When you get pregnant without the aid of a doctor, lab equipment, and a lot of medication, you confirm with a home pregnancy test. 2 pink lines on a plastic stick brings such amazing joy, and no one ever questions the information those 2 pink lines give. With IVF, we have the betas. A number from day 6 and day 8 post transfer. If the first number doubles, then you're considered pregnant.
We got the results of my betas yesterday. According to our clinic rep, the first beta was "not negative, but very low". I actually had the result of the second beta before the clinic called. My number? 15.... If that was my beta from draw #2, then what was it the first draw???? My gut was thinking somewhere about 4 or 5. I was a little shocked when they told me what it was.... 2.2. Wow. Not negative, but very low. Well, our initial number doubled, all right- it went up almost 7 times. If the numbers were higher, we'd all be doing a happy dance, and congratulating each other on the pregnancy. As it stands, we are all just very cautiously optimistic.
Right now, I'm afraid of what's called a "chemical pregnancy". This is where there is a positive pregnancy test, and positive betas. The betas are generally low, though, and often stop going up. Or, we get to a heartbeat ultrasound and find a sac with no baby.... I know of 2 surros who had betas in the range of mine, though, who have gone on to carry perfectly healthy pregnancies.
When I got pregnant with my oldest, I tested the first day I missed my period. I got a very, very faint positive line on that HPT. But it was there! I never questioned that positive, and I never even thought of beta numbers. And I went on to have a healthy term baby.
Right now? I have 2 HPTs with positive lines. The first to rival what I got with my own pregnancy, and the second a little darker. I have betas that have doubled. But knowing the numbers this time is killing me. They're low, and just that one teeny tiny little fact is holding us all back from the celebration we deserve.
We'll have another beta drawn on Monday. I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed that the number goes up again- as much as it did from that first to the second draw!
Beta #1, 6dp5dt: 2.2
Beta #2, 8dp5dt: 15
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