QuestionMy daughter is now at 6 weeks pregant. She has had some problems with brown spotting and has had an vaginal ultrasound just recently. The babies heartrate was measured at 132 and the results are not back from her blood test. However, this is the day after and she is still spotting and has passed a small pea sized blood clot. She has had no cramping or pain. She is scheduled to a 48hr blood test on Monday. Should she be concerned or wait till the test on Monday. Thank you Pam
AnswerDear Pam,
It is encouraging that the heart rate was strong at 132. I'm sure what they are checking is her hCG level and possibly progesterone level. They are wanting to do another test 48 hours after the 1st test because we expect the hCG level to double every 48-72 hours in early pregnancy.
Until we get the numbers from the hCG levels, it will be really hard to determine how well the pregnancy is going. There is a very wide range for normal hCG levels in early pregnancy. At 6 weeks, the "normal" range is 1,080 - 56,500 mIU/ml. So, for example, if her 1st hCG test was 12,400, we'd expect for her 2nd level to be approximately 24,800 after 48 hours.
Now, if it isn't doubled, that doesn't necessarily mean the pregnancy is not viable. It does however give us a reason to be concerned about whether the fetus is healthy enough to get through the pregnancy or vice versa. It just gives us a "heads up" - a caution flag, so to speak.
The brown spotting can occur in early pregnancy and be completely benign or it can be a sign of a problem. Many pregnancies go on to deliver healthy babies after having spotting in early pregnancy. Clots are less common, however.
My suggestion is to wait and see how the levels come out on Monday before really becoming alarmed about this. There is absolutely nothing she can do to change it by worrying. And stressing only has negative effects.
I hope this information has helped you and answered your questions. I wish your daughter well and will have a good thought for her.
Brenda
