Update: Hcg 15,600 5w+4days empty sac:(

Hi everyone,

I've been a nervous wreck the past 2 weeks not knowing where this pregnancy is heading. I had an internal ultrasound at 5 weeks 4 days (25 dpo) which showed a gestational sac with no yolk sac or baby. My hcg levels that day were 15,600 and my progesterone 26. Everywhere I read online says a heartbeat should show up when your levels are above 10,000. I'm so worried!

Have any of you had levels this high and not seen a baby yet?
I nearly cried when the doctor brought up having a simple d&c if they don't see anything next time.

When is your next u/s? I'm so sorry you must be going batty, I don't have any experience with this but I didn't want to read and run...

Hi anchor,

My next ultrasound is not for another 13 days!! :(
I have blood work tomorrow to see if hcg levels are doubling.

No way. 5+4 is really early to see much of anything. Sure, a sac, but even a fetal pole is really hit or miss at that stage.

I hate that whole "when betas are xx,xxx" thing because women have SUCH variable betas. Case in point, there is a lady in my DDC who has a beta of 90 at 4 weeks. My beta at 4 weeks is 368. That is a HUGE difference for the same gestation and our doubling times will be rather different as well. I just don't buy that a certain number is going to be the magic bullet for a heartbeat.

Don't panic about it. A sac is good. It means things are in the right place. At this stage, a day or two makes a HUGE difference in what you can see. Heck, if your uterus is tipped even the slightest bit the "wrong" way, you can see nothing even at later gestations. I'd be content to think that your pregnancy tests looked good, your beta rose well, you have a sac in the right location. I do think you stand a fine chance at seeing a heartbeat in 13 days.

(I refuse ultrasounds this early for this very reason. I want to be at least 6.5 weeks so I can see a heartbeat. Early ultrasounds tend to cause more stress than they are worth).

I hope you get good results. Ill be thinking of you!

I know exactly how you feel. My wife and I went through this exact same issue. She had a bout of uncontrollable itching. We went to the doctor they did a blood test to confirm pregnancy and they said numbers were too high for gestational age. Ultrasound showed and empty sac. We were In our 5th week. Went back two days later. And out numbers doubled. And saw a yolk sac but no fetal pole. We now know there were originally two babies. But had a vanishing twin very early in the pg. We are now at 13 week mark. Your baby will be fine! Prayers and thoughts are with you. Stay positive!


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Thank u so much for sharing that guys! I am now more hopeful than when I left the doctors office a couple of days ago. I have blood work today for hcg and am hoping n praying that they r rising! I really dread the doctor bringing up d&c again :(

I"m sorry. I do think it's still absolutely too early to see anything. Don't read too much into when you should see a heartbeat, that is just an average

Us hi-techers don't usually see a HB until 6wks plus, hang in there hun, next US could well show a healthy HB :-) x

Drs mention D&c far too quickly, imo. I know so many stories of women told to have one who waited a few weeks or saw a different dr & ended up having a healthy baby. My personal feeling is to always wait at least 2 more weeks & check again.

Personally, I don't do early ultrasounds. There are a lot of questions about ultrasound safety & a lot of studies showing a number of increased risks.

Anyway, hopefully everything will be fine when you go back!

5w3d with ds1, ultrasound showed gestational sac. 6w4d sting heartbeat. Please breathe. I'm sure your babbys heart will be beating away very soon!

Hugs!

I can't believe they even suggested a D&C so early!! They won't even do scans here that early because they can't see anything. There is no way they could tell so early and it's ridiculous what they said!

Keeping everything crossed for you. xx

Update: so I went in for a blood draw to check hcg levels and my hcg went up from 15000 to 21000. My doc isn't happy that they didn't double. My progesterone went up from 26 to 30 which she says is good. She ordered me to have another ultrasound yesterday, 48 hours after my first one. The nurses thought it was ridiculous that the doc would order another one so soon. Anyway, I was 5w+6d yesterday and the ultrasound now showed a gestational sac AND a yolk sac too but nothing else. Doc told me not to worry that a d&c will take care of things painlessly and quickly :( ughhhh I wanna cry! Why does she bring up d&c so much. I feel like maybe they know something I don't know, otherwise I don't see y she has lost hope in my pregnancy so soon. She wants me to come back in a few days but I refused. I scheduled my appt for 1.5 weeks when ill be 7w+4. Hoping and praying I will see a heartbeat then!

You need a new dr. Yours clearly has an issue of some kind. Totally uncalled for & ridiculous. Sorry she's freaking you out so much!

I am sorry your doctor did that:( I hope your next ultrasound brings good news!

Definitely find a new dr!!

Yes that's ridiculous. I just read a study that found that many D and C are being performed on viable pregnancies and suggesting doctors be more wiling to take a wait and see course.

