What to expect from a chemical pregnancy
Please note: This article has not yet been reviewed by a medical professional and is not intended to be taken as medical advice. Always refer to go to your medical provider for your medical care. This is intended to be peer-to-peer support only.
A chemical pregnancy is a non-medical term to talk about a pregnancy that has not shown any indication of the pregnancy on ultrasound, such as a sac, fetal pole, fetus, or heartbeat. Some providers may downplay chemical pregnancies as not as significant of a loss. Just because you never saw your baby, it does not mean your baby and your pregnancy were not real. And your loss is just as real, just as significant, as any pregnancy loss.
Physically, your experience will be just like a first-trimester miscarriage, though you won’t be able to see or bury your baby, or have them tested for gender. For some, the pregnancy ends quite early, and besides knowing they were pregnant, the physical act of loss is not much different than the For some, this is especially difficult in grieving while not having the physical evidence of your baby’s presence via an ultrasound photo, gender determination, or the baby’s body to bury.
“I stood there, watching the test develop. Please please let it be darker. We can’t lose a third. The test was negative. My stomach dropped and I crumpled to the floor and sobbed. What was wrong with me?”
Sarah
