Ghost

[Rosario]

Quick question I would like to know if beta values are suppose to be very different if its a natural pregnancy vs ivf. I was told my levels should be in the 1000-6000 for a natural pregnancy. They are saying my pregnancy is most likely an ectopic. When I went back to checking dates I think LMP was after the original date I thought it was possibly looking at 2/22/10.

[Ghost]

Quick question I would like to know if beta values are suppose to be very different if its a natural pregnancy vs ivf. I was told my levels should be in the 1000-6000 for a natural pregnancy. They are saying my pregnancy is most likely an ectopic. When I went back to checking dates I think LMP was after the original date I thought it was possibly looking at 2/22/10.

Your earlier post described you as "3.5 weeks pregnant" with an hCG level of 80. In the classic definition of gestational age based on last menstrual period, you are 2 weeks pregnant at ovulation, and 3 weeks pregnant when the embryo is ready to start implanting. If that is the same scale your 3.5 week figure is based on, then I see nothing wrong with a level of 80. A few days into implantation is consistent with a level of 80 in a viable pregnancy. And you are correct, interpreting that 80 is all about having an accurate estimate of the gestational age. If you are unsure about LMP, then how can they be sure about the expected level? It rises so quickly in viable pregnancies, that a small error in gestational age makes a big error in expected hCG level.

Did they measure just once? If so, they can't tell how fast it's rising (they need two measurements for that), and that is critical information for assessing ectopics. If it's rising fast, it's probably not ectopic.

At my clinic, we don't assess ectopics from one measurement of hCG. We'd take multiple measurements, and we'd usually give an ultrasound at 5 weeks if their is any doubt.

[Rosario]

Thank you so much for your response. I guess my clinic is making this assumption based on my history of tubal disease. Both my Fallopian tubes in HSG showed they are blocked. Clinic says usually pregnancies end up being ectopic due to the blockage.

[Jamila]

Be carefull, I have had 3 natural ectopic pregnancies, all 3 of them were ruptures and I had to have surgeries. After the first one when I found out I was pregnant the second and third time my OB was monitoring my HCG level every other day, they all got ruptured 6 weeks after LMP. I had one more with my first IVF but didn't have to do surgerie they found out after my second Beta. After that I had my tubes removed. I wish you the best ,but tell your OB to monitore your beta, before making any assumption, because some OB you have to tell them what to.

Best regard.