QuestionHello. I am currently 8 weeks along with my second pregnancy. My last pregnancy ended in miscarriage at 7 weeks. I had my first Dr. appt 2 weeks ago and they only saw an empty sac. The Dr. said I was either not as far along as I thought or the baby wasn't developing. They took blood that day and two days later. My HCG level only increased from 14,000- 18,000. The nurse called and told me that I was having a miscarriage and it would just be a matter of time. It has been a week since then. I haven't had any symptoms of miscarriage and still have the same symptoms slight nausea, sore and enlarging breasts, terrible heart burn and fatigue. I don't want false hope but is it possible that I am not having a miscarriage?
AnswerHi Diann
Your levels may be showing as slow rising, which would usually indicate a 'non-viable' pregnancy. As soon as the levels drop, this would indicate that the pregnancy is failing & a miscarriage will follow. If an empty sac was seen on the scan then it's possible you have suffered from a blighted ovum. This is when the placenta, sac etc grows but the embryo doesn't develop.
It seems very unfair to tell you this and leave you waiting, do you have any follow up appointments for scans/tests?
Until those levels start falling, you are really left hanging & that's simply awful. Most women are offered a D&C (a small surgical procedure to remove any tissue.) and I am surprised you haven't been. Sometimes your body doesn't miscarry naturally so you need to know how long to wait before action is taken.
I would make an appointment with your doctor and discuss the situation.
Your symptoms are normal and may continue for a couple of weeks after a miscarriage. That's because hcG takes a while to completely clear from your system. hcG is produced by the placenta so you may find that your symptoms may lessen slightly once the pregnancy has stopped growing.
I hope this has helped. Please don't hesitate to come back if you have any further questions.
Kindest Regards
Sarah
