I just received the results from my first trimester screening:
My age related risk prior to screening for Down's was 1 in 164. After the screening, my risk is actually 1 in 3261!!!!
My age related risk prior to screening for Trisomy 13 and 18 was 1 in 295. After the screening, my risk is actually 1 in 4561!!!!
What a relief. I am so thankful that things are progressing so well (other than the constant nausea and lack of any sort of appetite). My husband and I have truly been so incredibly blessed thus far and I couldn't be more appreciative of all of the blessings that have been bestowed upon us.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
First Trimester Screening - 12w3d
Wow. I may actually be able to start to "relax" about this pregnancy now. My husband and I just got back from the first trimester screening at the MFM's office. The initial results are that Murtle is looking good so far! She's measuring 12w1d (just two days behind, but that's normal and considered to be right on target) and her heartbeat was beating away at 154 bpm. (I keep saying "her" now because the tech asked if we wanted to know the sex since she was able to take a preliminary guess (but told us not to hold her to this)). We got to see the precious little head and two arms and two legs, and it appeared as though her organs were inside her body. Every once in a while she would do a little stretch or move around a bit, but for the most part, she was just happily a-chillin' (even despite my upped intake of orange juice this morning to give her a boost). The NT measurement was 1.3, which is considered to be within normal limits. We still have to wait for the bloodwork results, but considering the measurement was ok, I have faith that bloodwork results will come back A-OK, too. The anatomy scan will be in seven weeks, but I am feeling really good about things now -- finally!!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
2nd OB Appointment - 12w2d
I can't believe I'm almost through the first trimester. Until my OB appointment this morning (at Chesapeake Women's Care's Annapolis office), I definitely would not have believed it due to my miscarriage nightmares and because, aside from the nausea (which I felt was purely psychological), I still don't feel (nor look) pregnant. Also, putting my non-existent baby bump aside, I actually lost two pounds since my first OB appointment four weeks ago. I suppose that shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, though, because my usual pre-pregnancy, hearty appetite has taken a severe down-turn and I actually have to force myself to eat so that some of the nausea that consistently creeps up each and every night since about the eight week point lies low. Luckily, fruit has been my saving grace, especially watermelon, clementines, and grapes.
I guess I was really nervous about today's appointment because my blood pressure was 159 over something when they first checked it, so they had to check it again 15 minutes later because they were a bit concerned about it! After that came down, the rest of the appointment went well. The OB I met today, Dr. Jessica Russell, asked how I was doing and then reviewed all of my test results from my first OB appointment (all was A-OK). Then, to my relief, she pulled out the doppler. She told me to be patient because this could be like finding a needle in a haystack, but thank goodness she was able to find the heartbeat within a minute or so on my right side. The baby's heart was blisfully beating away at about 160 bpm. Every once in a while, there would be a brief interruption in the beating - Dr. Russell told me that was when the baby was moving! So, WHEW! There's still a baby in there! Now I can truly look forward to (rather than being filled with nervous anxiety over) tomorrow's ultrasound at the MFM's office for the first trimester screening! Now I am just hoping and praying that the initial screening results look ok and that the baby is measuring on track and seems healthy.
I guess I was really nervous about today's appointment because my blood pressure was 159 over something when they first checked it, so they had to check it again 15 minutes later because they were a bit concerned about it! After that came down, the rest of the appointment went well. The OB I met today, Dr. Jessica Russell, asked how I was doing and then reviewed all of my test results from my first OB appointment (all was A-OK). Then, to my relief, she pulled out the doppler. She told me to be patient because this could be like finding a needle in a haystack, but thank goodness she was able to find the heartbeat within a minute or so on my right side. The baby's heart was blisfully beating away at about 160 bpm. Every once in a while, there would be a brief interruption in the beating - Dr. Russell told me that was when the baby was moving! So, WHEW! There's still a baby in there! Now I can truly look forward to (rather than being filled with nervous anxiety over) tomorrow's ultrasound at the MFM's office for the first trimester screening! Now I am just hoping and praying that the initial screening results look ok and that the baby is measuring on track and seems healthy.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
2nd Ultrasound - 8 Weeks 2 Days
I had my first appointment (but second ultrasound) at the Center for Maternal and Fetal Medicine in Annapolis this morning. The facility seemed nice enough and the staff were friendly. Dr. Spencer reviewed my ultrasound results and he was very pleasant, as well. When I entered the ultrasound room, I started to untie my shoes and proceed to get undressed, but the tech stopped me and said that undressing was unnecessary and I just needed to hop on the table. She said she can tell who underwent ART to have a baby because those were always the ladies who start stripping once they enter the room.
