Journey to Motherhood: The Pain of Chemical Pregnancy

I’ve had a similar experience. My husband and I were more or less not NOT trying to get pregnant. I had a feeling deep down that I was pregnant when my period was late. I took three tests over a few days and got a faint positive, and I allowed myself to get my hopes up. That same night I lost the pregnancy. I feel almost foolish for crying, I would have only been 4 weeks, but I can’t help this crushing feeling of sadness. God love my husband he’s so supportive but I don’t think he feels the pain of the loss quite like I am. This was our first pregnancy. I’m trying to be hopeful for the future but right now I can’t get past the emotions. And you’re right, there isn’t really a community to turn to for support with this type of loss.

I had one I’m so sorry for your loss was reminded today because I’m ran into this lady from my drs office she was the secretary of the dr who confirmed it.. I have pcos and didn’t know I could get pregnant til I was staring down at two lines on a pregnancy test very faint then bad cramps and bleeding and it was gone

Very informative.
The chemical pregnancy is when you have a blood test done to confirm pregnancy and it is positive. Unfortunately, repeat tests do not continue to rise or stay the same but ultimately we never see the pregnancy on ultrasound. Within the first six weeks of pregnancy, the largest number of chemical pregnancies or early miscarriages occur. Though it’s still not clear why women go through chemical pregnancies, yet there are some definite causes.
some of the causes and symptoms of chemical pregnancy are harmonal deficiency,genetic abnormality etc.,

I just had one.. my primary care physician diagnosed it. She does gyn work.. she said it was chemical I’m as there was no baby Just hcg in me. I’m very upset. My boyfriend not as much he thinks it was just cells.

I am currently going through a chemical and I have mixed emotions about it. We have been trying to get pregnant with baby #2 for a year and a half now with no luck at all. This is the first time I have fell pregnant in this year and a half. So in a way it makes me feel good that my eggs are ovulating and I can conceive but also makes me very sad to have almost had a pregnancy. And woman who is reading this don’t give up I know it’s hard but it will be worth it in the end I just know it will!!

My baby died tonight. We were told we only had a 2% chance that we could conceive naturally, and I tried these last couple days to tell myself that my cycle was just late, but I knew better. I know there’s hope for the future, but I just feel like I spent all my hope for this month on a person I will never meet.
Thank you for your insight.

Thank you so much for this post. When this happened to me my experience was a lot different. I knew I was pregnant due to have really sore breast, this had always been my pregnancy indication with my two daughters 9 and 6. I took the HPT the line was very dark immediately. I made a doctors appointment. I was spotting at the appointment although this was not a concern for me cause with my oldest daughters I had spotting throughout my first trimester. They did an ultrasound and saw nothing. They had me do the beta blood testing every 72 hours to see if my HCG levels were doubling. They were not at least not every 72 hours, more like every week. Honestly I think I was just at 6 weeks pregnant. I woke up and used the restroom to a huge gush of blood and clots. Went to the ER they said cervix was closed, yet they still couldn’t see a fetus or sac. Bleed a lot more than a normal period. Within the next week my HCG levels were almost undetectable. I am now pregnant again and like you mentioned this one feels different, however I am still extremely scared. I have a strong faith and I am praying GOD keeps this one. GOD Bless you all!!!!

thank you so much for sharing your journey. I just experienced an early miscarriage. We have one child here with us and now two in heaven.
Your journey and happy ending brings me so much hope!!! ❤️

