I was 11.5 weeks pregnant when I found out my baby had died a few weeks earlier.  I had a D & C about 4.5 weeks ago.  I took a pregnancy test last week and it was positive.  Could my hcg levels still be elevated?  Did the doctors not remove all of the baby during the D&C?  Am I pregnant again?

I'm sorry for your loss, from what I understand the D&C is a "blind" procedure. Meaning they dont actually see if they got it all, or really anything to be honest. Which worried me because after my D&C I didn't bleed at all, some spotting but really nothing. My next period was awful lots and lots of clots ect ect blah it was disgusting. I really wonder if they got anything during my D&C or if I M/C naturally a few weeks later?? Anyway I'd call your dr and find out for sure. I know my friend who M/C natually had her levels go down VERY slowly for months. And I also know a few people who got pregnant right after they M/C or had a D&C I really answered none of your questions.

What can I expect of my hCG levels after a pregnancy loss?

Most women can expect their levels to return to a non-pregnant range about 4 - 6 weeks after a pregnancy loss has occurred. This can differentiate by how the loss occurred (spontaneous miscarriage, D & C procedure, abortion, natural delivery) and how high the levels were at the time of the loss. Health care providers usually will continue to test hCG levels after a pregnancy loss to ensure they return back to <5.0

I did a search and found this on a medical website. I also read some posts on another forum where women shared there hcg level experiences with others and it seemed that the farther along they were into there pregnancy's, the longer it took for levels to come down. The majority of women who were 11 weeks or more also had levels drawn to until they returned to normal. There were quite a few women who said it took them up to 11 weeks to return to normal, so it is very possible that your levels are still elevated, but you'll have to talk to your Dr about it. See if he/she knows what your levels were at the time of the D&C and have them draw levels now. You never know though, there was one woman who said she found out less than 6 weeks later that she was indeed pregnant again. Just see your Dr. Good luck to you!

Thank you for the information.  I saw my endocrinologist today and she drew blood for a pregnancy test.  She said the the OB/GYN will probably do that again on Thursday and then compare the results to see if the hcg levels have doubled.  I guess I'll have to wait and see.

I saw the endocrinologist on Tuesday and the pregnancy test was weakly positive with an hcg level of 41.  The obstatrician did another hcg test yesterday and it went down to 30.  So, he said a small piece of placenta may have reattached after the D&C, or this is a chemical pregnancy.  Now I have to wait till the middle of next week and have another test done.

Hello, I had the same procedure done with my first pregnancy.  My doctor told me it was normal.  It will take at least three months for your hormones to go down to it's normal level.