Vaginal U/S Showed No Fetal Pole, No Heartbeat, Low Hcg

L., I am so sorry to hear that you are going through this! I don't really know much about diagnosing the reasons for miscarriage, but just wanted to suggest not discounting the progesterone just yet. My doctor told me that progesterone supplementation has the greatest effect when it is started even before conception.

Oh, L.!
I am so sad to read this. How heartbreaking.

I don't know the specific tests. I know thyroid can play a part in it all...
That's where I wanted my Ob/gyn to start for me. Also blood clotting problems are very common.

I am just so very sorry.
I'll be thinking of you and praying for you.
Big ((hugs)).

Well, it's still early and your hcg has risen. How much time was in between? 48 hours? I know they want it to double in that time and even though it's not doubled it's close. I wouldn't lose all hope until your levels are clearly going down. Keep taking your progesterine just in case and just hope that it's too early to see anything. I know what you're going through. I was pregnant three times last year and not one ended with a baby. Praying that everything turns out OK.

While I don't want to seem overly optimistic....
When I went to my doctor after I found out I was pregnant, he thought I was further along than I actually was. There wasn't a heartbeat, and the doctor told me not to tell my family as he thought it was a blighted ovum. I went in a couple different times after that - they found a heartbeat, but it was slow.
You may have ovulated later than you thought, and your doctor may think you are futher along as my doctor did. Your levels went up - that is good. Ask as many questions as you need to.

Now, my daughter is 5 and perfect.
I wish you the same luck/beauty in your pregnancy. My thoughts are with you.

I know this is soooo hard. I have been there. I am so very sorry! I am going to tell you of the best doctor in the field for this. He is, believe it or not, in Omaha Nebraska. He trains many doctors around the world though. I am betting there is a doctor near you that he has trained because you are in Huntsville, near EWTN. One thing that goes hand in hand is Catholic and this specific doctor. His name is Dr. Thomas Hilgers. He is very Catholic and because of his Catholic beliefs, he believes every life is special. He has helped many who were told there was no hope to ever become pregnant, including myself. He will study your history and have a full workup of hormones. If you were low in progesterone, chances are you would have needed more progesterone than your OB prescribed as I did. Dr. Hilgers was able to use my local lab to take blood and then have it evaluated at the national lab. His office was able to prescribe and adjust my progesterone with a simple phone call so I never had to go all the way to his office to regulate the level of hormone needed. PM me if you have any questions, I am willing to help.

The reasoning can be SO varried...

And, unfortunately (or not depending on your outlook) most women having unprotected sex get 'pregnant' between 4-6 times a year (massive genetic screwups, usually in the DNA zippering incorrectly... these are NOT savable situations, no matter how much one might like; we're talking like acid for blood, or no bones, or 12 arms and no body or internal organs. NOT birth defects, but lethal DNA zippering issues) means that a woman is either not late at all, or is just a week or two late in their periods.

Which is the foundational reason why most OBs won't even start testing for problems until you've had at least 3 'real' miscarriages in a row. (meaning 6-8 weeks pregnant at a minimum). Which can seem VERY unfair, if you tested positive at 2 weeks, but it was a chemical pregnancy.

((I do NOT know your background, they could all have been at 3mo, 6mo, just doing due dilligence background since I've been through this a *bunch*))

With me'self, I lost my daughter between months 6 & 7 (placental abruption), but it wasn't until *several* misses later that we found out that the problem for ME is twofold:

1) I grow my placentas too big. With very little provocation, they rip away from the wall, killing the baby (and me if I'm not close to a hospital to stop the hemorrhaging)

2) Pregnancy hormones trigger cancer in me (which creates a not so great "host" situation. The faster the cancer grows, the faster the placenta grows in my case).

With this information firmly in hand I had some of the most BORING / FRUSTRATING 9mo of my life. Modified bedrest the entire time, and multipe surgeries to try and keep the cancer in check (5? I think by the time I delivered? It's been awhile. I had several more after my son's birth).

There is NOTHING to test for with my problem... it was a combined looking at the problem and figuring out commonalities.

