Is a “Chemical Pregnancy” a “Miscarriage”? Terms Explained

• Is a Chemical Pregnancy a Miscarriage?
• Do Recurrent Chemical Pregnancies Count as “Recurrent Miscarriage”?

While a “chemical pregnancy” is often referred to as an “early miscarriage”, it is not technically considered a “miscarriage” (at least not always).

A Lack Of Clarity Around The Term “Chemical Pregnancy”

Confusing, right? As a woman who had 1 blighted ovum miscarriage and 2 chemical pregnancies, I remember feeling very frustrated with this lack of clarity. Did I have multiple miscarriages or not? I needed straightforward answers so that I could make informed decisions regarding my fertility.

Here’s what I ended up finding out after doing some digging…

Perspective 1: A Chemical Pregnancy is a Miscarriage

Cleveland Clinic states that a chemical pregnancy is a very early miscarriage that happens within the first 5 weeks of pregnancy. An egg is fertilized, however, the embryo does not continue to develop after implantation, and this results in miscarriage. 

The term miscarriage is clearly associated with the term chemical pregnancy here.

Perspective 2: A Chemical Pregnancy is Not Technically a Miscarriage

Baby Center, on the other hand, states that a chemical pregnancy is not a miscarriage medically speaking, because a woman has never been clinically pregnant. Baby Center defines “clinical pregnancy” as being able to see a gestational sac on an ultrasound or hear a fetal heartbeat.

So while conception has occurred with a chemical pregnancy and the body starts producing the pregnancy hormone hCG, the pregnancy never progresses to the point that further evidence of a growing embryo is detected. 

In these cases, a very early pregnancy loss is considered a biochemical pregnancy, aka a chemical pregnancy, and not a miscarriage. 

My Doctor’s Perspective

To further confirm that different sources have varying opinions on what counts as a miscarriage or not, I spoke with my doctor.

She considers chemical pregnancies as miscarriages. In her eyes, pregnant is pregnant. 

In various online forums, however, I read comments from women who said their doctors essentially dismissed their chemical pregnancies and did not regard them as miscarriages. 

So even among medical doctors, there seems to be a lack of consensus.

A Woman’s Perspective

When I did not know what words to use to categorize my experiences with chemical pregnancies, I felt frustrated. Dealing with early pregnancy loss is so heartbreaking, so I wish the medical community and the internet would at least agree on the language we should use to talk about it. 

Do Recurrent Chemical Pregnancies Count as “Recurrent Miscarriage”?

Tommy states that a woman should seek testing or treatment after “recurrent miscarriage” (3 or more consecutive miscarriages).

Since a chemical pregnancy is not always considered a miscarriage, women who have had multiple chemical pregnancies may not know whether or not they are candidates for recurrent miscarriage testing or treatment.

USC Fertility confirms this question and explains that it is unclear whether chemical pregnancies should be counted in a “recurrent miscarriage” count.

Seeking Advice From A Trusted Medical Doctor

With all this confusion, I decided to check in with my doctor to see if there was anything I could do to help maintain a pregnancy after my 3 pregnancy losses (1 blighted ovum miscarriage and 2 chemical pregnancies). 

My doctor considered my case a recurrent miscarriage situation and prescribed me progesterone capsules to hopefully help sustain my next pregnancy. She also said I could start some fertility testing if I wanted.

So this is just an example of my doctor’s interpretation of “recurrent miscarriage”, however not all doctors may share her perspective.