A chemical pregnancy is a very early miscarriage that happens around the time a fertilized egg is implanting itself in the uterus. The pregnancy is lost before the fifth week.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762912800e82-f832-414a-b8bc-a04028e87b5d Chemical pregnancies (also known as biochemical pregnancies) are very common.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976297ed9a7d6-d093-462b-b615-f5ad1372b093 What’s more, research has found that up to one in four pregnancies is lost even before a woman misses her period or has symptoms of pregnancy — these are chemical pregnancies.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976291b53fe88-2511-406e-93fb-b74c4a425ab0 The term “chemical pregnancy” refers to a positive result on a blood or urine test that gauges the presence of a hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), to detect a pregnancy. But many women who have a chemical pregnancy don’t even realize they’re pregnant because the loss is so early; they may not have taken a pregnancy test,e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629ceba314f-2557-4dad-baed-0961084333f2 had any pregnancy symptoms, or even missed a period . They may simply have a late period that’s a bit heavier than usual.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629aa6623e6-031f-4fe6-b5bc-3ed9ec4d6017
Signs and Symptoms of Chemical Pregnancy Symptoms Because a chemical pregnancy occurs so soon after conception, some women may not be aware they’re pregnant. Those who do know that they’re pregnant or suspect they’ve had a chemical pregnancy may experience the following symptoms: A late period Heavy period-like bleeding, perhaps with clots Menstrual-like crampse60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762976202f90-0d15-4c3d-875c-78400d2416c6 Your doctor can confirm that you had a chemical pregnancy with a urine test or blood test to check the level of hCG in your body .e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762999a133bf-7edb-41a0-8207-b1dbacd42d2d
Causes and Risk Factors of Chemical Pregnancy Causes Most miscarriages, including chemical pregnancies, are caused by chromosomal abnormalities that prevent the fetus from developing normally.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629b040d114-ab77-45bd-868c-b3deba04e322 In an assisted pregnancy that uses frozen embryos, damage that occurs to the embryo during the freezing process may result in a chemical pregnancy; as many as 20 percent of pregnancies involving the transfer of frozen embryos result in a chemical pregnancy.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629a4cf66d8-d662-474e-afa7-9c21ccb5a907 Other causes can include: An insufficient (too thin) uterine lining A problem with DNA in the sperm Low hormone levels Infectionse60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762943f21831-9404-4ebf-a578-2513b2873862 Pregnancy with an IUD in placee60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976299a652768-b8a5-4883-a769-8841591390d4 Meanwhile, certain conditions can put a woman at increased risk for a chemical pregnancy . These include being 35 or older, having an untreated clotting disorder or thyroid condition , or having another poorly controlled chronic medical condition such as diabetes .e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762926279cec-bbee-4e80-aa3b-dc43a9612c82
How Is Chemical Pregnancy Diagnosed? Diagnosis Sometimes a woman will take a home pregnancy test and get a positive result, but then she’ll have a late period or discover through a pregnancy test at the doctor’s office that there’s no pregnancy. Your doctor can confirm that you had a chemical pregnancy with a urine or blood test to check the level of hCG in your body.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629131b73fd-1ad1-482f-aecf-5ee057adf749 In other instances, women may not even know they’ve been pregnant; they may think their period is simply late. Prognosis of Chemical Pregnancy In many cases, once your menstrual cycle normalizes after the early pregnancy loss, you can try to get pregnant again whenever you and your partner feel ready.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629c6c86b3e-9382-4297-a6cc-112cf6948e31 If you have a medical condition (such as diabetes or a thyroid disorder) that may have contributed to a chemical pregnancy, getting it properly treated may help improve your chances of conceiving a viable pregnancy in the future.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976295a8614e1-24b9-4206-8333-8aa9bcbb1e93
Duration of Chemical Pregnancy Duration By definition, a chemical pregnancy occurs before the fifth week of pregnancy; it’s a very early miscarriage, in other words. The bleeding and cramping may last for a few days.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762912b5aab5-b1a3-4142-a7cf-b4f6ea208732
Treatment and Medication Options for Chemical Pregnancy Treatment Very early pregnancy losses generally don’t require treatment, but if you think you have experienced one, be sure to tell your healthcare practitioner.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629eac99641-733c-4cf3-a44b-6e32478570a2 If a medical condition may have contributed to a chemical pregnancy, getting it properly treated can help you improve your chances of conceiving a viable pregnancy and having a healthy baby in the future.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762963994f4b-6e6f-4172-8362-ed3703be01e5 Otherwise, once your menstrual cycle normalizes, you can try to get pregnant again whenever you feel ready.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629256a655e-3af3-4229-99ef-6aaccd13874b
Complications of Chemical Pregnancy Complications There aren’t usually any physical complications of chemical pregnancy, aside from cramping and sometimes heavier-than-usual bleeding. In rare instances, women may experience very heavy bleeding or hemorrhaging after a chemical pregnancy, which can lead to anemia ; this requires medical attention. But keep in mind that any kind of miscarriage can be upsetting, especially if you were trying to conceive or were excited about a positive pregnancy test or went through fertility treatment. As a result, you may experience stress-related symptoms or mood changes. Some women find that early pregnancy loss can trigger post-traumatic stress symptoms, such as intrusive or unwanted thoughts about the pregnancy loss, nightmares or flashbacks, hyperarousal, and avoidance of anything that reminds women of their loss.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629a800c6c9-176d-46d4-9211-afdb4663c554 Be sure to give your body and your mind ample time to recover from the loss.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629713b6e20-64cb-4a45-ba0c-0daf55f0c3d7Whatever your feelings are, accept them and allow yourself time to fully process them, perhaps with support from friends, family members, or support groups.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762936315df5-b44f-480a-9e0f-06f4cf433647
Research and Statistics: How Many People Have a Chemical Pregnancy? Research and Statistics Chemical pregnancies are extremely common — as many as one-third of all pregnancies may be chemical pregnancies, and up to 22 percent of IVF pregnancies may be chemical pregnancies.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976290cfc0a44-8cd0-4df0-96b4-95e09bb05182 But in many cases, women don’t even know they were pregnant because the pregnancy loss occurs so early.
Related Conditions and Causes of Chemical Pregnancy Related Conditions Certain medical conditions can put a woman at increased risk of a chemical pregnancy. These include an untreated clotting disorder or thyroid condition, or another poorly controlled chronic medical condition such as diabetes.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629f913fe1b-8108-4617-bbc8-c996e105b3b2 In an assisted pregnancy that uses frozen embryos, damage that occurs to the embryo during the freezing process may result in a chemical pregnancy;e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976294b23ebe8-c1f9-4e01-8858-12faca1920f7 as mentioned above, as many as 22 percent of IFV pregnancies may be chemical pregnancies.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762909865119-ae6d-4a6d-a73b-0c7518c83811
Q & A’s
Resources We Trust Mayo Clinic: Can Too Much Stress Cause Early Miscarriage?Cleveland Clinic: Chemical PregnancyAmerican College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: Early Pregnancy LossMiscarriage Association: Chemical PregnancyAmerican Pregnancy Association: Symptoms and Signs of Miscarriage
The Takeaway A chemical pregnancy is a very early miscarriage, occurring before the fifth week of pregnancy, often before people realize they’re pregnant. It’s believed to occur when an egg is fertilized but doesn’t fully implant in the uterus, and can be caused by a variety of factors, such as chromosomal abnormalities in the embryo, thin lining of the uterus, a maternal age of greater than 35, and others. Although they are common and generally don’t require treatment, it’s best to consult your healthcare provider if you suspect you’ve had a chemical pregnancy and give yourself time to heal both mentally and physically.
