Stay positive on the journey, because it’s pretty sure you are going to face some unexpected situations.
As we got the ‘green light’ from the doctor to start our IVF treatment, we don’t have anything else to do just to wait for my period to start, and on the first day to contact the clinic.
"And BOOM! There are two famous lines, the first time in my life. "
It’s the first time in my life actually waiting for my period to arrive. I am sure you know the feeling when you are actually sure your period just started, but nothing happens. I started to have these pre-menstruation symptoms (PMS) one week prior to my normal time. Thanks to my Period Tracker, I know when she should arrive.
Four days before my expected time, I noticed some spotting, which made me super happy as it is a good sign: my period is going to start the same day or next day at the latest. But the following day nothing really changed. I was running to the toilet every 30 minutes to see if there's any change, but all the same. It’s still the same spotting or super-duper light flow, what can be my period, even though it’s absolutely unusual for me.
I don’t want to make any mistake and risk that I don’t start the stimulation in time. I don’t really care if the doctor is going to think I am an idiot and not be able to tell if I am menstruating or not, so I decided to pay a visit to the Clinic. I must be not the first one with this ‘stupid’ question, because my doctor doesn’t give me any strange look. ☺ He does a short ultrasound test on me, and confirms that it’s not my period yet, and we have to wait until the normal flow. (Hopefully I will be able to recognize what ‘normal’ means, but I will try my best.)
The next few days were nerve-wracking. The day of my expected period arrived, but still all the same, and so on the day after.
I really don’t know why, but I got a stupid idea stuck in my mind: I should take a pregnancy test. I ran to the closest pharmacy, bought a super sensitive test. I took it with absolute peace of mind, because as the doctor confirmed a week ago, there is no way that I can be pregnant. And BOOM! There are two famous lines, the first time in my life. I am shocked, and so is my husband. I cannot believe it! I know that it is almost impossible to have a false positive test, but I need a second opinion. Fortunately, there’s a lab close by, where I can get a beta-HCG blood test done today, but I have to wait for the result till next morning.
The difference between home pregnancy test and blood test is that the blood test can detect a smaller amount of HCG (pregnancy hormone) compared to a urine test. The result of the blood test is also more accurate, because the lab test result shows the quantity of HCG hormone found in the blood.
If there is something that I really cannot deal with is the: uncertainty. I never got pregnant in my life before, and now - just a few days before our IVF treatment to start - I (most likely) am.
The next morning finally, we received my result via email: I do have HCG in my blood, so I am PREGNANT, but the level is low. I called my doctor, but unfortunately, he cannot help me too much... He confirms that there is a pregnancy detected, but hormone level is low (which doesn’t mean too much). He asks me to take another test in 3 days, as the HCG should double by then, and will give us more information.
This day leaves us with more questions than answers.
