Show me the levels!

I visited my GP/OB (small town = many local GPs are also OBs) for the first time today since finding out I was pregnant. Before we start any other tests, she wanted to do a couple blood screens, just to confirm that things are progressing as they should be and that I’m about as far along as we think. If you don’t know much about beta HCG levels, here’s a quick rundown:

In a normal, non-pregnant woman, the hormone "human chorionic gonadotrophin" (aka HCG) is normally under 5 – once you get knocked up, it rises dramatically, doubling every couple of days until it peaks at 8-11 weeks; this is the same hormone used by pregnancy tests to determine whether you get a negative or a positive. Unusually high HCG levels could indicate a multiple pregnancy (often), a molar pregnancy (rarely), or just that you're further along than expected.

source

According to my Fertility Friend chart, today is day one of week six, or 26 days past ovulation/conception. So hopefully we'll see some numbers in the mid-thousands...or above 1,000 at least. As you can see, the actual numbers vary widely depending on the woman, and in and of themselves are not as important as the rate of increase - that steep rise is the important part, at least in the first weeks (it usually slows down after week 6).

I had one vial of blood drawn today, and my second will be the day after tomorrow. And even though I know this is an ordinary test and nothing to worry about, I’m worrying a little.

My hypereducated, Type-A personality (as my dear Divasaur calls it) means that I tend to be obsessive with new information. The second I embark on a new project, I research the hell out of it. Which is mostly good – it means I'm generally well informed and know what to expect. But the downside is that I know what to expect. Not only do I know about what a normal pregnancy entails, but I know everything that could go wrong.

I know exactly what low levels could represent, especially if they drop in the second testing; this far from my last period, it would almost certainly be bad news: an ectopic pregnancy or an early miscarriage. My last post was all about how much I love this baby already, and I can't imagine what it would feel like to lose it.

I know that everything is probably fine. I know that worrying won’t do any good – it won’t make my levels any higher or change a pregnancy that’s already doomed, and it won’t help a good pregnancy along either. That said, I don't think it's necessarily unusual that I'm worrying a bit - after all, I've never done this before, and I'm nervous. But you know what? Expressing all of this has helped, and I feel more confident now.

Bring on the levels!