Thank you for your post. I just experienced my first chemical pregnancy May 2015. My husband and I have been married for 4.5 years and have been trying to conceive since August 2014 using BBT temping to pinpoint ovulation. I began getting sick at 6dpo with cold/flu symptoms when it wasn’t even flu season. A few days later, on May 19th, 2015 I was 10 days past ovulation and still sick. I wanted to take NyQuil, but decided to test for pregnancy before taking the medicine since NyQuil contains alcohol. I received my very positive test (strong lines) that morning and again that evening, 4 days before my period was due! I was so excited and couldn’t wait to tell my husband! HCG levels double every 48 hours so I tested again on May 21st and again I received more positive tests with strong lines. My husband was out of town that week so I was going to tell him Saturday, May 23rd, the date of my expected period. I took yet another pregnancy test that Saturday morning (14dpo) with my husband in the bathroom with me. However, the line was gone and the test was an obvious negative. No line whatsoever. My tests continued to be negative at 15dpo and 16dpo after my missed period. My period arrived 2 days late and the early miscarriage began. Husband and I have been torn up about it. We actively tried for and wanted this child so badly. I have been crying myself to sleep at night and having dreams about my chemical pregnancy. We are both devastated.

Thank you for sharing your story. I just experienced a chemical pregnancy right after a blighted ovum. We have a 17 month old son and having him made these losses both easier and harder at the same time. On one hand I know how blessed we are to have him and it’s hard for me to be sad around him, but on the other hand I know how amazing it is to go through pregnancy, birth and just having a child and have always thought of him as having a sibling. I know too many people who are struggling with infertility so I am very grateful for what we have but very hopeful to be able to experience it all again. Overall the experience has taught me about how common miscarriages are and although it’s a very sad topic I don’t mind talking about it because I would like friends to know they can come to me if they ever go through a loss.

I’ve had two miscarriages that I was told are called “blighted ovem”

Thank you for writing this post about chemical pregnancy’s and grieving no matter the stage.

Both times that I’ve stared at that empty black ultrasound screen only to be told I grew a sac but no baby…

I often feel I shouldn’t be so emotional about it…”it’s not like there was a baby that died.” But I’ve come to realize that is very far from the truth!

Thank you for sharing your story! I also had two chemical pregnancies (one before my second child and one before my third), and I never quite knew whether anyone other than my husband and I considered them miscarriages. But my grief after each was very real, even though I had only known for a few days that I was pregnant. I am incredibly grateful for my three beautiful children, after going through those miscarriages (plus a first trimester miscarriage before our first child). I always appreciate when people talk about their experiences because it makes others feel less alone!

Why users still make use of to read news papers whn in tjis technological globe the whole thing is accessible
on net?

I know all to well how this feels. When I was 18 I was told that I could not concieve due to not having cycles or ovulating. I was heartbroken. A few years later I met my wonderful husband and we fell in love immediately. I told him from day one that if he wanted children of his own then I couldn’t be with him. We agreed to adopt when the time came. We married 2 years later. A few months later I got my cycle. This was very strange. Like I said I didn’t get cycles. I knew something was wrong. I found out that I was having a miscarriage. I was crushed. Here I thought I would never have a baby of my own and then I find out that I lost one. About 6 months later a friend encouraged me to take a test. When I saw the faint line I cried. I retested several times and still didn’t believe it till the doctor confirmed it. This time things went perfect. In 2012 we welcomed our miracle girl via emergency c-section due to her being breech. 6 months later I was pregnant again. Once again I felt the sting of loss. This time was worse then the 1st. I knew I was pregnant and knew that I could carry a baby to term. I felt like something was wrong with me. Luckily I have an amazing husband who helped me with the loss. One year later my mom convinced me to take a test and it was positive. I was so scared of what would happen. This time was tough. I had a difficult pregnancy with high blood sugar levels and severe back pain. I would do it all again. This June we welcomed our 2nd miracle daughter via emergency c-section again. Let’s just say if we have anymore I will schedule the c-section. Still thinks about my 2 babies I lost but my heart is full from my 2 beautiful girls. I use to question why I lost the babies but now I know that it was God’s plan and I celebrate my family just as God intends us to be.

