45k HCG but empty looking gest sac via abdominal ultrasound

[AlmondLovers]

Hi all, I’m new here and am just looking for other opinions. I don’t know where to start.

On Jan 6, got my first positive at home. Confirmed with a blood test shortly after worth a low 129 HCG at a time where I was supposedly just about 6 weeks according to LMP - but then again my cycle has always been quite long, think 31 - 35 days at times.

Anyway, 2 weeks later I started spotting very light pink one day, then very dark the next day. Very light spotting but still. My first ultrasound had to get pushed out by a week but with the spotting I wanted some reassurance so I went and got another blood test done. Now it was at about 45k HCG. Next day (today) was able to get in with someone else for an ultrasound and she could only see a gestational sac with nothing in it. I am devastated.

For now, she said it could be that I’m actually earlier in pregnancy or of course that this is starting to look like a pseudo sac, or could turn into an ectopic. I’m scheduled to go in for more blood work tomorrow to see if there’s a healthy increase by that 48 hour mark.

I’m so nervous I don’t know what to think. Sure, I suppose I could be earlier in pregnancy but why is my HCG so high then and she still couldn’t see anything.

By the way, I cannot have a TV ultrasound - long story and personal. She urged me to but I cannot. So unfortunately I have to wait for another abdominal ultrasound with my primary OB in a week.

Any thoughts?

[Sarah770]

hello, you are at just 6 weeks right? I had a similar experience with my second pregnancy, but I can’t recall the beta I had. It might simply be too soon to see the embryo inside the sac. In general it starts showing at 15k but there are cases where it is not the case. Wait for a week and do another scan.

The other possibility would be an œuf clair as we say in French (empty egg?). I was told it was an empty egg by a junior doctor, I cried for a week and did not sleep at all. After a week the senior doctor was back, I started crying even before he started the scan I was truly traumatized. He showed me that the egg was absolutely not empty. My egg is now nearly four and is really everything but empty ahah.

I know it is a very difficult wait but stick by it, think positively and do the scans they ask whatever the reasons why you think you can say no. My two cents.

[AlmondLovers in reply to Sarah770]

Thank you so much! This helps

[Hopewhite]

hi lovely I’m sorry that you’re going through this stressful situation, I’d say 6 weeks is too early for abdominal scan to pick it up properly , I had an early bleeding at 6 weeks and had a TV scan , and it took the sonographer a good while to measure and confirm fetal pole and heartbeat where there. So if you cannot do TV, keep taking your medicines and have a second scan in a week or two , hopefully the doctors can give you better news there, sending you love and strength xx

[AlmondLovers in reply to Hopewhite]

much appreciated, gives me some hope!

[Twiglet2]

I doubt you will see anything properly on abdominal scan at this stage if you are only 6 weeks you will need to get an internal one for answers and if there is a chance of eptopic like you mentioned it’s really important that you do it quickly! Although if they’ve seen a sac in the right place on abdominal I’m not sure why they said could be eptopic? If it’s an empty sac unfortunately it can still produce high HCG but with that level of HCG they should be able to see something on an internal scan at this stage so that really is your best bet to understand what’s happening or wait a few a few weeks. It’s a horrible wait as I’ve been there myself, thinking of you xx

[AlmondLovers in reply to Twiglet2]

Your support means a lot, thank you so much!

[Millbanks]

Hello lovely,

It’s actually the placenta that produces the HCG so you can still be getting very high numbers even if the embryo isn’t developing (as I found out last year)

But as the others have said it’s very early for an abdominal scan to pick up everything so fingers crossed the next one will show you what you need to see xx