QuestionHi there Brenda,
Let me start by saying that this site (and your replies) are the 1st real helpful information I have found on the internet to help answer and calm my fears! :-)
Okay, I am 31, a mother of 2 beautiful little girls (5&6), my period is always every 27 days, and lasts 5 days! It was due on 5/12, but didn't come. I have had ALL sorts of pregnancy symptoms... nauseous, tender fuller darker breasts with more visible than normal veins, sensitivity to smells, lower back pain and cramping (slight), fatigue, emotional, no period, foods that were once very satisfying no longer taste good, frequent urination, and a POSITIVE Home pregnancy test taken the day after my period was due to arrive (5/13).
We were elated, I called and made my 1st OB appointment for Thursday 5/17...Wednesday 5/16 I woke and had a light watery pink spot when I urinated and some slight cramping. At 10:30, I had thick whitish pink mucus, and then I started having light (not a period, but not JUST spotting either) but steady bright red blood with slightly more cramping. Thursday the bleeding was still bright red and steady, but with small globs of tissue.... I noticed that the fullness and tenderness of my breasts vanished when I began to bleed, and slowly but surely most of my pregnancy symptoms seemed to fade away. I went to the OB, but both urine tests they did were negative. Friday the blood tapered off, and went back to pink water with occasional brownish on the toilet paper, and by noon there was no discharge left. Could I have had a miscarriage? Or is my body just freakishly out of whack?
Thank you in advance for any help you are able to give me; I really appreciate it!
Sincerely,
Mandy
AnswerDear Mandy,
With all of the facts you've given me, it sounds like this was most likely what we call a chemical pregnancy. A chemical pregnancy is the term given to a pregnancy that ends very early in the 1st trimester. Chemical pregnancies are confirmed by testing for hCG, the hormones that indicate the presence of a pregnancy. These hormones are typically detected by a urine or blood pregnancy test. However, within days or weeks, these hCG levels begin to drop rapidly, signifying an end to the pregnancy. It is believed that chemical pregnancies occur when the fetus dies almost immediately after conception. This happens before the embryo has a chance to implant in your uterus where it can grow and develop.
Unfortunately, chemical pregnancies are actually quite common. When it comes to chemical pregnancies, many women don't even realize that they have experienced one. This is because the vast majority of these miscarriages occur within the initial six weeks of pregnancy. During this time, typical signs of pregnancy are not always present just yet and a missed period may not have happened yet, making it somewhat unlikely for most women to take a pregnancy test. As a result, many women don't even know that they were pregnant in the first place.
Chromosomal abnormality is by far the most common cause for chemical pregnancies (as it is for almost all miscarriages). These abnormalities are present at the time of conception, and prevent the baby from forming properly. As a result, the body recognizes there is a problem and miscarries the baby. Other causes can be uterine abnormalities (which I would not necessarily suspect in your case since you have had two healthy pregnancies) and hormonal deficiencies (if you were a woman with a luteal phase disturbance, but you have a history of regular cycles of essentialy normal length). As noted, more often than not this is due to chromosomal problems with the fetus.
I hope this information has helped you and answered your question. My advice is to try to have a couple of normal cycles before trying again, just to let your body recover and let your hormones stabilize. I wish you well.
Brenda