Thanks for sharing your story! We have a 19 month old son and were open to expanding our family, but not actively trying or not trying. This past August I had a chemical pregnancy and miscarried just a week later, which probably was 5 wks. Initially, I tried to convince myself that my period had just been late and the pregnancy test I had taken was cheap so what did it know. I also tried to stop myself from feeling any emotions about the event and felt guilty when I felt sadness. Luckily, it only took me a few days to realize, I deserve to grieve this loss if I need to and that’s ok! We are already pregnant again and we feel very blessed! I also agree, that I have learned not to expect anything or take my blessings for granted! Your family is beautiful!

I v know all to well how this feels. When I was 18 I was told that I could not concieve due to not having cycles or ovulating. I was heartbroken. A few years later I met my wonderful husband and we fell in love immediately. I told him from day one that if he wanted children of his own then I couldn’t be with him. We agreed to adopt when the time came. We married 2 years later. A few months later I got my cycle. This was very strange. Like I said I didn’t get cycles. I knew something was wrong. I found out that I was having a miscarriage. I was crushed. Here I thought I would never have a baby of my own and then I find out that I lost one. About 6 months later a friend encouraged me to take a test. When I saw the faint line I cried. I retested several times and still didn’t believe it till the doctor confirmed it. This time things went perfect. In 2012 we welcomed our miracle girl via emergency c-section due to her being breech. 6 months later I was pregnant again. Once again I felt the sting of loss. This time was worse then the 1st. I knew I was pre

I experienced this three times. First, though, I had a missed miscarriage (my 3rd pregnancy, I have two daughters who were 7 and 5 at the time) at 11 weeks in April 2013, I think the baby had only made it to 8 weeks or so. Then in July I got a positive test a few days after my period was due! I was thrilled! But, a week or so later I started bleeding and that was the end of that. It happened again in September. In October I was late for my period but refused to take a test right away because I was afraid the same thing would happen again. And once again I bled a week after my period was due. So even though I never took a test that time, I am sure it was another chemical pregnancy. I do have a happy ending, though. Just after the new year I got another positive test. This time it “stuck” and in August I came home from the hospital with TWO beautiful baby girls!

I don’t know what your religious beliefs are but when I got that positive test in January I was so scared. Rather than keep it to myself, though, I told several of my close friends and family who prayed and prayed that God would give us the baby we’d been hoping for. I am convinced that it is God’s hand that allowed this pregnancy to survive and thrive!

It IS hard to mourn those chemical pregnancies, though. If asked, I tell people about my first miscarriage, but usually don’t mention the other three. I somehow feel like it is hard to justify to others that they were ‘legitimate’ miscarriages.

I had two sons and knew what I felt like pregnant, my period was late 4 days and I had those feelings. I took a test and it said undecided, I remember yelling at the test ” NO!, you are either yes or no -not undecided!” anyway, my period started the next day. I’ve since decided that i probably conceived and called the possibility December due to the month they’d have been born in. On the plus side I would never have my wonderful daughter if this pregnancy had continued.

Your daughters are adorable 🙂 Your oldest looks like a cabbage patch doll! SO cute!! 🙂

Thank you for sharing this!! And thank you God for letting me happen upon this blog! I am so glad you shared, because you are so right, this is not the kind of pregnancy loss that does not get spoken about often.

We lost baby number two; our second boy, from the symptoms; in July of 2012. I had taken two tests, one about 3-4 days pregnant and one about 3 weeks pregnant. Both came back negative but it’s was simply too early. I had just been pregnant with our first son that year so I knew what it felt like.

The day after my sons first birthday, I miscarried. It wasn’t until after I spoke to my midwife that I felt like I could trust my gut about what was happening.

I was about 6-7 weeks pregnant.

The hardest part for me was that we hadn’t gotten an ultrasound yet. So my husband was not emotionally invested and didn’t connect with the loss. So I felt very alone.
I am sure MANY women feel this way about their losses. So thanks for speaking about yours.

