Can a negative serum beta hCG level indicate pregnancy?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 40-year-old dental surgeon with no past or present health issues, and I am trying to conceive. I have a regular cycle of 28 days, and I have consulted a gynecologist before who has put me on Clomid for three months. I have also taken all the required fertility tests, which show normal values that are needed for conceiving. During this cycle, I had all the pregnancy symptoms, like implantation spotting for two days, tender breasts, and mild lower abdominal cramps for a week after spotting. However, I have got a negative urine and blood test, my blood hCG level being 1.2 mIU/mL. On the first day of the last period, there was spotting, and light bleeding was seen for three to four days. I tested for blood hCG after seven days, and it showed <1.2 mIU/mL. I want to know if there is still a chance that I could be pregnant and retest myself after a few days.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

As your serum beta hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) result is also negative, it definitely indicates you have not got pregnant in this cycle. The symptoms you have mentioned could also be possible because of the progesterone hormone secretion in the postovulatory phase, which may mimic pregnancy, and the spotting could be due to the breakthrough bleed. A possibility of delayed conception can be taken into consideration, but because the serum beta hCG is negative, it is ruled out.

I would suggest you get your day two LH (luteinizing hormone), FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone), prolactin, TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) levels, fasting blood sugar and postprandial blood sugar levels, and serum AMH (anti-Mullerian hormone) levels and an HSG (hysterosalpingography) done and let me know the results. The treatment plan would be ovulation induction with a follicular study.