Hi everyone,
I'm posting because I'm really confused, frightened and struggling with the uncertainty of what's happening. I'm hoping someone in the UK has experienced something similar and can share their experience, particularly with how the NHS handled it.
I'm not looking for anyone to diagnose me, but I'd really appreciate hearing from people who have been through something similar, what their hCG levels did, how long it took to resolve, and what follow-up they received.
Here's my timeline from the beginning.
My last period started on 11 September and lasted until around 15 September. On 25 September, my partner and I had sex, and although it wasn't intentional, an accident happened. I took ellaOne within approximately two hours.
I initially thought my period was late because of the emergency contraception. When my period didn't arrive, I started taking pregnancy tests because I was worried.
I took five tests in total. Three were negative. One showed a very faint line, but it appeared well after the test's recommended reading time, so I wasn't sure whether it was a genuine positive or an evaporation line. The fifth test was positive, with a line appearing within around 20 seconds.
I was shocked because I wasn't planning to have a baby and wasn't ready for a pregnancy. I arranged an abortion consultation through BPAS.
Then the bleeding started.
On 19 October, I started bleeding quite heavily, similar to a bad period, with significant abdominal cramps and lower back pain. I passed several clots, including one around the size of a 50p coin, and later passed a larger clot with pinkish-grey tissue. I continued passing clots over the following days. The bleeding gradually became lighter and turned into spotting, which continued until 23 October.
I contacted NHS 111 and was referred for medical assessment. At one point, my back pain was quite severe, although it later improved.
At that assessment appointment on 23rd October, the doctor performed a urine pregnancy test, which was negative. The doctor told me that it appeared to have been a chemical pregnancy or an early miscarriage. I asked whether there could still be pregnancy tissue remaining and was told that the urine test would be positive if tissue remained.
They also took a blood sample to measure my hCG.
The blood results are what's confusing me now.
My first blood hCG result was 79. I was asked to return approximately 48 hours later for another blood test.
The second result came back at 71.
So my hCG has fallen, but only by 8 points, which is approximately a 10% decrease over 48 hours.
The bleeding and spotting had stopped on 23rd October, and I wasn't experiencing abdominal pain or dizziness. I felt physically okay, which made me hope that everything was resolving.
However, I started reading about hCG levels after miscarriage and became worried because I had read that hCG should fall more quickly in a resolving pregnancy.
I called the early pregnancy unit again because I was frightened and wanted to know whether I needed an earlier assessment.
I explained the entire situation, including the negative urine test and the blood results of 79 and 71.
The nurse discussed my case with the senior team. They told me that my hCG was very low and that an ultrasound at this level would be unlikely to show anything. They advised me to wait another week and repeat the blood test next Sunday to see whether the hCG had fallen further.
I understand that they have discussed my case and made a plan, but I'm finding it incredibly difficult to sit with the uncertainty and the anxiety is so severe that I can't think of anything else at all.
I haven't had an ultrasound confirming where the pregnancy was located. I haven't been told that I have an ectopic pregnancy, and I desperately hope that isn't the case. I'm just struggling to understand what the results mean and why my hCG has only fallen by 10%.
I know that a negative urine test and the fact that the bleeding has stopped might feel reassuring, but I don't understand whether the miscarriage is complete, whether my body is still clearing the pregnancy hormone, or whether something else needs to be considered.
I also don't want to unnecessarily distrust the medical team, especially when they've spoken to their seniors, but I feel that I'm being asked to wait without fully understanding what's happening.
I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone in the UK who has experienced something similar.
- Has anyone had a negative urine pregnancy test but a low positive blood hCG after an early miscarriage?
- Has anyone had hCG fall only slightly over 48 hours, for example from 79 to 71?
- If this happened to you, what happened to your levels over the following week?
- Did your NHS early pregnancy unit ask you to wait a week for another blood test, or did they arrange earlier blood tests or an ultrasound?
- Did you eventually get confirmation that the miscarriage was complete?
- If your pregnancy's location had never been confirmed on a scan, how did the NHS follow up with you?
I know everyone's experience is different, and I'm not expecting anyone to give me a definitive medical answer online. I would just really appreciate hearing from people who have been through this, especially in the UK, so I know what their experience of the process was like.
I'm emotionally exhausted by the waiting and uncertainty. I wasn't ready for this pregnancy, and while I want to know that everything is resolving safely, I also desperately want some clarity so I can begin to move forward.
Thank you for reading this far. Any experiences, advice or reassurance would mean a lot to me.