A very early pregnancy loss: implantation produced enough hCG for a positive test, then the pregnancy ended within the first five weeks, before ultrasound could show anything.
The typical picture: a positive - sometimes faint - then a period on time or a few days late, heavier or crampier than usual. These losses are common, and the usual cause is a one-time chromosomal error in the embryo - not something you did and not a verdict on future pregnancies. It is not an ectopic pregnancy. Severe one-sided pain with bleeding, or two or more repeated losses: get a workup. The grief is real even this early.
What to do
Common questions
What is a chemical pregnancy?
A chemical pregnancy is a very early miscarriage - a pregnancy that implanted enough to produce hCG and turn a test positive, then ended within the first five weeks, before anything could be seen on an ultrasound (the "chemical" name means it was only ever detected chemically, by hormone). What it looks like: a positive test - sometimes faint - followed by a period arriving on time or a few days late, often heavier or crampier than usual; many people only know because they tested early. The numbers are worth saying plainly: very early losses like this are common - a large share of conceptions end this way, most before anyone tests - and the usual cause is a chromosomal error in the embryo, a one-time accident of cell division, not something you did or a verdict on future pregnancies. What it is not: an ectopic pregnancy (that is implantation in the wrong place, with pain and bleeding as warnings), and not evidence you cannot carry - most people who have one go on to a normal next pregnancy. When to get care: bleeding with severe one-sided pain, or repeated early losses - two or more earns a workup. The grief is real even this early. Pymander, a free AI doctor available 24/7 by text, is there whenever you want to talk it through.