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hCG levels post D&C, AF - Confused

aliwollyaliwolly
in Miscarriage/Pregnancy Loss

I found out that I miscarried at the beginning of January, when we went for our 12 week ultrasound.  The baby only measured 7 weeks and my doc advised I have a D&C, which I did on Jan 11th.  I bled and spotted for 3 weeks.  When the bleeding/spotting was finally over and I was waiting for AF, I decided to take a HPT to see if the hCG was out of my system - I used a not very sensitive test and found that I still had the hormone in my body 4 weeks after the D&C.  I called my doc and she started me on serial hCG blood tests.  My first test, at 5 weeks after my D&C came back at 45.5.  At 6 weeks it was 33.3 and then 7 weeks it was 22.

Meanwhile, at 6 weeks after the D&C when my hCG was still at 33, I got what seemed to be AF.  My doc insists that it can't be, that it was just bleeding, and that I'm not into a "normal" cycle yet.  I chart and it sure looks like a normal cycle for me this month - it looks like I ovulated on CD 15, 8 weeks after the D&C and a week after my hCG was still at 22.  I went for another draw earlier this week (9 weeks after D&C and 8 DPO according to my chart) and they told me today that my hCG is at 10.  I was really expecting it to be zero considering my pattern of dropping around 10 every week and waiting 2 weeks after the last level at 22.  So now I'm left wondering if I'm not pregnant again (OK, well, I'm obsessing over it). 

My questions are: why would it take this long for hCG levels to leave my body?  Is it normal?  Would it be from left over tissue?  Also, is it really true that I would not have gotten AF or ovulated with hCG still in my body?  My doc has been very vague about things (I've already decided to switch to another doc before we get pregnant again) and I'm just having a hard time believing her when my chart seems so clear to me that I ovulated...

So sorry to all the ladies on this board going through such a horrible thing and confusing time!  TIA for any help you can give me!

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Re: hCG levels post D&C, AF - Confused

  • itsmevkbitsmevkb member

    First, yes, I think it could take that long for the hcg to leave your system.  Most things have what doctors call doubling times and so if you think about it as every x number of days your level will fall my half then you'll start to see why towards it end it can seem to drag out.  Half of 100 is 50 so that is huge drop but then in the same about of time it will drop from 50 to 25 and then again in the same amount of time to 12.5, 6, 3, etc.  So, the drops get smaller and smaller even though the same time passes.

    I was still testing positive when I ovulated after my miscarriage.  So, I think you can definitely still ovulate and have hcg in your system.  Just a few days after I ovulated though I tested negative.

    If you are pregnant your level would once again start to rise so definitely go and get another level check.

    Best of luck to you.  It's hard dealing with confusing numbers and cycles.

    Kelly, Mom to Christopher Shannon 9.27.06, Catherine Quinn 2.24.09, Trey Barton lost on 12.28.09, Therese Barton lost on 6.10.10, Joseph Sullivan 7.23.11, and our latest, Victoria Maren 11.15.12

    Secondary infertility success with IVF, then two losses, one at 14 weeks and one at 10 weeks, then success with IUI and then just pure, crazy luck.  Expecting our fifth in May as the result of a FET.

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  • aliwollyaliwolly

    Thank you so much for helping to clear that up for me!  My doc alluded to the fact that it would take a while for the hormone to leave my system when it got to smaller numbers, but she didn't explain why (and she expected me to be at zero this week too, I think). Thanks for sharing your experience with me - I was starting to feel really crazy since my doc just completely dismisses me when I tell her I got AF and think I ovulated.  Sigh.  She wants me to go for another draw in 2 weeks (again because she thinks there's absolutely no chance I ovulated and therefore could be pregnant).  I figure I'll see what this weekend brings and if there's no sign of AF I'll call her and see if I can get in sooner... 

    Thanks again!

