wks after loss)to get pregnant, and it never works, BUT each time I get prengnt the follwing cycle (6 wks after loss). It seems unlikely to be a coincidence. And we're pregnant now, at 4 1/2 weeks.

Same here - pregnant after 6 weeks...twice this happened for me. The chemical was so depressing and horrible but then bam! pregnant.

I also took B6 supplements + folic acid after the second chemical - I read it can help build up lining for implantation.

OP i am so sorry for your loss. Your experience was the same as mine ... I got a positive at 11DPO, began spotting the next day with an HCG of 20 and a progesterone of 4.5. Began actively miscarrying the next morning. It was the longest, hardest weekend of my life.

I was one of the people whose cycles did NOT return to normal after the chemical. I did not ovulate the next cycle and began clomid the cycle after that. (got a BFP from the clomid cycle, now 23 weeks whoo hoo!) so it can happen. if you don't get your period on time, i recommend you see your doctor for blood testing to see if you've O'ed.

most of the PPs on this thread have been very caring and supportive. however i have seen the two WORST THINGS YOU CAN EVER SAY to a woman who has suffered a chemical pregnancy:

1. it wasn't really a miscarriage
and
2. if you hadn't have tested, you wouldn't have known (can also be phrased as don't test till your period is due).

the first of these is not only patronizing and but it completely minimizes the woman's pain, both physical and emotional. the second of these implies that she somehow did something WRONG by discovering that she was pregnant. both of these are totally insensitive and i hope that the posters who said them remember that the next time.

I have just had my second "chemical" pregnancy in 2 months! We already have a 10 month old daughter and wanted to have them close. After the first mc my cycle returned to normal straight away. I ovulated on the day I was supposed to but mc'd again on the day my next period was due.

It is true that most women don't even know they are pregnant but some "just know"! As with my daughter, I had an abundance of symptoms with the first starting 3dpo but not as many with the second. I've had quite a few complications after an emergency c-section and I'm also postpartum hypothyroid so my body may not be ready for another pregnancy yet. I'm struggling a little, emotionally today but we will keep trying.

Don't be sad PP b/c the fact that you were able to get pregnant is very good news. Chemical pregnancies are VERY VERY common, most women don't ever find out b/c they think it's just their period. In the future, I recommend not taking any pregnancy test before your period is due.

I just found out I had a chemical pregnancy. I had 5 positive ept and positive blood test the days before my period was due. I thought I was pregnant. The day before my 1st doctors appointment, I began having bad cramps, lower back pain and bleeding. This apparently was the chemical pregnancy. We are sad, bc we were trying and tracking ovulation, but we plan to try again soon.

Here is a definition I found on the web:

The earliest form of miscarriage. The word "chemical" refers to the pregnancy being too early to confirm except through biochemical means. Home pregnancy tests and hCG blood tests will be positive, but the baby and gestational sac will not develop enough to be visible on an ultrasound. (When the ultrasound can confirm the pregnancy, it is a "clinical" pregnancy.)

The term "chemical" pregnancy can be confusing. In a chemical pregnancy, the sperm and egg do meet but the fertilized egg does not implant properly in the uterus, resulting in an early miscarriage.

Chemical pregnancies are not uncommon. Doctors sometimes advise women to wait to use a pregnancy test until their menstrual periods are actually late in order to avoid detecting and grieving chemical pregnancies because an early pregnancy test often will come up positive but then the woman's menstrual period arrives on time or a few days late. The bleeding may be slightly heavier and more crampy than a normal period.

There are a lot of insensitive medical terms.

What is a chemical pregnancy? I had mc at 6 weeks, (lost a baby) 8 weeks (lost a baby) and 13 weeks. ( Lost a baby). I guess if it makes you feel better to call it that, go ahead, I think it sounds insensitive. Sorry if this sounds sappy, but I really think the little souls should get some respect. Gas is a chemical, clorox is a chemical, h2o2 is a chemical. A baby is a baby.