God Bless

thegreeneyedbride

Griffin (July 2011)
Harper (July 2013)

Your story is so similar to mine. It took almost a year of being off birth control for me to get pregnant for the first time. My cycles were very regular so when my period didn’t come by a day or two after it was due, I knew. I waited another couple of days to test at home and got a positive (not a faint line, a defiinite postiive). I called my doctors office and got an appointment for when I would be about 6 weeks or so. I think a few days before my appointment, I started having some light spotting and just knew in my heart it was not good, despite reading that spotting can be completely normal. By the next day, I was having definite red blood and so called my doctor. They had me come in that day for a scan and the scan showed “an empty uterus”. I was completely heartbroken and crying. When the doctor (not mine, someone else in the same practice) told me, she actually said to me “You’ll be fine. Most women wouldn’t have even known they were pregnant.” It was like a huge slap in the face to my heartbreak. I actually went to work straight from the doctors office because she made me feel like I should just shake it off. The worst part was that later that day (TMI warning!) I passed some tissue and a LOT of blood. I was NOT expecting that after they told me my uterus was empty. It took me another 5 months to get pregnant with my now almost 7 year old daughter. I wouldn’t change a thing because my child might not be who she is, and she is AMAZING, but that pregnancy was real. The heartbreak was real. To have it dismissed by medical professionals was horrible. Before I got pregnant with my second, I also had a miscarriage at 10 weeks. While it was farther along and we had a positive scan at 7/8 weeks, I don’t consider it to be more or less a pregnancy than the first miscarriage. I think its so important that families are allowed to grieve the loss of a pregnancy no matter how early it happens! Thank you for sharing your story!!

My sister experienced this with her first pregnancy. Although with her, a baby never developed. She went in for an ultrasound and they measured and she measured small. They sent her home to come back a week later. They explained the possibility that the baby either never developed or that she had lost him/her. She came home with a broken heart, all of us hoping for the best, that he was wrong, but sure enough, that next week, she was told that a baby simply never formed. We all took solice in knowing that their never was a baby……but the loss felt the same as if there had been. We all grieved. This would have been my first niece or nephew, I was overwhelmed with joy and then swallowed in grief. I watched my sister grieve in a way I had never seen and it broke my heart.
Months later we found out again that they were expecting. Fear tried creeping in, but upon the first ultrasound she saw her little peanut growing strong:) I am now the proud auntie of my sweet nephew, who is almost 4 months old. I think you are so right when you say that we don’t take anything g for granted after a loss like this. We cherish every moment with him. Watching my sister and brother in law become parents has been one of my greatest joys, aside from being a mother myself:) my heart goes out to any parent who goes through a chemical pregnancy, or a loss of a child in any manner. I hope that in hearing other people’s stories that they know that it is perfectly okay to grieve. It is okay to cry. And it doesn’t have to be the way it was for anyone else. We all grieve in our own way. Bless you all♡

yes ive had this experience before when I was 16, (yess very young but me and my boyfriend were ready for the big responsibility) and we were really happy our first child and everything just dreaming about how everything was goin to be, I think that we were going craizy with Mohawk names and English names.
but when the baby was a month along twice the docters kept saying that something wasn’t right, but they wouldn’t tell me anything eles, and it was makig us nervous, they had us come back in a week later.
when we went back in to check on the baby the docterjust said it very ubruptly like it wasn’t a big thing, he said yepp theres no heartbeat the baby isn’t alive…. ……….
…that still echs in my head a bit, and we just broke down crying I just I couldn’t move, thinking about something was dead inside my stomauge,
I guess the babys heart just stopped two weeks in, and they didn’t tell me till two weeks after that.
the docters were heartless they kicked us out of our room and told us to keep it down come back into the hospital tomorrow and get a dnc. where they remove the baby.
that night was so hard for me, yes the father too but mostly me, because I kept going through my head what had I done wrong, I ate too much I forgot to take the prenatls one time… anything.
the next day we arrived at the hospital, it was just scary, had to be put under.
we barried our little one even though it looked nothing like a baby but we put it in our yard to remember.
a few months after that me and the father wernt getting along, we broke up and couldn’t look at each other with out thinking of what could have been.
ive slowly gotten over it. but im glad to say that a few years after me and the father got back together. weve been happy again and now four five years in we have two beautiful daughters. one is three and the youngest turned one in august, so all is well its just hard to remember what happened. im sorry for yr loss thank yu a lot for letting me share mine. <3

