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What Do These Ultrasound Report And HCG Levels Indicate?
Question: Hello,
On Wed I had 4 positive pregnancy tests and on Saturday I woke up cramping and bleeding. I went to the ER and the conclusion was: HCG was Present but less than 25 mIU/mL. Equivocal for pregnancy. Need to test in 2-3 days. Unremarkable pelvic ultrasound exam. No evidence for intrauterine
pregnancy or ectopic pregnancy. Exam cannot exclude or confirm the
possibility of such. Consider follow-up with beta hCG
So yesterday I went and got my blood drawn and the results are :HCG quantitative <1.2
Does this mean I lost the baby?
On Wed I had 4 positive pregnancy tests and on Saturday I woke up cramping and bleeding. I went to the ER and the conclusion was: HCG was Present but less than 25 mIU/mL. Equivocal for pregnancy. Need to test in 2-3 days. Unremarkable pelvic ultrasound exam. No evidence for intrauterine
pregnancy or ectopic pregnancy. Exam cannot exclude or confirm the
possibility of such. Consider follow-up with beta hCG
So yesterday I went and got my blood drawn and the results are :HCG quantitative <1.2
Does this mean I lost the baby?
Brief Answer:
Unfortunately yes- this means you had a miscarriage.
Detailed Answer:
Hello, and I hope I can help you today.
Unfortunately, a bHCG value of less than 5 is considered a negative test. So since the pregnancy hormone decreased to that level after you bled, you did miscarry the pregnancy.
I do not know how far along you were when you did your pregnancy test, but a hormone level of less than 25 meant that either you already passed the pregnancy before you went to the ER, or that you had what is called a "chemical pregnancy" meaning an egg fertilized and divided enough to produce a small amount of pregnancy hormone, but the fertilized egg never implanted. Normal pregnancies, even in the first few days, have bHCG levels in the thousands.
A "chemical pregnancy" is extremely common and does not mean you will not be able to conceive successfully next time. Many women do not even know that they had one, because they never did a pregnancy test and bled when their period was only a few days late.
So, unless you were a few months from the first day of your last period, and you passed tissue at home, you did not lose a baby, rather you just had a pregnancy that never developed in the first place. Your chances of conceiving again are not affected by this, and you can start trying again after your next period, which should be around 4-5 weeks from now.
I hope I was able to adequately answer your question today and that my advice was helpful. If you need anything else or have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Best wishes,
Dr. Brown
Unfortunately yes- this means you had a miscarriage.
Detailed Answer:
Hello, and I hope I can help you today.
Unfortunately, a bHCG value of less than 5 is considered a negative test. So since the pregnancy hormone decreased to that level after you bled, you did miscarry the pregnancy.
I do not know how far along you were when you did your pregnancy test, but a hormone level of less than 25 meant that either you already passed the pregnancy before you went to the ER, or that you had what is called a "chemical pregnancy" meaning an egg fertilized and divided enough to produce a small amount of pregnancy hormone, but the fertilized egg never implanted. Normal pregnancies, even in the first few days, have bHCG levels in the thousands.
A "chemical pregnancy" is extremely common and does not mean you will not be able to conceive successfully next time. Many women do not even know that they had one, because they never did a pregnancy test and bled when their period was only a few days late.
So, unless you were a few months from the first day of your last period, and you passed tissue at home, you did not lose a baby, rather you just had a pregnancy that never developed in the first place. Your chances of conceiving again are not affected by this, and you can start trying again after your next period, which should be around 4-5 weeks from now.
I hope I was able to adequately answer your question today and that my advice was helpful. If you need anything else or have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Best wishes,
Dr. Brown
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Arnab Banerjee
Answered by
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