High hCG Levels After Miscarriage: What to Know

Question
Hi my name is Hayley Kelly, i was on Methotrexate (for RA) i wasn't told any dangers of possible pregnancies while on it.  I found out i was pregnant April 8th 09.  I stopped my MTX, and went to have an ultra-sound Thurs, April 16th,They said i was 5.7wks. I also found out how horrible methotrexate is on a fetus, i was furious that the Rheumatologist didn't mention something so serious. 2 days later i started bleeding, i took a P. test and it was negative, i bled for 5 days.  On May 22nd i had my hcg levels tested by my gynecologist.(still no call back) i also had them tested yesterday (06-01-09) by my primary care doctor.Who called me this morning (06-02-09) they said they were unusually high.  So now i am waiting for my gyno's results to see if they have gotten higher since then or lower.  Is it possible that i am pregnant again? Or could it be that the fetus never came out? If so, is that dangerous for my health?  I hope you can help me.  Thank you so much for your time.

Hayley.

Answer
Hello Hayley
            Your rheumatologist should have asked if you were pregnant or planning to get pregnant before prescribing medication. It may be worth filing a complaint about this if it was a planned pregnancy.

The high hCG levels could be caused by retained tissue or a new pregnancy. As they double on average every 2 days, then your doctor should get a clearer picture of what's going on quickly.
They may give you an ultrasound to see whats going on and look for either a pregnancy or retained tissue. Another alternative is that you were pregnant with twins & you miscarried one - it doesn't happen often but it's a possibility.

If you haven't already, call your doctor about stopping your medication in case you are pregnant again. Of course, you may decide to stop it yourself anyway, but I am not medically qualified so cannot advise on this matter.

If you have retained tissue then it needs to be removed as soon as possible. It won't do you any harm in the short term but it could cause infection if left untreated.

I hope this has answered your question. Please comeback if I can help with anything else.
Kindest Regards
Sarah