Thank you for sharing your story. I had a chemical pregnancy exactly one ccle before conceiving my son. It was such a hard time, and I was surprised when the loss happened. Devastated is an understatement. I knew that chemical pregnancies were common, especially for first pregnancies. So when we began trying to conceive our second child and I got pregnant again, I was ecstatic and the thout of another loss didn’t cross my mind. I lost that baby around the same time as the first, and once again I am devastated. It does make it much easier to get through now that I have a toddler running around! I don’t have time to sleep the day away, but it is difficult regardless.

Just as I ran through the countless scenarios after my first loss, I am doing the same again. I am reading other stories of countless miscarriages and wondering if I will ever have a second child? Your story is such an encouragement to see that you became pregnant with your second LO right after a CP. thank you again for sharing your story!

I feel, pregnant and yesterday i took an HPT and had a very faint line, that was in the afternoon. So i decided to take another test this morning using first morning urine and this line is more faint than yesterday!! Please help, i am so confused. I have also been cramping and have had some.nausea.

Thank you for this post, a lot of the things you wrote are exactly how I feel. I just experienced a chemical pregnancy the end of May. We have been trying for our first for 9 months now. I’m ready to move on and TTC but after the chemical my cycles have been really long so its been really difficult when I have no clue what my body is doing. I’m sorry for both your losses. Glad to see that things do and can work out. I’m hoping it happens soon for me. Thanks again for your story.

I recently experienced a chemical pregnancy the first part of December. My husband and I had been trying for 9 months to get pregnant and were so excited to find out we finally were; but I miscarried 4 days after that. I had a similar experience, in that, I knew deep down that something wasn’t right. I was very reluctant to tell anyone outside of our family that I was pregnant.
I’m glad to hear that other people have gone on to have healthy pregnancies. I’m hoping and praying it won’t take us long this next time! Thank you for sharing your story!

This is a wonderful post and my heart goes out anyone who has lost a child in any capacity. My best friend and my sister-in-law each have miscarried multiple times and my heart breaks for them because all they’ve ever wanted was to have a baby and be mothers. Each time it happened, I always fought to find the words to comfort them, until one of my friends told me about a book to get them. It’s called “There Was Supposed To Be a Baby” by Catherine Keating, you can check her and the book on the website http://therewassupposedtobe.com/. I’ve given this book to each of them as a gift and both have said what a wonderful book and comfort it was to them. Thank you for this post, and may anyone who has lost, find peace!

You’re right, this kind of pregnancy is not talked about often. I have had a couple of times where I think this might have happened but was young and unsure. I think it’s great to talk about it and encourage women! Thanks for sharing.

I experienced this December 2010. My husband and I had been trying for a couple of months. About the middle of December, I started to experience signs of being pregnant and I knew in my heart I was. Had no doubt. However, my pregnancy test came up negative and I got my period a few days later. I was crushed. I knew that I lost the little life that was conceived. It just didn’t stick. It took us over a year later to become pregnant again and now we have a beautiful 3 months old girl. Out of pain and loss, God can heal and bring miracles into your life. She is the proof.

This is an amazing story and I’m so glad you shared. I’m sure there are many out there that have had a similar experience and you write with such a personable tone and depth that I’m sure they are both comforted and encouraged by your article. What a great blog! <3 you! (And I'm so excited for your new little one on the way. Having two is a whole different ball game but really so much fun!)

I have never experienced a chemical pregnancy and I am so very sorry that you suffered these two losses. You are right, it’s not talked about enough. Thanks for sharing your story, Nissa. You are brave to open up this dialogue. <3