Spotting

Despite reassuring everyone that spotting is completely normal in IVF procedures and telling them not to worry, my spotting has gotten worse and freaked me out.  I've been spotting, slightly, about every day in the last week.  

Today, however, the spotting turned into bright red bleeding for about 30 minues.  It stopped after that and is now back to the brown blood which indicates that things are "resolved."

Nonetheless, I finally broke down and called the OB to get an ultrasound.  I'm heading out in about 30 minutes and then heading to work after that.  

All I really want to do is nap.  I think everything is ok.  I know I'm not shedding my lining because my HCG is nowhere near 0.  Nonetheless, I have looked up the vanishing twin synrdome and freaked myself out.  

I'm hoping this is just a problem with my fluffy estrogen induced uterus and using Lovenox.  I really just want to take a nap.

UPDATE

The ultrasound went really well.  Both babies have great heartrates:  151 and 156, which indicates a 3% miscarriage rate at 7w4d.   I am also happy that they are going to go ahead and keep my u/s appt on Friday.  So more looks at the babies, then, too.

Ohmygoodness

Well, we just got back from the OB for our ultrasound.  And much to my surprise, there are actually TWO in there!  Holy Cow!  I had totally convinced myelf that there was only one, and I was once again, wrong.  WOW.  

They are measuring exactly on schedule:  6w4d and their heartbeats are 124 and 125---perfect.  Once you get heartbeats in the right range, things just look a lot better for a positive outcome.  

So, we're pretty excited!!  And a bit freaked out!!!

Holy COW!

Oh, and I Forgot This

I was getting my hair cut last week and read an article about Courtney Cox in a magazine.  Her efforts to get pg through traditional IVF are well documented and I believe that the procedure was traditional IVF (with auto-immune treatments).  However, in the article, she was saying that she was trying to add a sibling to the family and she was exploring some "high tech options that involved freezing" or something like that.

If she had some frosties already, she would have already had another child or two.  And at age 45, I just don't think she's undergoing traditional IVF.  So if she does get pg soon, I think we can be assured it was the high tech option of donor egg, not FET.

Just a thought.  

Checking In

I have to be honest:  I hate when the blogs I follow do not update regulary.  It's annoying, worrisome, and it makes me cranky.  So to the folks out here who are following:  my bad.  Work is crazy and also as this is my donor egg blog vs. my "regular" blog, I'm just more focused on discussing issues DE issues here than every thing else.  

So far, I'm not feeling a lot of "DE" issues. In fact, I mostly forget that this wasn't a traditional IVF procedure.  I'm certainly much, much less worried over this pregnancy since any of the others since DS.  I'm certainly having a lot more "signs" in this pregnancy (fatigue, nausea, boobage pain) than the other pregnancies.  I did look to see if this was related to age, and couldn't find any research that supports that.  So maybe there are two in here.  I'm not convinced, to be honest.  Maybe both blastocysts made it, but I'm thinking there is just one strong one in there.

That said, my best previous indicator that I was pg was being convinced I was not.  So maybe for the first time believing that there's only one in there, I'll be very surprised.  

The only DE issue that continues to work me us is seeing people whose cycles don't work.  It's very frustrating and sad and it still bothers me a lot.  

In any case, ultrasound next week to see how many people are in there!  I'm glad on the days I feel like crap, of which today would be one of them.

Beta's are In

The clinic called and I have, I think, good numbers for the betas:  the first one was 600 and the second one, 4 days later, was 2900.  

The dates are 10dp5dt and 14dp5dt, which are in the normal range for both twins and singletons at betabase.info.  BTW, if you don't obsess ove the numbers at betabase.info when figuring out how your numbers compare to others, you should.  

The doubling rate is about 43 hours, which is good, although not great.  40 hours would be "great."

In any case, I voting on a very strong singleton in there.  I don't think there are two little ones making a home any more, although I did after the first numbers came in.  

I have to be honest that I don't feel out of the woods yet.  I know this is a whole new ball game with fresher eggs.  Nonetheless, after a bazillion miscarriages, I'm just not sure when I'm ever going to feel "safe" and "pregnant."  The only time I felt that way was the first pregnancy, when I was too stupid to know any better.

I'm Freakin' Pregnant

I have mixed feelings posting this because although I'm thrilled for me, some of the blogs I'm reading do not have good news.  So I'm very sad for folks who do not have good news.

But Holy Crap, we're pregnant.  I've taken 3 HPTs starting at 5dp5dt (10 dpo) and we started off with a faint but visible BFP and this morning it is a shining, bright pink line.  I know by the darkness of that line that we've passed the level of chemical pgs that I've had in the past.

The official blood test is still Friday, but we are feeling very positive about how things are going.  

Holy crap!  Yay!!!

Thinking of Testing Soon

Well, I know I'm not supposed to be having any real symptoms yet.  I'm really only 9 dpo. 

Nonetheless, starting at about 2dp5dt (7 dpo), I started getting serious indigestion after eating.  This has always been a good sign of pg for me, especially when it occurs after several meals across several days, which it has.  

Last night at 3dp5dt (8 dpo), I started getting the tingly boobs.  This, again, is generally a good sign for me. 

And then today, 4dp5dt, I have had the worst nausea.  It comes and goes, but when it's here, it's pretty damn crappy.  I have also had anxiety nausea, but this feels completely different.  

Yes, I do understand that this could all be in my head.  Or it could completely be side effects of PIO.  But usually I have one or the other, not all three and not at "appropriate" times.  

I am so not one to wait for the blood count.  Even if I do test too early, I'd rather be prepped for bad news than to have bad news sprung upon me.  Plus, I've taken so, so, so, so, so many pregnancy tests (including a positive one with a 4 beta blood count), that I do know the difference between a really faint positive test and an absolutely, completely negative one.  (At least on a FRER).

Of course, the only times I've ever been pregnant have been when I've been completely convinced I'm not, so now I'm pretty much doomed.