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

[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.