What Happens Next?

This post was originally written on Thursday, December 29th...

Today, nearly two weeks after receiving the news, we met with Dr. K for our follow-up appointment.  She started by saying that she was sorry for our loss and continued with what happened and potential reasons why.

What Happened & Why?

In its simplest form, conception occurred…sperm met egg…which is further than we’ve ever gotten before.  Dr. K can be sure conception occurred because the only way an HCG level can be detected in a woman’s blood is from the result of conception.  Somewhere during the process of cell division (growing) and implantation (attaching to the uterine lining to pull nutrients from the mother's body), something went wrong.  What exactly went wrong remains a mystery.  The clinical term for an early loss, like the one we experienced, is chemical pregnancy...conception occurred but the pregnancy was never detected by an ultrasound.  Chemical pregnancies are fairly common...most women don't even know they occur because their bodies will cycle normally just a week or so late.

During my blood work-up after the positive home tests, my hormone levels (outside of HCG) looked good so that’s a positive sign.  It’s likely the miscarriage occurred due to a genetic abnormality and losing the baby was my body and nature’s way of saying…hey, this baby won’t be healthy so we need to start over and give this process another try.  Some promising news…Dr. K said 70% of women who lose their first pregnancy go on to deliver healthy babies the second time around.  I can’t help but look at 70% in school terms...a C- which is unacceptable for my personal, high standards.  Instead, I’ll look at 70% with a new perspective…pretty decent odds.

Moving Forward

Because the process worked (although the outcome wasn’t what we intended), we’ll follow the same course the next time around.  I’ll be on the same drugs at the same doses and visit Dr. K’s office for the same number of appointments.  Between now and then, Dr. K’s office will ensure my cycle re-regulates and my HCG level drops back to 0 (technically less than 3 which is considered negative).  I had blood drawn again today…it’s possible my HCG level has already dropped but it could also linger just above 3 for a couple of months which means my body isn’t quite ready to start the process again.  

Before talking to Dr. K, I consulted two friends who experienced losses of their own…it’s nice to know you’re not alone and I wanted to make sure we were asking the right questions.  They both suggested consulting Dr. K about starting a baby aspirin regimen.  She didn’t bring the topic up during the appointment so I did.  She said she typically doesn’t recommend baby aspirin until a patient experiences recurrent miscarriages but it wouldn’t hurt to start now if I was comfortable with taking the medication.  She went on to explain that baby aspirin increases blood flow to a maturing embryo so it definitely couldn’t hurt.  We also discussed vitamin supplements that might make a difference.  She suggested taking an over-the-counter Vitamin E supplement which has shown to help patients increase/maintain the thickness of their uterine lining.  I'm typically not a fan of taking meds but if a baby aspirin and a Vitamin E supplement prevent future losses and give us a better chance next time around, take them I will.

December is considered a missed month…skipping the process will allow my body to heal physically and our minds to heal emotionally.  If everything checks out, we could potentially start the process again in January or…it may take longer.  For now, we wait and keep hope alive.