Q&A: My doctor says I've had a miscarriage, but my hormones are rising. What's going on?

by Dr. Randy Morris

My pregnancy hormones are still rising, but my doctor says I've had a miscarriage. Is this possible?

It is possible. A pregnancy can be viewed as being composed of two parts: the fetus and the placenta. In many cases of miscarriage, the fetus will not develop or stop developing. At that time, your doctor can diagnose that a miscarriage has happened. Often, the placenta can continue to grow and develop even in the absence of a viable fetus. Since the placenta produces the pregnancy hormone hCG, the levels can still rise even though the pregnancy is non-viable.

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