In simple terms..What is a chemical pregnancy?

I'm not understanding it. Why do they use the term Chemical?

Re: In simple terms..What is a chemical pregnancy?

i had one in april and honestly i am still not sure, i just know that it was never a viable pregnancy, as though it wasn't even an embryo, there was never a heartbeat, i guess the egg and sperm came together but not in the right way, i got a +hpt on a tuesday and lost it on that saturday

Re: In simple terms..What is a chemical pregnancy?

Found this online to help explain it.

A chemical pregnancy is the clinical term used for a very early miscarriage. In many cases, the positive pregnancy test was achieved before the woman's period was due but a miscarrige occured before a heartbeat was able to be seen on an ultrasound.

With the ultra sensitive pregnancy tests on the market today, it is easier than ever to get a positive result 3 or 4 days before your period is due. It is wonderful for those who NEED to know, but does have it's down side. Early testing shows chemical pregnancies which would not have been detected had the woman waited for her period to arrive.

Chemical pregnancies are unfortunately very common. 50 to 60% of first pregnancies end in miscarriage very early in pregnancy. Most occur without the woman even knowing that she was pregnant.