Chemical pregnancy
A chemical pregnancy is a very early miscarriage that happens shortly after implantation, when a pregnancy test turns positive but the pregnancy stops before it can be seen on a scan. The hCG level is detectable, sometimes rising a little, then falls. It is common, is not caused by anything you did, and does not mean you cannot go on to a successful pregnancy.
A chemical pregnancy is an early miscarriage that happens soon after an embryo implants, before the pregnancy is far enough along to be seen on an ultrasound. A beta hCG blood or urine test turns positive, because the early pregnancy produced hCG, but the level then falls instead of continuing to rise, and a period follows.
In IVF this can feel especially cruel, because a positive test after the two-week wait raises real hope before the follow-up test brings disappointing news. Chemical pregnancies are common, are usually caused by the embryo not being able to develop rather than by anything you did, and do not mean you cannot go on to a healthy pregnancy. Many people who have a chemical pregnancy conceive successfully afterwards.
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