wifes HCG levels are not going up whats wrong here?

Question

she is 6 wks along and just had a vaginal ultrasound but dr is out to lunch in the head ......her levels climb but not like they should

Answer 1

most likely she lost the child

Answer 2

It depends on where you are in the pregnancy. HCG levels reach their peak during weeks 8-11, then decline and level off for the rest of the pregnancy. So if you are comparing your HCG level from week 10 to week 12, it would be very normal to stay the same.

I am assuming, though, that you are earlier in the pregnancy. In a normal pregnancy, up until week 8, the HCG levels double every 72 hours. Although some people have levels outside this doubling time and go on to have healthy pregnancies, a failure to rise at least 70% over 72 hours usually indiates a problem.

The most likely problem is a chemical pregnancy. In a chem. preg., an egg is fertilized and an embryo is conceived and implants. But the embryo is chromosomally abnormal and it stops growing relatively quickly. So while it may produce a normal HCG number at first, the number will slow down and drop eventually, leading to a miscarriage that a woman might not have even realized WAS a miscarriage if she hadn't had a blood test.

Another possibility is an ectopic (tubal) pregnancy, which can result in erratic HCG levels. It could also be a lab error, which is pretty rare.

One last scenario could involve a vanishing twin. Sometimes, if two or more embryos implant it can cause an initial high beta number. But if one of these embryos dies, it can make the HCG number rise slower than average, or almost stay the same for a very brief time. Although this is rare, I have seen it happen once or twice.

My best guess would be a chemical pregnancy for your wife's situation. I have heard that while chemical pregs. are emotionally devastating, the miscarriage they cause may feel like a normal period or only a little worse (physically) because they happen so early. Also, the vast majority of couples who have a chem. preg. never have another one, as it is usually just a random thing.

I hope it is something like a lab error and that everything works out OK for you. I also hope you can get one more test soon so you have some idea where this pregnancy is heading. Good luck!

Answer 3

This is what I found on the internet............Week since last menstrual period began
Amount of hCG
in mIU/ml

3
5 - 50 (less than 5 means you are not pregnant)

4
5 - 426

5
19 - 7,340

6
1,080 - 56,500

7-8
7,650 - 229,000

9-12*
25,700 - 288,000


*You will likely see the hCG rates go DOWN after the first trimester, when it is no longer a factor in pregnancy or miscarriage because the placenta has taken over. At 9 weeks, however, your baby will be monitored by ultrasound rather than hCG levels.

Slow-rising hCG. Unfortunately, even if your levels are rising, the failure to double every few days is not a good sign. This type of pregnancy can go on for several weeks, but will almost always end in miscarriage. A single set of tests that do not show a doubling can still be fine. Usually another set will be ordered if you are low or borderline.

Answer 4

It could be an ectopic pregnancy, which you probably already know occurs when the embryo implants inside a fallopian tube itself. Cases are out there where HCG levels rise and fall early in pregnancy and ultimately result in healthy birth, but when HCG levels fail to rise 66% in 48 hours, it's not a good sign. If that's the case, I'm sorry.

With ectopic pregnancy being a possibility, it seems your wife needs to be checked out as soon as possible -- it's very dangerous. How far along is she?

Answer 5

She just need to be watched for the next few weeks. It could mean that something is wrong but it could work it's self out. My levels were really low with my daughter and I ended up having a few problems in the preg. but she was fine.