What is a biochemical pregnancy? It starts on the seventh day of fertilization when the fertilized egg differentiates into the trophoblast (later the placenta is formed) and the cells of the trophoblast start to secrete chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), while the fertilized egg gradually moves from the fallopian tube to the uterine cavity and implants in the endometrium. The HCG can be detected in the blood 10 days after fertilization, i.e. about 24 days after menopause, and the pregnancy can be detected by urine test about 14 days after fertilization, i.e. about 28 days after menopause. In a normal pregnancy, HGG can be detected and the gestational sac can be seen on ultrasound. A biochemical pregnancy is an early miscarriage that occurs within 5 weeks of gestation. It is also known as a subclinical miscarriage when HCG can be detected in the blood and is greater than 25 mlU/mL or a positive urine pregnancy test, but the gestational sac is not visible on ultrasound, suggesting a failure of fertilization. What are the signs of biochemical pregnancy? Biochemical pregnancy often presents with a few days of delayed menstruation, vaginal bleeding of the same amount as menstruation or slightly increased, occasional mild abdominal pain, but no rotten flesh-like tissue discharge. If the test is tested with early pregnancy test paper, a faint test line can be seen, and blood is drawn for chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), which is greater than 25 mlU/mL, but the value is usually low, and when the test is repeated in a few days, the color of the urine test paper becomes lighter and lighter, the blood HCG value also tends to decrease, and vaginal bleeding occurs. For biochemical pregnancy, it is often ignored by women who usually have no requirement to have children. Why do biochemical pregnancies occur? There are 3 main causes of biochemical pregnancy: defective fertilized egg: chromosomal abnormalities in the embryo may be the main cause of biochemical pregnancy. Poor ovarian corpus luteum function: insufficient progesterone secretion and abnormal endometrium, which affects the fertilized egg’s implantation. Uterine factors: uterine dysplasia, submucosal fibroids, endometrial polyps, official cavity adhesions, endometrial tuberculosis, etc. affect the fertilized egg’s implantation. What should I do after discovering a biochemical pregnancy? More than 50% of early miscarriages in the first trimester are due to chromosomal abnormalities, so miscarriage is a kind of natural selection of superiority and inferiority, and there is no need to be nervous in such cases, as biochemical pregnancy usually does not affect the next pregnancy. Unless it happens repeatedly, it is necessary to go to the hospital for further examination to find the cause and targeted treatment. How soon can I get pregnant again after a biochemical pregnancy? There are different medical opinions on how long to take between biochemical pregnancies before conceiving again. Doctors recommend a break of 3-6 months to give the uterus enough time to repair itself, improve the adverse conditions that led to the miscarriage and get out of the external environment that is unfavorable to the development of the embryo. In contrast, extra-peripheral investigations found that the incidence of miscarriage did not increase significantly when another pregnancy was carried out within 3 months after a spontaneous abortion. It was also found that rapid pregnancy after a spontaneous abortion was beneficial to a woman’s mental health, shortening the time of post-spontaneous abortion trauma and reducing the chances of depression. Therefore, doctors believe that biochemical pregnancy is a natural elimination and does not have an adverse effect on the endometrium like the purging procedure, so no special treatment is needed and it is recommended to continue trying to conceive.