Number Two

Day 30 – Friday, March 16th

This morning I went to Dr. K’s office for my second of 3 blood tests.  They’ll be measuring betaHCG, progesterone and TSH. 

HCG, human chorionic gonadotropin, is a hormone produced during pregnancy.  According to AmericanPregnancy.org, it’s made by the cells that form the placenta which nourishes the egg after it’s been fertilized and becomes attached to the uterine wall.  In the majority of normal pregnancies, HCG will double every 48 – 72 hours so it’s a good indicator (although not fail-safe) that the pregnancy will be viable long-term. 

Progesterone is measured to ensure the uterine lining is thick…a key component in a successful pregnancy as it helps to create a nutrient-rich environment.  I’ve discussed TSH in detail previously but the quick and dirty is that studies have shown developmental delays in children carried by mothers with a TSH level above 4.0.  I’ve continued my 50mcg dose of Levothyroxine since Dr. K increased my dose in October and feel pretty good. 

There’s no real target for betaHCG on the initial test but Dr. K looks for it to double every 48 hours.  My reading on Wednesday was 345 so today should be about 690 (maybe slightly less as my Wednesday test was over lunch).  Dr. K looks for Progesterone to be above 10 (some doctors look for a number above 20) and should remain pretty constant…hopefully it remains close to or higher than Wednesday’s reading of 28.2.

For now, I’m waiting for Dr. K’s office to call with this morning’s results and hope they’re better than the results of our 2^nd blood test in December.

.....

It’s 3:40p on Friday and I’m starting to convince myself that Dr. K’s office won’t be calling today.  I’m going through a thousand different scenarios in my mind and am probably getting worked up over nothing…but I just can’t help myself!  Dr. K’s nurse Judy finally called at 3:46p…I ran into a work conference room to have some privacy and she began.  My betaHCG from this morning was 782 (more than double Wednesday’s number) and my progesterone increased to 38.9…both really good signs.  I still haven’t breathed a sigh of relief but I’m very happy that I’m farther along with this pregnancy than I made it in December.  Next up is my third and final blood test on Monday.  Baby steps…literally!