Doctor said I'm one week pregnant or having an impending miscarriage

[LosingHope714]

Please help me. My period Was just light spotting in December I took an old (not yet expired) test that I got out of storage at the end of January and it came out positive. I made an appointment none the less and they did a blood test on me. The doctor said my hcG showed I am either one week pregnant or having an impending miscarriage. Since I'm not bleeding and have no cramps (& bc I'd rather go with the more positive one) what the heck is one week pregnant ? That's not even existent is it ? If I was having a miscarriage wouldn't I know it ? All he said was that this was all impossible for me to have discovered bc it wouldn't show up on any other test yet. What the heck is going on?!

[Ecologic]

Your doctors are idiot! A pregnancy positive test means nothing in itself. What you need is an other HCG level to see how it is increasing, it ideally should be doubling every 48 hours.

If you can call them and REQUEST that they send an other slip to the lab for a 2nd HCG tomorrow. At least you'll have a better idea about the pregnancy, the indecision can be terrible!

[Scout8601]

Oh, I'm sorry they wouldn't see you back in 2 days.  Waiting, without knowing, is so hard.  51 is a low number, but not if you aren't that far along.  In the hcg chart I was looking at online, I think it said 5-50 was 3 weeks, so 51 would put you at 4 weeks.  The most important thing is not necessarily the actual number, but if it's going up as it should, that's why that 2nd test would have been so helpful. Good luck and I hope you get a positive result on Sunday.  And so sorry about your previous loss.  take care

[LosingHope714]

Sorry it took me so long to respond. My hcG was 51 - I haven't had my period since December and it was just spotting than; so my OB told me it was probably implantation than, and when I reached about an estimate of 10 weeks she would see me for my first appointment. I never had bloodwork done before the ER. He told me to take a pregnancy test in one week ( which will be Sunday ) if its still positive than there's a chance I had a chemical pregnancy and just ended up getting pregnant; otherwise he's saying Im having an impending miscarriage and in that case to follow up with my gynocologist next week.. I asked if I could come back two days later ( my friend told me the same thing) but my OB said it'd be a waste of time and money to just give it a week and if the test comes back negative or I start to bleed than I'll know for sure. Otherwise, I'll be in there Tuesday (military doctors -- we are just a long line of numbers).

I'm sorry for your loss. I lost a pregnancy at 12 weeks August 22 2010; it was absolutely horrible.. but my doctor told me I'm not high risk until I loose three.. If this ones a miscarriage we already agreed were done trying for a couple years.

[Scout8601]

I'm not sure about the one week pregnant comment.  Usually doctors date a pregnancy by going by your last period, so I thought that by the time anyone had enough hcg in their system to show pregnancy, they'd be at least 3 weeks pregnant.  Not sure tho. But if he's going by the hcg, charts that I've looked at read 3 weeks pregnant: hcg level of 5-50 (and I know you have to have at least a 5 to be considered pregnant) Do you know what yours was?

As far as knowing you are having a miscarriage, that's not entirely true.  Your hcg can start dropping well before you ever start bleeding and that would indicate a miscarriage.  With my last miscarriage, I knew it was coming bc of my lab work.  I didn't actually start bleeding until about a week after I already knew I was going to miscarry.

But, I'm not saying you are.  We just don't know that.  It would be most helpful to get you labs done to know what your hcg is and then go back 2 days later and have it repeated.  If it goes up like it should (most times it should at least double every 48 hours  until it reaches about 2,000) then the pregnancy is progressing.  If it goes down, or doesn't go up as it should, then it could mean miscarriage.  Good luck and I hope it works out.