HCG doesn't continue to double at your gestation. It is very surprising that a D&C would be suggested at this point. I think you still have a chance at a viable pregnancy. Good luck

Wow I agree find a new doc!! Good for you for refusing coming back right away. I hope when you go in next you will see that heartbeat and a healthy growing baby.

I'd get a second opinion at the very least if there's some reason you're sticking with this doc. Levels are going up, a baby is developing, it's beyond me why someone would suggest a D&C rather than a wait and see.

Going from seeing a sac to seeing a sac AND a yolk sac is not lacking in development. And nuthin is 100% right, HCG does not double every 48 hours when it hits numbers that high. It can't. It increases, but at a slower pace.

Frankly, I would be thrilled with the changes you saw and thinking I had a likely viable pregnancy on board. I can't, for the life of me, figure out why they are talking D&C. It's ridiculous. Heck, I had an empty sac for 3 WEEKS solid before my doc even mentioned a D&C and even then was willing to wait another week to see if I passed it on my own by then (I didn't, but he even performed another sonogram before the D&C. Just to be sure). These folks are major jumping the gun and I would NOT continue seeing them if you have any options.

Edit to add: I just looked on beta base and the average doubling time for HCG between 13000 and 26000 (where your numbers lie) is 180 hours. Which is 7.5 days. If you divide 15000 by 7.5, you get 2000. Meaning you could expect your HCG to maybe rise 2000 in a days time. Therefore raising 4000 in two days time. Meaning your HCG going from 15000 to 21000 is PERFECTLY on schedule, even ahead. Do not let them do a D&C!

absolutely agree with all of the above. Your baby is growing perfectly fine! And the fact that the yolk sac appeared within 2 days of your last u/s.....that's fantastic news. You are still so very early. I have no doubt that your next u/s will show a strong heartbeat (if I read right and your next one is at around 7 weeks). Your doctor seems a little inexperienced in pregnancy (I hope s/he is not an OBGYN!!!)....I'm so confused. After hcg hits 6000, it takes longer to double. Your hcg levels are great for how far along you are.
Do NOT consent to a d&c. Your baby is growing and developing!
Thinking of you. I know it's easy for me to say, but try not to stress too, too much.
Angie

ANy update??

Hey everyone! I just want to thank all you ladies for your support and advice. I greatly appreciate it!

I've been Mia from the forum because I was too stressed out with my situation. I actually had a hypoglycemic episode and passed out home alone. My husband found me after work and i was taken to the ER where I recovered.

Update: Fast forward to yesterday and I finally saw the heartbeat!!!!!! You guys were right!!!!! Thank you!! I am so ecstatic and relieved! I was so worried I would never get to hear it especially after the episode where I had passed out for an hour.

The baby measured right on schedule at 7w5d and I have another scan in about a week with a high risk doctor.

This is still so surreal. We only had one attempt and it was our first time trying ever and we did hot showers, compressed frequent release and antihistamines. I just feel like after all that, this baby was meant to be!!! Im really nervous though because with all of my health issues, the odds of a healthy pregnancy seem against me. But i'm hoping and praying that my body can give my baby a safe and healthy environment to grow and develop in.

I had abnormally low HCG levels which did not double as expected. My dr said the pregnancy will most likely end in miscarriage.... He is 4 years old now. Not everyone is text book.


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I am so happy to hear it! And thanks for updating us!!

That is such wonderful news! Take care of urself and bub! I am just so happy for u xo

What AWESOME news! Is there your first pregnancy? Or just first time trying?

Aw thanks everyone!!
@anchor: It was my first time trying ever and my first pregnancy! I honestly didn't think I could fall pregnant. I barely get my period maybe 3 times a year tops if im lucky and my doc suspected Pcos because my testosterone levels were high at 1 point.
It just feels too good to be true right now!!!

By the way, how do I add my sway on here? Can I do it using my phone?

I had a pretty weak sway in terms of diet. I basically just starved myself for 3 weeks. Would it be of any benefit to add my sway since it wasn't a strong one?

So glad to hear the good news!!! I hope you can start feeling better and get the fainting issues all under control. Wishing you a happy and healthy 8 more months!

We like to see EVERYONE's sway, regardless of how "hard" you did it :)

I am completely useless at doing anything on my phone...I think it's possible but I wouldn't know how, LOL.

Congrats! Glad everything is ok and I hope you ditched that horrible doctor! And yes, please add your sway if you haven't already.

You just need to start a new thread in the sway forum. And once you know if baby is a boy or girl, you can add it to the spreadsheet. Link is in the pinned spreadsheet post in the TTC a Girl forum

Wonderful news. Congratulations. Wishing you a sticky uneventful 7 months or so :D

Yay! What wonderful news. I knew it. 😉 I'm so happy for you and wishing you a very H&H rest of your pregnancy. x

I'm so happy to hear your update!!!! Isn't your baby's heartbeat the most beautiful sight and sound???? Congrats :)

Angie

yes yes please post a sway! the ones where people only did one or two things tell us more than the "kitchen sink" ones.