A chemical pregnancy refers to an extremely early miscarriage occurring within the initial five weeks of pregnancy. An embryo has formed and is even embedded in the uterus lining but then doesn’t develop further and the woman even starts menstruating after this. Chemical pregnancies occur so early on, that many people who miscarry don’t realise it and later get diagnosed by a doctor when they perform a pregnancy test, which shows a positive pregnancy but no fetus on the ultrasound. The doctor can confirm a chemical pregnancy with a simple urine or blood test and by checking the level of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) in the blood. Read on to learn more about what a chemical pregnancy is.
Chemical pregnancy explained
A chemical pregnancy is also known as a biochemical pregnancy, which is quite common today. It happens when an egg is fertilised but doesn’t fully implant in the uterus, resulting in an early miscarriage within the fifth week of pregnancy. What’s more, research has found that many such cases are reported with a ratio of one in four pregnancies lost even before a woman misses her period or has any symptoms related to pregnancy.
Chemical pregnancy may occur when a woman is trying to conceive a child through a process called in vitro fertilisation (IVF). These pregnancies are monitored closely by the doctor, which helps them to detect early miscarriages that occur due to chemical pregnancies. However, IVF alone isn’t a risk factor for a chemical pregnancy.
The chances of chemical pregnancy increase if:
- The woman is aged 35 years or older
- The woman has an atypically shaped uterus
- Hormone levels are too high or too low
- The woman is infected with a sexually transmitted infection/disease
- The woman thyroid disorders and/or polycystic ovarian disorder (PCOD).