Thankfully, Murtle seems to be on track and is doing well. Today she is 8 weeks and 2 days along. She measured 1.73 cm (up from 8mm at 7 weeks and 0 days) and her heartbeat was beautifully beating at 161 bpm (up from 122 last week). She technically measured at 8 weeks and 1 day, but that was considered to be ok and within the normal target range. So, that will be my last chance to see her until my first trimester screen at 12 weeks - four weeks away from tomorrow! Once again, I've been researching to make sure her numbers are ok and have been finding that chances are good that she is healthy and will make it to delivery. One of the most reassuring pieces of information that I found was that while the first trimester miscarriate rate is about 15%, for babies who have a strong heartbeat such as Murtle's at the 8 week point, the chance of miscarrying is only 1%. Whew! We're still planning on not telling anyone who didn't know we were undergoing IVF that we're pregnant until after the first trimester screening results come back - but that should be a perfect time because it will be just in time for Christmas!
Thankfully, Murtle seems to be on track and is doing well. Today she is 8 weeks and 2 days along. She measured 1.73 cm (up from 8mm at 7 weeks and 0 days) and her heartbeat was beautifully beating at 161 bpm (up from 122 last week). She technically measured at 8 weeks and 1 day, but that was considered to be ok and within the normal target range. So, that will be my last chance to see her until my first trimester screen at 12 weeks - four weeks away from tomorrow! Once again, I've been researching to make sure her numbers are ok and have been finding that chances are good that she is healthy and will make it to delivery. One of the most reassuring pieces of information that I found was that while the first trimester miscarriate rate is about 15%, for babies who have a strong heartbeat such as Murtle's at the 8 week point, the chance of miscarrying is only 1%. Whew! We're still planning on not telling anyone who didn't know we were undergoing IVF that we're pregnant until after the first trimester screening results come back - but that should be a perfect time because it will be just in time for Christmas!
Monday, November 9, 2009
8 Weeks - First OB Appointment!
I had my first OB appointment this morning! It was pretty uneventful since Chesapeake Women's Center doesn't have an ultrasound machine at their Gambrills office, which doesn't make much sense to me because of all doctors, shouldn't all OBs have ultrasound machines in their offices? Anyway, the nurse practioner (NP) that I saw wrote me a referral to see a specialist at the Center for Maternal Fetal Medicine in Annapolis because of my age, so I will get a "viability" ultrasound on Wednesday and then the full-blown first trimester screening and ultrasound at 11 weeks.
Otherwise, they had me pee in a cup (not for a pregnancy test to my dismay, though, but for some other type of testing), took five vials of blood to test for a variety of things (TSH, blood-type, etc.) and did a vaginal culture for some STD stuff that's supposedly required by Maryland law. I luckily didn't have to have a pap test done since the past few have been normal and if that's the case, you just have to have them done every three years. However, the STD culture testing was just as uncomfortable as a pap test and resulted in some concerning ongoing spotting and pain. Apparently, the spotting is normal and can last up to a few days. Otherwise, the appointment was a breeze and the nurse practioner just reviewed my medical history and went over some basic pregnancy no-nos (mostly just no drinking or smoking). She told me that this first appointment would be the longest appointment and the only one for which I would even need to undress! The subseuent appointments will be with the various doctors in the practice, who will simply listen to my heart and have my weight and blood pressure checked, as well as order any testing that needs to be done at the appropriate time.
