HCG level low???

Well I called my doc today to get the results from all my test. Everything
was fine but my hcg was "a bit low". They want me to have another test done
this week to see if its higher. I had to get online and see what this
ment, then I had to call my docs office and ask some questions. The
receptionist made it seem like no big deal, and basically said it could be
cuz its so early. She also made it seem like the doc does a second test
just as a procedure. Is it normal to have a low level in early pregnancy?
Should I worry about a miscarrige or anything elese? Let me know what you
think, PLEASE!

thanks,

Julie

"JNJ" wrote in message
...
Well I called my doc today to get the results from all my test.
Everything
was fine but my hcg was "a bit low". They want me to have another test
done
this week to see if its higher. I had to get online and see what this
ment, then I had to call my docs office and ask some questions. The
receptionist made it seem like no big deal, and basically said it could be
cuz its so early. She also made it seem like the doc does a second test
just as a procedure. Is it normal to have a low level in early pregnancy?
Should I worry about a miscarrige or anything elese? Let me know what you
think, PLEASE!

thanks,

Julie



Did she tell you the actual number? Ask her and then look up the normal
ranges for different weeks of pregnancy online. If you're only a few weeks
since conception, you can even find charts listing ranges by the day.

It is normal to have a low level in early pregnancy, yes. This is the
hormone that shows up in the urine home pregnancy tests when your numbers
would be about 25 or 50, doubles every 48 hours or so for a while, and then
levels off, ending somewhere in IIRC the six figures.

And yes, a second test is just a procedure. If it doesn't rise in a typical
manner for the number of days elapsed, the doctor might recommend an
ultrasound to make sure the pregnancy is in the uterus (as opposed to
somewhere else, an ectopic) and that the embryo appears to be developing.
Some pregnancies have low levels all along and go on to produce perfectly
healthy babies.

If the above doesn't allay your fears, I feel for you. I lost a pregnancy
early on. It was my first attempt and it was extremely upsetting for about
a month afterward. So I was VERY fearful with the second pregnancy in the
early weeks. My more experienced point of view is accepting of this as a
normal part of life and reproduction, which does not mean I would not hurt
again if I had a m/c in early pregnancy, just not as much.

Hope you get good results,
Dagny

I don't think the level is too important. Its whether or not the level
doubles regularly that the Drs check for. Some people have levels in the
high thousands while others stay in the hundreds throughout pregnancy. The
second test will be to make sure your levels are rising.
All the best
Ruth
"JNJ" wrote in message
...
Well I called my doc today to get the results from all my test.
Everything
was fine but my hcg was "a bit low". They want me to have another test
done
this week to see if its higher. I had to get online and see what this
ment, then I had to call my docs office and ask some questions. The
receptionist made it seem like no big deal, and basically said it could be
cuz its so early. She also made it seem like the doc does a second test
just as a procedure. Is it normal to have a low level in early pregnancy?
Should I worry about a miscarrige or anything elese? Let me know what you
think, PLEASE!

thanks,

Julie

"JNJ" wrote in message
Well I called my doc today to get the results from all my test.
Everything
was fine but my hcg was "a bit low". They want me to have another test
done
this week to see if its higher. I had to get online and see what this
ment, then I had to call my docs office and ask some questions. The
receptionist made it seem like no big deal, and basically said it could be
cuz its so early. She also made it seem like the doc does a second test
just as a procedure. Is it normal to have a low level in early pregnancy?
Should I worry about a miscarrige or anything elese? Let me know what you
think, PLEASE!

Did they say how low was low? This is *exactly* what happened to me with my
first hcg test when I was four week pregnant--they called with the results
(266) and said it was "kind of low." Of course, I freaked out and read and
read and read trying to figure out if it was really low and heralding bad
news or not. What really matters is whether the hcg level goes up from test
to test (should be 1.5-2 times higher every two days), not so much what the
individual number is.

Btw, I saw your post regarding spotting as well. When I had the "kind of
low" hcg result, I was also spotting, but everything turned out to be fine
and I am six days away from my due date now :-)

Best wishes!

--
Em
edd 9/23/03
(39w1d)

In PWZ9b.485663$Ho3.80892@sccrnsc03,
Em wrote:

*"JNJ" wrote in message
* Well I called my doc today to get the results from all my test.
*Everything
* was fine but my hcg was "a bit low". They want me to have another test
*done
* this week to see if its higher. I had to get online and see what this
* ment, then I had to call my docs office and ask some questions. The
* receptionist made it seem like no big deal, and basically said it could be
* cuz its so early. She also made it seem like the doc does a second test
* just as a procedure. Is it normal to have a low level in early pregnancy?
* Should I worry about a miscarrige or anything elese? Let me know what you
* think, PLEASE!
*
*Did they say how low was low? This is *exactly* what happened to me with my
*first hcg test when I was four week pregnant--they called with the results
*(266) and said it was "kind of low." Of course, I freaked out and read and

Heh. My son has a friend who started life as a pregnancy which didn't
officially exist - her mom's hCG level was 8 and they told her that was
under the official cutoff for diagnosing pregnancy

--
hillary israeli vmd http://www.hillary.net
"uber vaccae in quattuor partes divisum est."
not-so-newly minted veterinarian-at-large