A chemical pregnancy designates an early miscarriage, typically before week 5 of pregnancy. The patient may have had a positive pregnancy test, however, an ultrasound cannot detect a heart beat and the pregnancy will typically end before the time of the following period.
Chemical Pregnancy Defined
There are several pregnancy tests on the market and some of these can be taken a few days before a due period. It may happen that these tests show a positive result and there is indeed a pregnancy, but this ends soon--right before or a few days after the period is due. This is known as a chemical pregnancy and can be caused by various hormonal issues, a luteal phase defect, infections or uterine fibroids.
However, chemical pregnancies may also occur in healthy women and are considered idiopathic. About 15 percent to 20 percent of pregnancies can be chemical pregnancies and end in a very early miscarriage. Up to 50 percent of first pregnancies may be chemical pregnancies. However, the good news is that this type of pregnancy will not affect the patient’s health and if she doesn’t have major health issues, she can easily conceive again--even starting from the following cycle.
