Symptoms
There are usually no symptoms of chemical pregnancy. It is diagnosed by a rising titre of HCG in urine or blood. However some women may start to have some symptoms of pregnancy like breast tenderness, morning sickness and fatigue. These symptoms are usually felt by women who have been pregnant before.
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In chemical pregnancy these symptoms will usually resolve by six weeks and this is shortly followed by the periods. However the bleeding is usually more severe, and is associated with passage of clots or severe cramping pain.
Diagnosis
Chemical pregnancy is often missed because women do not even realise that they are pregnant, and assume the bleeding that occurs with end of chemical pregnancy as normal periods. Hence they go undiagnosed in more than 50% of cases. In women who have used the pregnancy test early in pregnancy, chemical pregnancy is usually diagnosed when the HCG levels are found to be falling. Normally HCG levels should double every two-three days during early pregnancy.
If the doctor notices that the HCG levels are falling, then there is a requirement for an Ultrasound to visualise the uterus. On an USG it is possible to check for the gestational sac and embryonic cardiac activity, which will be absent in cases of chemical pregnancy.
Treatment
Since this condition remains undiagnosed most of the times, most women do not undergo or require any treatment. Women who are found to have this condition are usually monitored with serial HCG tests. If the HCG remains stable or is increasing, then a miscarriage may not be imminent and there are chances that the pregnancy could last to term. But if the HCG is falling, then a miscarriage is imminent and there is actually nothing much anybody can do in these circumstances.
However women who are diagnosed to have this condition will do better if they undergo a thorough check up to look for problems like uterine deformities. Women who may be suffering from specific causes like uterine fibroids may benefit from treatments like fibroid surgery or hormonal therapy.
Future Outlook For Pregnancy
It is not a recurrent condition. The chances of recurrent chemical pregnancies are very rare and most women who have had a chemical pregnancy will go on to have successful outcomes in subsequent pregnancies. However women who have recurrent chemical pregnancies may be suffering some reproductive problems and hence should be evaluated by a reproductive health specialist.
Chemical Pregnancy: Diagnosis and Treatment
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