pregnancy tests post-abortion

[pvalov-rings.livejournal.com]

I just read that pregnancy hormones can be found in your body up to a year after an abortion. (from this site: http://afterabortion.com/physical.html)

What does this mean for pregnancy tests taken within the next year? Can it still show up positive even though I'm no longer pregnant?

Comments

[atalanta0jess.livejournal.com]

Can you point out exactly where it says that? I think you may be misreading - what I see that it says is that for the first 2-4 weeks, you may still test positive on a pregnancy test. It does say that for 6-24 months you may not feel like your hormonal systems are normal because the "pregnancy hormones" are still present - however I think they may be referring to hormonal changes OTHER than the presence of HCG, which is what pregnancy tests look for.

In short, no, you will not have positive tests for up to a year.

[pvalov-rings.livejournal.com]

Hi, I think I was misunderstanding a little bit, but the site also sortof contradicts itself. It says in the section "In the weeks that follow":

Depending on how far along in the pregnancy you were, and how sensitive you are to hormones, you may have pregnancy hormones still in your body for up to a year after an abortion

But then it also says that for 2-4 a woman may test "weakly" positive on a test. I think I skipped that part before, sorry! But to clarify--there will be lingering hormonal changes after an abortion that could last for a year, but only enough to make a test positive within the first month?

[atalanta0jess.livejournal.com]

this website: http://www.fertilityplus.org/faq/hpt.html says that you can get a positive test after miscarriage for a month or longer...but that if HCG falls to zero, any subsequently positive tests would be due to a new pregnancy. I imagine the same would be the case for an abortion.

So, I believe that yes, what you said is correct: There may be linger changes for quite some time, but you will likely only get a false-positive for up to a month, but possibly slightly longer. (If you wanted, you could test a month afterwards and see if it was negative - if it was, any test you take after that could be considered an accurate representation of whether or not you have a new pregnancy)

[queensugar.livejournal.com]

I've never heard claims of HCG remaining in the body that long. Planned Parenthood's TeenWire says (http://www.teenwire.com/ask/2006/as-20060323p1243-abortion.php) that some pregnancy hormone may remain in the body up to 60 days; Oregon State University says that six weeks (http://studenthealth.oregonstate.edu/answerspot/message.php?message=3529) is the max, and the Emma Goldman Clinic says six weeks "or more." (http://www.emmagoldman.com/Ask%20Emma/ask_emma_ab.htm#pregnant_after_abortion) Later they say that 8-12 weeks (http://www.emmagoldman.com/Ask%20Emma/ask_emma_ab.htm#positive%20test%20after%20abortion) is possible.

Either way, it appears most experts are pegging the maximum time for HCG to remain in the body at about two months, give or take a bit; if possible, a year would be to say the least very, very rare.

I think the best advice on that is in one of the links above; if a pregnancy test returns positive after an abortion, the best way to verify the situation is to take a test at a doctor's, and then take another a few days later. They will determine if the amount of HCG is increasing or decreasing.

[archangelbeth]

...a year? Well, it does say "how far along"... that seems very odd. I shall Google further.

"Technically, when things go perfectly, your first period will not arrive until four weeks after your hCG levels reach zero. Since most women will not be tested all the way to zero (which on your forms would show as "less than 5"), you will not know exactly when this will happen. In a normal recovery, it can take three weeks for the hormone chain to fire up again, and it will not be marked by bleeding or any physical symptom."
[...]
"A bit of placenta clung to the wall of the uterus. It continued to draw a little blood, and the body continued to create very small amounts of pregnancy hormone. Eventually the body realized no baby was there and turned loose of this last bit of tissue. [...] Only now will your levels drop to zero and a new cycle begin. You cannot expect a normal period any sooner than four weeks from this, and up to seven weeks could still be normal. Your total wait time from original miscarriage to first period can creep up to nine or ten weeks and still be normal."
[...]
"If any placenta is left, though, the body is going to get fooled again. [...] In one special case, hCG's failure to drop can be caused by a molar or partial molar pregnancy. If your hCG ever goes UP after a loss, this is very likely the case. If your hCG stalls out, it might be the case and your blood hCG should be monitored by your doctor."
--http://www.pregnancyloss.info/waitingforaf.htm

http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp090.cfm -- molar pregnancies (where the blastocyst turns into a clump of cells and not an embryo) will probably require a D&C "and careful followup" with hCG testing for 6 months to a year.

http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic3238.htm -- "[...] test results can remain positive for pregnancy weeks after a pregnancy termination, miscarriage, or birth."

http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/hcg-injections-amp-pregnancy-tests.html -- "[...] after an injection of 5,000 units of hCG, enough hormone will remain in the body to show up as a positive reading on most pregnancy tests for eight to 10 days, and a 10,000-unit dose of hCG can trigger a positive test result for a day or two longer than that."

http://www.healthline.com/galecontent/pregnancy-test -- "Following a normal delivery, the hCG can be detected in serum and urine for three to four weeks. This period may be longer following an aborted pregnancy, especially if a trophoblastic tumor was present."

I think that the site you found is well-meaning, but potentially inaccurate. (Another source of depression after a pregnancy ends, via abortion, miscarriage, or birth, is my pet hobby horse, hypothyroidism -- it can be a temporary condition after giving birth, or it can be a permanent dip like I got. O:p ) It seems to be trying to reassure women that their emotional state is normal, and either they found one source of "pregnancy hormones can linger for a year" (which I can't find now) or they're making it up out of "well, it sounds plausible, and we know that people can feel bad even if they weren't at all ambivalent about having the abortion, and pregnancy hormones cause mood swings, so..."

From that first site I found, I would say that any pregnancy test taken after about two months that shows you as "pregnant" is a reason to call the doctor back and see if there is any placental tissue that might have been missed. In those two months, yes, there's a decent chance that you can't trust pregnancy tests not to give you false positives from the abortion -- on the other hand, if you suspect a pregnancy, you should probably call and see about ultrasounds.

[laurapalmer813.livejournal.com]

That doesn't sound right at all! Your hcg level should be down to 0 by about 4-6 weeks afterward. If not, you would have to call your doctor because it would probably mean they didn't get everything out and you'd be in danger of an infection. It took me 6 weeks to get to 0 after my last miscarriage (at 9 weeks). A pregnancy test can detect an hcg level of about 100 (?). So you shouldn't test positive after about a month.

anecodote time

[must-coordinate.livejournal.com]

After a m/c I had several years ago, my hormone levels remained high enough to test positive for 3.5mos, as monitored weekly by my doc.