Rising hcg after CP...Ectopic? Really scared

[Deleted User]

You may remember me posting a few weeks ago about having a chemical pregnancy. I had a positive pregnancy test on 10/18 and then began to bleed the next day. I bled for about a week like a period, but had no pain. My doctor said it was a chemical pregnancy. I had a follow-up appointment with her on Friday,11/1. At that point the bleeding had stopped for almost a week and I was feeling fine. My doctor had me do a blood draw to check my hormone levels. They had gone up from the previous week's blood draw (I think the first was 42). I got a call today from the office with the results from the blood draw I had on Friday. It had gone up to 49, so they asked me to come in today for another draw. Shortly after I got a another call from the office that my hormone levels are now 55. So, increasing slowly since the CP. They want me to come in tomorrow morning and see the doctor because this points to an ectopic pregnancy. I am so scared! I cannot believe my luck. My first pregnancy in August was a missed miscarriage at 8 week that ended in a D&C. Then I had what I thought was a chemical pregnancy two weeks ago, and right when I thought it was over and done and I was starting to feel better, it turns out I might be having an ectopic! I'm taking a real emotional beating, here.

I am just so, so, scared. I don't know what to expect and I don't know how much more heartache I can handle. There's a small part of me that hopes maybe this is a new, healthy pregnancy, but I know that can't be possible (DH and I haven't done the deed since before I started bleeding from the CP). I'm in such disbelief. When it rains, it pours...

Edited to add: When I had my appointment on Friday, the doctor did some poking and pressing around my uterus and ovaries and there was no pain, which is why she didn't believe at first that this was ectopic until she saw the hcg level raised again today. Could this maybe just be "retained product" or whatever from the CP causing my levels to rise? I'm just looking for any other reason in hopes that this might not be ectopic

Lrlynch04

I'm so sorry for your loss and that you are going through this. My numbers fell and then rose again following 11 days of bleeding. Mine turned out to be retained product so there is hope! I hope that is all it is for you!!

[Deleted User]

Lrlynch04 said:

I'm so sorry for your loss and that you are going through this. My numbers fell and then rose again following 11 days of bleeding. Mine turned out to be retained product so there is hope! I hope that is all it is for you!!

Thank you! Seeing this actually does make me feel a little more at ease, even though I realize I won't know my situation until tomorrow at the very least. Even so, I'm holding out hope that retained product is causing the increase. I mean, it would kind of make sense seeing as the bleeding I did two weeks ago wasn't particularly heavy and there was no pain/cramping at all. Maybe my body just didn't get rid of it properly. I really, really don't want it to be ectopic. I'm so nervous for my appointment tomorrow I literally feel sick to my stomach...

[Deleted User]

Update: 

This just keeps getting weirder and weirder. I went in today to meet with my doctor regarding my slow-rising hcg levels, and the first thing they had me do was a urine pregnancy test. It was NEGATIVE. They are stumped! With yesterday's blood draw showing a hormone level of 55 (the highest so far), it should have shown up on a pregnancy test, but the urine test was negative. My doc suspects a mistake in the lab work due to the fluctuating numbers from the blood work (up, down, down, up, up, up) and now the negative urine test...

So now back to the waiting game. I go in again on Friday for another blood draw and urine test. If the blood draw shows my betas have risen even a little bit, I have to have that methotrexate shot. I'm scared of that since it's literally a chemotherapy drug, so I'm hoping and praying this is just a lab mess-up. I'm hoping that urine test was right and I'm not still pregnant--that I'm done with this nightmare and am NOT having an ectopic pregnancy! T&P please, I'm so confused and lost and feel like I'm literally at wit's end

Ashley144u

Thoughts and prayers!! I had positive pregnancy tests with first morning urine then negative urine tests in the afternoon. My HCG at that point was very low. Like high 20s. I don't know...everyone is different! So sorry you are going through this roller coaster ride!

srcr2011

I'm not a doctor, but are they sure it wasn't a molar pregnancy instead of a chemical? I was told I may have had a molar and did more research than I should. Of course the doctors know best and always follow their advice, but what I read, a D&C will remove everything (i'm so sorry for lack of a better word, I don't mean to sound insensitive, I know calling it a baby hurts, I'm currently MCing now) and sometimes the levels will rise again if the tumor comes back. It might be worth asking your docotor. With a molar pregnancy, your levels and uterus will be higher and bigger than how many weeks you really are. The molar diagnosis for me ended up being an blighted ovum. I wish you the very best and hope all turns out well for you!

[Deleted User]

Figured I should update again, in case any future lurker might find themselves in a similar situation.

I went back in Friday morning for another blood draw and urine test. Urine test was negative again, but the blood hcg level went up a smidge to 60. 

My doctor is starting to get away from the idea of this being ectopic, since it just doesn't fit the mold. She has a hunch it's "phantom hcg", caused by some antibodies in me that mess with the blood serum results during testing. She said I were truly still pregnant, even ectopic, it should be showing up on the urine pregnancy tests. She gave me some lit print-outs of studies done on this stuff for my own education. It's not that common, but apparently the concern is that women in situations like this are being given treatments (like methotrexate) unnecessarily, when perhaps it isn't an ectopic that's causing the low hcg levels but rather inaccurate test results. 

I have to go in this Friday again and they are going to apparently send my blood to a specialty lab that can dilute the serum to filter out the antibody and get a real hcg level, if in fact mine is "phantom". So I guess we'll see.

This is all just so confusing. I want my body to get back to normal! I'm nervous about what this could mean for us TTC-ing again. 

:-/