What does it mean if the pregnancy test shows a correct positive result, but the ultrasound examination at the ob-gyn cannot confirm any pregnancy?
Sometimes it can happen that even though the result of a pregnancy test was a real positive, it is not possible to confirm the pregnancy by ultrasound. This is referred to as a biochemical or chemical pregnancy and means that although the fertilised egg has been embedded and the placenta has formed, which has led to the positive detection of hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), the development of the embryo has not continued and the previously embedded egg has detached itself from the uterine wall. Biochemical pregnancies are the earliest form of miscarriage.
In the case of such a biochemical pregnancy, a pregnancy can be detected early by biochemical analytical testing, but ultrasound cannot detect it at a later stage.