Otherwise, they had me pee in a cup (not for a pregnancy test to my dismay, though, but for some other type of testing), took five vials of blood to test for a variety of things (TSH, blood-type, etc.) and did a vaginal culture for some STD stuff that's supposedly required by Maryland law. I luckily didn't have to have a pap test done since the past few have been normal and if that's the case, you just have to have them done every three years. However, the STD culture testing was just as uncomfortable as a pap test and resulted in some concerning ongoing spotting and pain. Apparently, the spotting is normal and can last up to a few days. Otherwise, the appointment was a breeze and the nurse practioner just reviewed my medical history and went over some basic pregnancy no-nos (mostly just no drinking or smoking). She told me that this first appointment would be the longest appointment and the only one for which I would even need to undress! The subseuent appointments will be with the various doctors in the practice, who will simply listen to my heart and have my weight and blood pressure checked, as well as order any testing that needs to be done at the appropriate time.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Beautiful Beating Heart!
Well, it's official -- I'm really pregnant after all! I was pretty doubtful these past few days since I hadn't been feeling any nausea or any symptoms that indicated that I was truly pregnant. Well, lo and behold, Murtle pleasantly surprised me again because today's ultrasound showed that she was safe, sound and snuggled inside my uterus. She measured 8 mm and her heartbeat was beautifully beating at 122 bpm. What a surreal experience to hear that little heartbeat, especially when I only had hoped to see a heartbeat today. Dr. Sacks said that things look good so far - Murtle's on track size wise (I'm 7w0d today) and any heartbeat above 100 bpm at this point indicates a healthy pregnancy.
As for the next steps, I need to stay on my suppositories for two more weeks - thank goodness I'll finally be done with those soon and I need to schedule an appointment with a perinatologist who will perform the the first trimester scan in about four weeks. I think that I will truly relax after receiving those results, but in the meantime, I will bask in the glow of having seen and heard that precious little heartbeat.
As for the next steps, I need to stay on my suppositories for two more weeks - thank goodness I'll finally be done with those soon and I need to schedule an appointment with a perinatologist who will perform the the first trimester scan in about four weeks. I think that I will truly relax after receiving those results, but in the meantime, I will bask in the glow of having seen and heard that precious little heartbeat.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Final Beta - 22dp3dt
Well, so far I think I'm still on track. But I do need to stop researching beta numbers. I'm still pregnant. My fourth beta came in at 3493 at 25 DPO (22DP3DT). However, my doubling time is slowing down - it's now 85.16. This is the first time that it's below 48 hours. I should relax, though, because I have read that as pregnancies progress, the doubling times do slow down and the numbers double every 2-3 days. Three days would still be 72 hours, though. Hmmm. I guess I can't fully relax until the first ultrasound next Monday. In the meantime, I will try to go about my business and enjoy each day as it unfolds. I'm still not feeling any kind of pregnancy symptoms, but considering I'm just 5w4d today, I really shouldn't expect them to kick into gear until 6 or 7 weeks. In the meantime, I will have faith that Murtle was meant to be and I will remain as optimistic as possible!
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My nurse continues to remain optimistic and I just found this very helpful information that supports her optimism:
"A single HCG value doesn't give enough information about the health or viability of the pregnancy. Within the first 2-4 weeks after fertilization, HCG usually doubles every 48-72 hours. That usually corresponds to HCG levels below 1200 IU. From 1200-6000, the HCG usually takes 72-96 hours to double. Above 6000 IU, the hCG often takes over four days to double. So, the rate of increase in HCG levels normally varies as a pregnancy progresses. Normal HCG values vary up to 20 times between different pregnancies, however, and an HCG that does not double every two to three days does not necessarily indicate a problem with the pregnancy. Some normal pregnancies will have quite low levels of HCG, and result in perfect babies."
WHEW!!
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My nurse continues to remain optimistic and I just found this very helpful information that supports her optimism:
"A single HCG value doesn't give enough information about the health or viability of the pregnancy. Within the first 2-4 weeks after fertilization, HCG usually doubles every 48-72 hours. That usually corresponds to HCG levels below 1200 IU. From 1200-6000, the HCG usually takes 72-96 hours to double. Above 6000 IU, the hCG often takes over four days to double. So, the rate of increase in HCG levels normally varies as a pregnancy progresses. Normal HCG values vary up to 20 times between different pregnancies, however, and an HCG that does not double every two to three days does not necessarily indicate a problem with the pregnancy. Some normal pregnancies will have quite low levels of HCG, and result in perfect babies."
WHEW!!
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