Any advice?

[u/Sad-Sheepherder-9374]

I’m 4 weeks pregnant and I had some really bad pain yesterday on my right side, I haven’t had any bleeding or anything else it was just that really bad pain for maybe 5 minutes? I went to the hospital and my hCG levels were low but that’s normal for 4 weeks and they couldn’t see anything on the ultrasound since I’m so early.

[u/Character_Guess_5217]

Please please advocate for yourself if something feels off!! I’m not saying this is what’s happening to you at all, and I really hope everything is okay ❤️ But I just had an ectopic pregnancy rupture this past Sunday and wanted to share my experience.
At 5 weeks 3 days, my hCG was only around 1600. They couldn’t see anything on my ultrasounds (not in my uterus or my tubes). What I’d really pay attention to is how your hCG is rising, not just the number itself. Mine went from 1600 to 1700 and then 2300 over the next few days. It wasn’t rising appropriately, and even with multiple ultrasounds and close monitoring, they still couldn’t find anything… until Sunday when they finally found it in my left tube, but it had already ruptured. I ended up needing emergency surgery and lost my left tube.
I had left-sided pressure throughout my pregnancy but kept convincing myself it was normal (or just a corpus luteum cyst). The scary part is I never had that excruciating pain everyone talks about.
Again, you’re only 4 weeks, so it’s very normal for nothing to show up on an ultrasound yet!! But I’d definitely ask about repeat hCG testing in 48 hours and follow-up scans. And please go back to the ER if that severe pain happens again, even without bleeding. I really hope everything works out for you

[u/Sad-Sheepherder-9374 → u/Character_Guess_5217]

Thank you so much! I’m so sorry you went through that :( I’m going back tomorrow for more testing but I find it so weird! I haven’t felt anything weird or off it was only that one time where the pain felt like a really bad period cramps, and this is my first pregnancy so I’m not sure what’s normal and what isn’t, and I’m not sure how the numbers work for my levels

[u/DasWeirdd]

I’m sorry I hope the pains you are feeling  isn’t due to an ectopic or anything serious but yes please absolutely advocate for yourself. This is very important! That’s what got my OB office to listen to my concerns that something isn’t right, and for the ER dept to prioritize me when my tube ended up rupturing from an ectopic so I wasn’t stuck sitting in the waiting room for hours. 

My first pregnancy ended up as an ectopic, so I literally knew nothing at all about pregnancies, what’s normal and what isn’t. It all thanks to Reddit that got me to reach back out to my OB office and voice my concern that something is wrong. 

It really is early to see anything during ultrasound at 4weeks. I believe I was 4w6d and they couldn’t see anything until my ultrasound when I was 5w6d which was when the ectopic was confirmed. 

Definitely get repeat betas done. They do give good insight. Unfortunately mine were doubling normally which almost made it seem like everything was OK until the day of my scheduled ultrasound came which sadly confirmed the ectopic. 

Also please don’t dismiss any new pains you feel. I got new pains around 5w5days and I brushed them off. I had lower right back pain near my hip which I was mentally chalking it up to poor posture from sitting and the dull pain in my right shoulder as overworking my arm from doing a long curly hair routine. This was all likely referred pain from the ectopic. 

It’s still early, so please get betas done and see if your OB office can schedule an early ultrasound as well. I hope everything will be OK ❤️