Dr. Marjorie Greenfield
Specializing in pregnancy and birth.
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 Ask Dr. Greenfield
Unsure if Miscarried or Still Pregnant | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Greenfield,
I am 19 years old and recently found out that I am pregnant. The other night I had slight cramping without any bleeding and went to the emergency room. After five hours of waiting they said I had miscarried and showed me the negative pregnancy result. I was given antibiotics and painkillers and was sent home. Now, a doctor friend of mine said that a miscarriage is not possible without bleeding. I took another pregnancy test and the results were positive. What do I do? Who do I believe?— Amethystrain82 | | | ANSWER |
November 1, 2001 | | | Dear Amethyst Rain,
This is a confusing story! I agree with your friend--with no bleeding, it's unlikely to have miscarried completely. Also, it usually takes a few weeks for the pregnancy test to become completely negative after a loss. And the fact that your home pregnancy test is still positive supports this belief.
It's a good idea to identify a doctor or midwife whom you can call with problems, rather than relying on the emergency doctors. It sounds like the emergency department was busy that night, and maybe there was some confusion about your pregnancy test result. I recommend getting in with your OB practitioner as soon as possible, to clear up all this confusion and to be sure that the episode of pain you had was not evidence of any real problem. Take care, and good luck!— by Marjorie Greenfield, M.D. |
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