Confused about 1st period after miscarriage

I miscarried on May 16 - just under 5 weeks ago. The ultrasound 5 days later showed all tissue had passed.  All bleeding and spotting stopped by May 25 or so.  A week ago, June 11, I experienced some pregnancy symptoms and called my Dr.  I had my hcg levels tested Tues 6/14 and Thurs 6/16 to see if they doubled or not.  The levels came back 10 and 8 respectively.  I was told this means there are leftover levels from the miscarried pregnancy, not a new pregnancy.

So, I asked when to expect my first period and was told that once the levels go down below 5, my body would ovulate ~2 weeks later, then I'd get my period ~2 weeks after that.  Makes sense to me so far.  

My question is, why did I start bleeding - like a period - yesterday and today?  How is that possible?  Can you have a period without ovulating? Can you ovulate with hcg in your system?  

Any info to clear this up for me would be great!
Thank you!
Laura

[Elaine Brown, MD]

Hi!
Yes, it is possible to have a period without ovulation.  An no, one should not ovulate with hcg in her system.  Irregular bleeding after a miscarriage is very common, and we usually recommend waiting for up to 3 cycles before becoming concerned about it.
If you were my patient, I would suggest checking ovulation predictors in about 10-11 days to see if you are going to establish a regular cycle again already.
I would also ask you to call me if the bleeding was heavy or persistant.
Good luck!
Dr B