Questionhi. i am 13 weeks into my first pregnancy and am almost 35 years old.
i got a copy of all my blood work done and the HCG level seems extremely high. my doctor is out of the office and i would appreciate your expert opinion.
my HCG level is reported as 154359.7 and it has an "H" next to the result indicating that it is higher than the normal range. the normal range is reported to be less than 5M mIU/mL.
should i be concerned? i have read that high HCG is linked to down's syndrome and possibly preclampsia.
also, i had a cervical polyp which dissentegrated at 9 weeks. the polyp caused slight spotting/bleeding until it detached and i had no spotting for 2 weeks. but after exercising yesterday, i noticed that i had spotted again very slightly. i also felt a fairly solid tissue mass on the cervix which imparts blood to touch. i am spotting very lightly today.
is it normal for a polyp to dissentegrate (maybe partly) then grow back after a few weeks?
i apologize for the long email. thank you for your advice.
AnswerA polyp can grow back and can cause occasional bleeding. It usually does not interfere with the pregnancy, at all. You wrote that your HCG value is 154,359.7 The normal HCG value between 7-12 weeks gestation is 11,500 - 289,000. Your value appears to be within this range, and I would not be concerned. HCG values are NOT elevated in Down's syndrome or preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is a late manifestation of pregnancy with hypertension, protein in the urine, and edema. Down's syndrome is a genetic problem and is not related to HCG. However, very large levels of HCG are associated with "molar pregnancies" (Trophoblastic disease). However, if you are already 13 weeks pregnant, a fetal heartbeat must have been heard, and this rules out molar pregnancy. If you have any doubts, have a sonogram done and you will be reassured if a fetus and a fetal heartbeat is seen. I do not think that you have any cause for worry.
