HCG rising fast and blighted ovum

[skr]

Hello everyone. I am wondering whether anyone knows what happens to hcg levels early (e.g. 4-5 weeks) in a blighted ovum. Specifically, do they rise faster than normal? I ask this becuase in my first pegnancy, my hcg rose slowly (barely doubled every 3 days) and despite being told I would miscarry, I had a healthy daughter. My second pregnancy a few months ago my hcg was more than doubling (went from 278 at 16 dpo to 2500 at 21 dpo) and I ended up with a blighted ovum which went on for some time before it was found. I am now pregnant again and I had hcg checked on 16 dpo and 18 dpo and numbers were 206 and 564. These numbers look quite a lot like my last blighted ovum - doubling too fast. I have no doctor at the moment (had blood drawn at a walk in clinic) so am in the dangerous world of self diagnosis. Of course, I have concluded that I must have another blighted ovum. I would be grateful for anyone's insight or experience on this. Do HCG levels rise faster with a blighted ovum than a normal pregnancy? Does a woman experience similar HCG levels from pregnancy to pregnancy with similar outcomes i.e. will my normal pregnancies always have slower rises and abnormal pregnancies faster rises? I hope I am just being neurotic and I think I underestimated how stressful it is to conceive after a loss. Thanks!

[mb2006]

Well, I always thought the hcg levels go down or at least do not go up much over 2 days when having a m/c. I had 3 early m/cs recently (the 3rd one this week) and each time that's how I knew I was about to m/c even a day or two before I started bleeding. Plus, the first m/c was supposedly a blighted ovum confirmed on u/s (but I did not bleed until about week 5 or 6) but the last 2 not sure b/c happened even earlier (only a week past expected period). So, I'd keep checking your hcg levels to see if still going up or not. If you don't bleed and/or have cramps and  your levels still are going up, then probably not a m/c though it can change over time.

[nanis]

My hcg levels went from 600 to 800 to 1000 until I was in the 2000's.Their was never any sac,anything so I was told it could be eptopic.You cant help but feel upset & confussed.Especially if your doc. doesen't explain things well.Ask ?'s especially after your first pg. which came out fine after assumed m/c.I hope everything comes out fine.Lol nanis

[mommie2]

Your numbers sound right on target, they should double every 48 ours. Your tests were 2 days apart and they doubled, I would keep positive and I would not assume the worst. Good luck

Key things to remember about hCG levels:
About 85% of normal pregnancies will have the hCG level double every 48 - 72 hours. As you get further along into pregnancy and the hCG level gets higher, the time it takes to double can increase to about every 96 hours.
Caution must be used in making too much of hCG numbers. A normal pregnancy may have low hCG levels and deliver a perfectly healthy baby. The results on an ultrasound after 5 - 6 weeks gestation are much more accurate than using hCG numbers.
An hCG level of less than 5mIU/ml is considered negative for pregnancy, and anything above 25mIU/ml is considered positive for pregnancy.
hCG is measured in milli-international units per milliliter (mIU/ml).
A transvaginal ultrasound should be able to see at least a gestational sac once the hCG levels have reached between 1,000 - 2,000mIU/ml. Because levels can differentiate so much and conception dating can be wrong, a diagnosis should not be made by ultrasound findings until the level has reached at least 2,000.
A single hCG reading is not enough information for most diagnoses. When there is a question regarding the health of the pregnancy, multiple testings of hCG done a couple of days apart give a more accurate look at assessing the situation.
hCG levels should not be used to date a pregnancy since these numbers can vary so widely.
There are two common types of hCG tests. A qualitative hCG test just looks to see if hCG is present in the blood. A quantitative hCG test (or beta hCG) measures the amount of hCG actually present in the blood.
Guideline to hCG levels during pregnancy:
hCG levels in weeks from LMP (gestational age)* :

3 weeks LMP: 5 - 50 mIU/ml
4 weeks LMP: 5 - 426 mIU/ml
5 weeks LMP: 18 - 7,340 mIU/ml
6 weeks LMP: 1,080 - 56,500 mIU/ml
7 - 8 weeks LMP: 7, 650 - 229,000 mIU/ml
9 - 12 weeks LMP: 25,700 - 288,000 mIU/ml
13 - 16 weeks LMP: 13,300 - 254,000 mIU/ml
17 - 24 weeks LMP: 4,060 - 165,400 mIU/ml
25 - 40 weeks LMP: 3,640 - 117,000 mIU/ml
Non-pregnant females: <5.0 mIU/ml
Postmenopausal: <9.5 mIU/ml
* These numbers are just a GUIDELINE-- every woman’s level of hCG can rise differently. It is not necessarily the level that matters but rather the change in the level.

I got this info from the following site:

http://www.americanpregnancy.org/duringpregnancy/hcglevels.html

[SNORCHY]

I have a blighted ovum amd my hcg levels did not double in 48 hours initially so I don't think that doubling numbers indicates a blighted ovum. I totally understand your concern though considering you previous experiences. Good luck with your pregnancy.

[nanis]

With my levels they started low but after 48 hrs. they went down then up.My dr. waited 1 wk. and I got like 4-5 u/s at 8 wks there was no sac & thats why I had the methotrexate shot presumed eptopic.After 8 wks. there was supposed to be something there.I felt guilty at first & thought maybe I should of waited but after dr. showed me a pic. of a "normal" u/s pic at 8 wks. & my u/s I gave up.Just to start over again.So I to would'nt go by hcg levels alone.

[emma10]

I believe it is the molar pregnancy that causes hcg to be 4-100x greater than average range. Blighted ovums don't do that.  Your numbers however seem textbook perfect.  Even the one from your m/c was just very slightly above doubling every 48 hours. Those usually really do show slow doubling, not even meeting the minimum 60% every 48 hours.  You can keep getting them done or wait til there can be a heartbeat seen. It certainly doesn't look like a b.o. by the hcg (from what I know).

[Red_Rose]

From what Ive read the HCG levels are pretty much like normal with a blighted ovum, and from wat someone said above it was only a little higher. The numbers u have now sounds fine, I know its gonna play on ur mind its only natural, buttry not to worry. Are u gonna get a dr soon? I think the best thing for u is to get a dr and a US done so u can put ur mind at rest and enjoy ur pregnancy!

All the best, let us know what u find out...

[skr]

Thank you everyone for your encouragement. I know that the U/S is the real test. It was just so sad last time to find out almost at the end of the first trimester that there was no baby there - and I felt so pregnant too. Where I live you can only see an OB after about 14 weeks or so but I will get an ultrasound done at 7 weeks one way or another! Best wishes to everyone. I have never asked a question on a forum before and it really is so nice to feel everyone's support.