Why Would Hormone Levels Remain Low?
QUESTION
Dear Midwife,
My husband and I have been trying to get pregnant now for the past 6 months. My last period was on May 15th 2004. I have had loads of pregnancy symptoms so I took a test which showed a weak positive. So I decided to wait a few days take another and that came up negative. On June 26th I started spotting and this was only light but last for about 30 minutes a day for 5 to 7 days.
I have since missed another period and went to my doctors who took some blood to test. It has come back showing very low hormone levels for someone who is pregnant. They want to do another urine test. I am very confused about this as I feel that urine tests, test hormone levels and seeing that mine are low I feel it will come back negative and I might actually be pregnant. Please help. I look forward to your reply.
Natasha
ANSWER
Hi Natasha,
Unfortunately, if the hormone levels are so low that a urine pregnancy test is still coming back negative this late, then it is unlikely that the pregnancy is viable.
It is also true that some overweight people always test weak positive even when they are not pregnant, because of the hormones stored in fat tissue. I wish you well, and hope that the next time you test the test is VERY positive. Good luck.
-- Cynthia, CNM
Cynthia Flynn
Cynthia Flynn, CNM. PhD, is the General Director of the Family Health and Birth Center which provides prenatal, birth, postnatal, gynecological and primary health care to underserved women and their families in Washington, D.C. Recently Cynthia served as Associate Professor of Nursing at Seattle University. There she not only taught, but remained in full scope clinical midwifery practice at Valley Medical Center where she cared for pregnant and birthing women, and practices well-woman gynecology, family planning, and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.
Cynthia founded Columbia Women's Clinic and Birth Center, where she took care of pregnant women and infants up to two weeks of age and attended both birth center and hospital births. Before Cynthia earned her CNM, she worked as a registered nurse in labor and delivery and postpartum and is a certified Doula and Doula trainer.