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  • johnsdm2johnsdm2 member
    My levels only reached about 85 max. I was told that I would have a miscarriage. I was waiting for the levels to zero and they dropped to only 72. I had a 6 day normal period and thought I was in the clear. My vaginal ultrasound showed no leftover tissue, so they decided to just let it drop to 0. However, my next level went up to 225 and then the subsequent to 609. This morning it was only 855 though. I am now being told that I had a molar pregnancy and incomplete miscarriage. I will need a d&c most likely. I have to go for a vaginal ultrasound on monday. I am just so confused by the whole thing. It is frustrating. I have dealt with this already, and it appears that I have to do it all over again! Has anyone else had any similar experience?
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  • tysmom71tysmom71
    I just wanted to say I'm very sorry for you loss.  This was so confusing to me when my levels were being checked every week but now that I've just been through it, I can share my experience.  My levels started being checked 2 weeks and 5 days after my d&c and they were at 11, I was so excited because I was sure they were going to be 0 the following week...nope, they were 5, then the following week, 3 then 2 the next week then 1 then FINALLY 0...it took almost 8 weeks for my levels to hit 0 after the d&c but I had gotten my period 5 weeks after the d&c...it was very frustrating.
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  • KissyFishyLipsKissyFishyLips member

    I'm so sorry for your loss.  I'm not exactly sure if I'm in the same situation, but I think I am. I'll know tomorrow for sure.  

    I miscarried over New Year's weekend.  Had the D&C on Jan 3 (i only spotted after D&C for maybe 3-4 days).  On Feb 5, I got a real AF (CD33, which is about normal for me, and lasted 4-5 days).  My betas were never tested after D&C, however, and I didn't understand anything about hCG levels until just lately...

    Doc said at my post-D&C appt in Jan that we could try again after I got one AF (which like i said, was Feb 5).  So in Feb we tried and I POAS when I didn't get AF the first week of March as expected.   BFP (5 BFPs, actually - the lines were super faint, so i took a couple digitals too).

    Anyhow, a week after getting BFP, I start bleeding.  Doc ordered betas. Beta #1 = 8 (yes, 8).  Doc said he suspects a false positive from residual hCG left over from my previous pregnancy/miscarriage.  I went for beta #2 this morning and so I should know something tomorrow.  The bleeding has been very AF-like -- down to the mild/dull cramps (versus any sharp m/c-type cramps), headache, lack of clots, and it's tapering off to almost nothing today (day 4).

    I'm anxious to get the beta results tomorrow - I'm really hoping it WAS a false positive HPT and that I'm just having a regular ol' period right now (which would be slightly embarrassing, but at least DH and I didn't tell anyone outside of the Bump -- and at CD38, AF would still have been pretty late for me), but I'm prepared for m/c news, just in case.   

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  • aliwollyaliwolly

    Thanks again, Ladies, for sharing your experiences.  I'm just glad to hear that I'm not alone in being so confused.  I guess since it seems to be so different for everyone it's difficult for anyone to give us clear answers or predictions about what our experiences might be.  Thinking that doesn't make it any less frustrating - but at least it explains our confusion. 

    The past few months have just been exhausting emotionally and I am SO looking forward to moving on.  I guess I'll know for sure soon enough if my recent level was an "on the way down" level or an "on the way up".  Rationally, I can see that it's more likely a "still on the way down" no matter how much I wish it was an "on the way up"... I get so mad at myself for getting my hopes up and over-analyzing every little level/symptom/sign - but I don't know how to not be that way.  I guess it's better to still be hopeful.  Good luck to you ladies who are still in the midst of a confusing and sad time.  Hopefully we all get past this soon!

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    Baby at 17 Weeks, 1 Day
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    BFP#2 5/9/11 - Due Jan 17, 2012!
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  • lindseyendersonlindseyenderson member
    So sorry for your loss!  I went through the same thing with my miscarriage/ D&C in November... it took me 15 weeks to get into the 20s and it was SO FRUSTRATING!!  Although it's not exactly common, my Dr. reassured me that it happens to lots of women and it will go down- eventually!  I am finally down into the not pregnant range.  As far as ovulating- I don't think that I actually ever did- despite major EWCM for months, but my Dr. did say it is possible to ovulate with elevated HCG (in the 20s-30s but probably not higher).  It's really hard to be patient- it nearly drove me crazy- but sounds like you're on your way, esp. with such low numbers.  Good luck to you in the future!!
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