I had methotrexate jag last friday. My levels were 163 in monday my levels dropped to 144 i thought great its working!! Now sadly its thursday and they have went upto 188 has anyone had this before? What did they do afterwards im so scared
Dear Lorna_CJ9303,
The hCG level often rises on the day four blood test because the action of Methotrexate is not instantaneous, so the cells will have continued to divide for two or three days after the injection was given, and some cells release more hCG when they start to disappear. Your doctors are looking to see a drop in your hCG value of at least 15% between days four and seven. If there has not been a 15% drop, this is when the doctors will consider a second dose of Methotrexate or surgery.
Every 3-7 days, beta hCG levels will continue to be monitored to ensure that they are falling appropriately. Most women only need one injection but in up to a quarter of cases a further injection may be required if serum hCG levels are not decreasing.
It maybe comforting to know that Methotrexate is at least as good as surgery in terms of subsequent successful pregnancies. This may be due to the fact that medical treatment is non-invasive, whereas surgery may cause some scarring around the tube.
Sending much love,
Karen x
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