Here We Go Again

I still feel a little hesitant to share this because of my history, but I keep thinking that we need all the prayers we can get, so... I'm pregnant (again).

I had a positive pregnancy test last Sunday (7/15). Because of our fertility issues, my pregnancies are monitored right away. It starts with bloodwork, which we use to check two key hormone levels - progesterone and hcg. 

HCG is the "pregnancy hormone" - basically, the hormone is produced by the developing baby (well, the placenta actually). In early pregnancy, we like to see this number double about every 2 days (the official line is that it should increase by a minimum of 67%, but it's more reassuring if it doubles). If this number stops rising at the appropriate rate, that's a bad sign. If it starts going down, that is considered confirmation of an imminent miscarriage.

Progesterone is a hormone your body produces to support early pregnancy. The doctors suspect that I do not produce enough naturally, so I'm on supplements for this hormone. Doctors like to see this hormone above 15, although in reality, it's more reassuring if it's above 20. Also, we like to see this number stay steady or rise. If it starts decreasing on it's own, that can sometimes be an indicator of miscarriage. In two of my miscarriages, progesterone started going down and then hcg followed.

So, now that you know what the hormones are and have some meaning to put behind the numbers, here are the results from my first two blood tests last week:

Monday 7/16 - HCG 136, Progesterone 75

Wednesday 7/18 - HCG 411, Progesterone 78

So, we're off to a great start. My HCG more than doubled in 2 days and my progesterone if VERY high. In fact, it's so high that the doctor instructed me to start cutting the supplements in half and taking only a half-dose each night.

This all looks very encouraging, but I don't want to give the wrong impression. I've had great numbers on my week 4 blood tests every time. My pregnancies seem to fail at 5-7 weeks, so I'm definitely not allowing myself to feel confident yet. I will have weekly blood tests for the next two weeks and then an ultrasound the following Monday, when I hit the 7 week mark. My next blood test will be this Wednesday, so please keep this baby in your prayers. We are so ready to have some good news and a healthy baby to join our family.