I am 14 days post a fresh blastocyst transfer and my hcg is low but rising (36 day 11, 72 day 13, and today 102 😐). I have some very mild occasional cramps and spotting, with some stringy blood stained mucus discharge (hope not TMI!). I assumed when the bleeding started after the initial low beta it would be a chemical pregnancy/early miscarriage but now I’m getting worried about an ectopic, partly because I’ve had right sided twinges since about day 3 post transfer...ergh. Does anyone have any stories of being in a similar situation and it NOT being an ectopic?
I’ve reviewed some medical papers and understand the chances of a viable pregnancy / live birth are pretty low with these numbers, and while I feel OK about/accepting of this, I am not dealing well with the uncertainty - hating this beta limbo!
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singleswimmer
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I know your numbers started low but they look like they are doubling as they should be so maybe just a late implanter? Assuming your 102 was only a day after the 72 one, then it looks like it’s going in the right direction.
When I had my low beta, everyone told me it didn’t really matter as long as it was doubling xxx
I read your low beta post the other day - so happy for you re: viability scan! 🥳 Tx for responding - I had faint FRER positives from d6 post 5dt and a beta hcg of 15 on d8, so it’s both low and slow…I assumed that meant not a late implanter, what do you think? It does seem to be picking up the pace a bit as there was only one day between the 72 and the 102 today, but I am def not expecting a viable pregnancy..
I had a pretty clear positive on a frer at 5dp5dt, same as I did with my daughter but yet the beta was massively different (my first beta was 11dp5dt so quite a bit later than yours). I was measuring a few days behind at the viability scan and my morning sickness has started a full week later than my previous pregnancy so I really do just think this one was slower to get going.
I completely understand you saying you’re not expecting it to be viable, I was exactly the same but I really hope it is and all the signs right now are good with the rising numbers so try and focus on that ♥️ xxx
Beta hell sucks, sending you a hug. I had low and slow rising hcg and I’m now 16 weeks pregnant and we saw the baby wriggling around yesterday and found out the gender on a scan. I was convinced I was out. Everything I read (and I read a lot during that miserable couple of weeks) suggested that doubling over 48-72 hours is a good sign. I was also petrified of having an ectopic but just had to wait it out until the viability scan.
My levels were 31 on 10dp5dt, then 62 12dpt5dt, then 385 three days later at which point my clinic was happier with the numbers. I then had a scan at 6w1d and to my surprise there was a heartbeat that has continued. It’s super hard, try and be kind to yourself. Wishing you all the best xx
I don't have any answers but here to say I'm rooting for you!! Beta hell sucks but we are here to support you regardless of how it turns out. Hoping this is the one for you though. Fingers and toes crossed!
Thankyou so much!! I don’t know where I’d be without you guys at this point honestly (think hair would literally have been torn out 🤯). It’s beyond helpful for soundboarding / feeling confident about decision making 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Update - my levels today (d15 post 5dt) are 183 (up from 102 yesterday). I wanted to check them today partly because I saw this reference looking at absolute value of hcg on day 15 and the ratio of day 22: day 15 levels as predictive of outcome inviafertility.com/blog/blo...
The clinic say get weekly hcgs from now, and get a scan next week (week 6) to look for the gestational sac (they actually said get one in 2 weeks but I pushed back as it seems a sac should be visible once the levels get over 1000-1500, if they ever do!).
I am still spotting but not cramping, and the blood-stained stringy clear mucus continues… 🙄. What a ride.
UPDATE (for anyone reading this in future) - had scan at an NHS early pregnancy unit at 5 weeks plus 3 days and it shows a gestational sac in the uterus, not in the tube. Phew! It looks a bit weird shape-wise and is in the mid cavity instead of the fundus, so it’s of “uncertain viability” and will more likely than not end up a miscarriage, but I prefer this to ‘pregnancy of unknown location’. Plan is to rescan in a week. I will check my hcg on Monday (22 days post transfer) as find the more information, the better, even if it’s hard to interpret sometimes.
Another update - another scan at 6 weeks 3 days shows a viable pregnancy (strong heartbeat, good measurements etc). Trying to put those initial low betas out of my mind now, but it ain’t easy..
Hoping everything works out for you! Think about it this way-When you find out that early, it does have to start somewhere. Can get a positive on a FRER with a beta of 6 even, doubling in 48 hours is only to 12, so it can take 4-5 days after first positive to even register on some tests with a sensitivity of 25.
Tx Kjo122 😊 - I had the same thoughts at the time but the fertility clinic and my IVF specialist friend in Australia were both not optimistic about the levels - and they’re obvs basing it on experience not just the studies, which tend to be quite small scale (at least the ones I found).
It does make me wonder what the incidence of low betas is in the non-IVF population as they wouldn’t be testing as early as us.. There’s also a big discrepancy in what the “normal” ranges of hcg are sposed to be and what a ‘good beta’ is sposed to be… 🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️.
Btw I had a scan today at 9 weeks and it’s measuring 9 weeks (or 8 weeks 6 days), with a good heartbeat! Still feeling sceptical but starting to be cautiously optimistic..
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