With other women... there are literally HUNDREDS of causes (excluding badly zippered DNA, which happens all the time in every other cell as well, our body is designed for handling badly zippered DNA, it's when it doesn't -and the mutated cell AND it's neighbors don't self destruct- that we get cancer).

As mentioned; these cases are *usually* handled by a fertility specialist. And they need data to work with from past miscarriages. Blood work, lab work, tissue samples, imaging, etc.

It can be as simple as a placenta that grows too large, or a nutritional deficiency or as complex as increased stress levels (when the mum's body is under extreme stress -including ALL sorts of stress, from 'classic' to dieting, the body usually aborts the fetus, regardless of what stage it's in, in an attempt to save itself. The body is going off of chemical messengers... it doesn't know if the cortisol and adrenaline are coming from a terrible job or being in a war zone; dieting or famine). Hundreds, and hundreds of causes.

My condolences on both your loss and your frustration,
R

It's so overwhelming to learn such terrible news. Back at the end of May this year, my 12 week pregnancy ended because no heartbeat could be found. I had a D&C, had to get weekly blood tests until my hcg was 0, and now I have to have 6 consecutive negative tests until we can try again (6-12 months). Depending on your health, your doctor might send the tissue off to be tested. My OB did my surgery, sent it off to be tested, and I had a triploid partial molar pregnancy. There was nothing that we could do, and nothing that caused it. However, after my surgery, my hcg level had to be monitored to make sure that it didn't rise back up. It decreased to 0 in about 4-5 weeks. We want a baby SO very badly, but we can't start trying again until December at the earliest, at the doctor's orders.

Anyway, I don't know what you had, but I'm sorry to hear it all. Your doctor might sent some tissue to be tested, but many times, even if it is, nothing can be found. I'm sorry for your loss.

I'm sorry to hear this.

Have you had more than these two miscarriages? If not, it is not at all uncommon to have two or more miscarriages, with no issues that need to or can be addressed. There may be nothing wrong with your fertility at all, these two were just not viable.

I had two miscarriages before I had my daughter. The first was a "blighted ovum" where there was no fetal pole or heartbeat, like you describe here. The second, there was a heartbeat, but the embryo had not developed on schedule, and I miscarried at 9 weeks. The third pregnancy went perfectly.

I would certainly talk with your doctor about possiblities. But I think you'll find that a lot of moms, including those on this site have had two miscarriages, or even more. And then went on to have healthy pregnancies.

So sorry! Usually after several miscarriages, most OB's refer to fertility specialists. I had to go to one and they diagnosed me with a clotting disorder that prevented my pregnancies from thriving. Had to take heparin shots daily after I got pregnant through IUI. Ask your doctor how many times you have to miscarry before seeing a specialist. Mine was 3. Sending you hugs.

I had 3 misses before my son.
No O. could really explain the "why" part to me, either.
Maybe talk to your OB/GYN to discuss some other options.
I'm so sorry.
I know it's really, really hard to hang in there and not give up.
I sincerely wish you all the best!

I have no experience with this sort of thing but perhaps a fertility specialist could give you some answers.

I am so sorry you are going through this. I went through a miscarriage in Nov and they did a D&C and did an analysis DNA probe. It really didn't show anything. The doc said that it just happens, and happens a lot more than many women realize. I got pregnant a month later with twins, and only one made it (if I hadn't had the early ultrasound I never would have know that I had conceived twins, the second sac would have faded away).

I actually don't pass a pregnancy test until my 1st month is over, so if you think I am 8 weeks, I am actually 12. I also have a period that 1st month so it really skews the numbers, officially all my kids must be a month early! Just because 99% of women show one way doesn't mean you are in that 99%.

My heart goes out to you.. My daughter had a miscarriage her 1st preg.Then she had a D/C. next time she got pregnant he HCG was low he kepted her on progestrone till it was at a good level...She had a beautiful daughter that is now 5 yrs old...After 3 yrs she tried again and now has 2 beautiful TWINS boys..Keep you faith and go to a Dr. that practices high risk pregnancy. May GOD be with you'll...