What Causes Chemical Pregnancies?
Updated April 12, 2012.
Question: What Causes Chemical Pregnancies?
I have had two chemical pregnancies now and I just don't understand why it's happening. Why won't my pregnancies stick?
Answer:
Chemical pregnancies, or very early miscarriages, are pregnancies that end so early that the only evidence of the pregnancy comes from hCG levels. If you have a chemical pregnancy, you may receive a positive result on an early pregnancy test only to have your period show up on time or a few days late.
Because chemical pregnancies happen so early that it is difficult to collect any tissue for analysis, it is hard to know exactly why they happen. Doctors suspect that the main culprit behind chemical pregnancies is random chromosome problems in either the sperm or the egg that created the conception; chromosome abnormalities are believed to be the main reason for all first-trimester miscarriages.
Most of the time, chemical pregnancies will be one-time experiences and the next pregnancy will be normal. If you are having recurrent chemical pregnancies, such as two or more in a row, it may be a good idea to talk to a doctor (but note that doctors are going to vary heavily in their approach to dealing with recurrent chemical pregnancies that lack medical documentation).
Source:
ACOG Education Pamphlet AP090. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Accessed: July 9, 2009. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp090.cfm.
Question: What Causes Chemical Pregnancies?
I have had two chemical pregnancies now and I just don't understand why it's happening. Why won't my pregnancies stick?
Answer:
Chemical pregnancies, or very early miscarriages, are pregnancies that end so early that the only evidence of the pregnancy comes from hCG levels. If you have a chemical pregnancy, you may receive a positive result on an early pregnancy test only to have your period show up on time or a few days late.
Because chemical pregnancies happen so early that it is difficult to collect any tissue for analysis, it is hard to know exactly why they happen. Doctors suspect that the main culprit behind chemical pregnancies is random chromosome problems in either the sperm or the egg that created the conception; chromosome abnormalities are believed to be the main reason for all first-trimester miscarriages.
Most of the time, chemical pregnancies will be one-time experiences and the next pregnancy will be normal. If you are having recurrent chemical pregnancies, such as two or more in a row, it may be a good idea to talk to a doctor (but note that doctors are going to vary heavily in their approach to dealing with recurrent chemical pregnancies that lack medical documentation).
Source:
ACOG Education Pamphlet AP090. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Accessed: July 9, 2009. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp090.cfm.
Source...