Could the lab work be wrong?

DCsara

I got a BFP last wednesday, at 13 DPO, no question about it, very dark second line on the test. So I went in for lab work last Thursday (the day my period was due so I was exactly four weeks) and I just got the results today. Apparently my HGC is a 2 which my doctor says would essentially make me not pregnant and my progesterone was really low too.  But honestly, I'm just having a hard time believing this.  Of course I went to get more labwork done, hopefully will get the results tomorrow, and rushed home to take another urine test....and the results once again came up positive instantly.  Very dark second line, as dark as the control line. I'm going to get another kind of test and try again, but I doubt it will be different.

I have no signs of problems so far, no spotting, etc.  I had an early miscarriage before I had my daughter and was spotting the whole time before the pregnancy finally ended. This time everything seems to be going great. So what gives?  This just doesn't add up to me. If my HGC really is a 2 I shouldn't even be getting a faint positive on the urine tests. I told the doc this and she said, well the labs can screw up. I guess we'll see. Anyone else have something like this happen?

mlebates

I'm not saying this could be you by any means, BUT my SIL after 3 years of trying and using IVF was told at her appt that her HCG was at an 8... but 2 wks later she got a phone call that the tech miss read the #'s on her HCG test wrong and she was actually at an 800 at that time.  And now she's due any day!  So yes it could be wrong... but as far as I'm aware, it's pretty rare.

HappyAardvark

I've seen this happen before on the boards, a few months ago, with a positive outcome.  In that case,  the mistake the lab made was to run a qualitative HCG, which will only tell you if there is HCG in your blood, as opposed to a quantitative HCG, which is what most people usually are referring to when they quote beta #s. I hope that is maybe what happened in your case.  GL!

tcacciato

you're still pretty early for your lab HCG to be off the charts (i work in a lab) ask your doctor if you can get it done again in 2 or 3 weeks time and it'll will probably be much higher

WildcatPrincess

Did the phleb label the tubes in front of you? Usually wrong results are a result of mislabeled specimens. If it's a bigger lab the results cross directly from the machine to the computer, so in that case there wouldn't be transcription errors, but smaller labs may still do manual result entry - there's always room for human error there. If the serum had a clot in it and the tech didn't notice it may not have sampled correctly and the results would be falsely low. Good luck!

cloud9climber

something is funky here.  If you were only a 2 then I don't think it would even show up on a PT.  weird!  good luck!  I'd bring in your tests to show your doc. 

MeghanF13

What test are you using? Is it a blue dye test? There have been a lot of false positives with the blue dye tests.

sunflowergrl

cloud9climber:

something is funky here.  If you were only a 2 then I don't think it would even show up on a PT.  weird!  good luck!  I'd bring in your tests to show your doc. 

I also think something is wrong.  As your pee test wouldn't be coming back pos at a 2.  With my last m/c, it stopped coming back pos when I was at a 7, which is technically still pg since anything over 5 is pg.  GL hopefully it's a lab error.  Please update us when you figure anything out.

ImThisBabysMom

I don't want to be all "negative nancy" here....but I'm just going to share my similar story and the outcome. I'm not saying it's what is or isn't happening to you, just another possibility but I hope it is not this.

In May I had a positive test the day of my period. The the next morning I had another positive test. I called the Dr and they wanted me to get my bloodwork done. I took another pregnancy test that morning and it was positive. I saw the Dr the day after my bloodwork and it was negative. My Dr said that urine is always behind. So I very likely  had been pregnant but was in process of loosing the baby. I started bleeding the next day.

I hope it is a mix up or a mistake or something else for you. But I thought you should know all the possibilities from other people's experience. I wish you lots of luck and a sticky baby.

biblionerd

Earlier in this pg I was called and told that I was miscarrying and that my beta was completely negative. I said that wasn't possible, I just had a VERY positive test the day before. The nurse was confused and said she would investigate. She called me back 1/2 hr later and said they found a lab error and they had mixed my blood up with someone else's. Asshats. 

LilMonster2

When my mom was pregnant with me she took HPTs that said she was pregnant. However, she had 2 urine tests and a blood test at the doctor's office that went negative, probably for low HGC.  She has no explanation and neither do the doctors. However, I am here, so clearly the HPTs were right.

DCsara

Thanks everyone for all the comments. I am trying not to be overly optimistic, but I really think the lab must have screwed something up or there's just something really weird going on. I could see it if my HGC were like 10 or 20 or something, but at 2 there's no way I should be getting positive results on pee tests.  I just took another test--this one was first response, the others were from the dollar store (which were 100% accurate the two previous times I've been pregnant) and it too came up positive right away.  I've already been through one pregnancy that didn't take, before I had my daughter, and I had spotting right from the start, didn't even think to take a test until it went on for days. This feels totally different.

 And this is kinda freaky, but my left boob just leaked a drop or two of milk...not as weird as it might sound since I only weaned my daughter about 4 months ago, but that's gotta be a sign of something, that hasn't happened spontaneously since she was an infant. 

I had the bloodwork done at some walk in place called LabCorp--I believe they label it there but I don't remember watching the tech do it. I think they then send it off to another facility for testing. So I guess I've just got to wait and see. I'll let you all know. Thanks again for the support.

woditaina

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biblionerd

DCsara:

I had the bloodwork done at some walk in place called LabCorp--I believe they label it there but I don't remember watching the tech do it. I think they then send it off to another facility for testing. So I guess I've just got to wait and see. I'll let you all know. Thanks again for the support.

I watched the phlebotomist label mine and it still got mixed up in the lab.

tinag1974

I know that they say that false positives aren't very common but I've had it happen at least twice to me!  I had taken 2 tests at home, went to the doctor and it came back as a 2.  I ended up getting my period a day or two later.  The same thing happened to me a few months ago.  I finally called the company that made the test and got a refund. 

Labcorp is actually a HUGE lab which doesn't mean that they can't mix things up.  It's worth going back and having it done again in a week or two, especially if you don't get your period.