Hello! I just had my 1st and 2nd HCG test this week. BFP

[Anne Marie]

Hello! I'm new to this .....I just had my 1st and 2nd HCG test this week. It was a BFP! Can anyone tell me what their first and consecutive results were if they had multiples? I'm curious to know if there is a chance that I may have more than one. It would be a blessing just to have 1 healthy baby, but 2 or 3 is a charm!
Advice or comments?
Anne Marie

[AmandaM]

Ann Marie

I just had my second blood test from my second IVF cycle on Thurs 2/28. Unfortuantely my results are not looking good. My first test on Tues was only a 9 which is just barely pregnant. The second one was 16, My third test will be on 3/6. On my first IVF cycle in Sept 07 my first level was a 45 and my second was a 33. (I had a miscarriage). My husband and I are both 27 and were going through IVF for PGD.(pre implatation genetic diagonis.) After the second attempt they feel there is a poor quality of my eggs. I hope you have good news.

[Dexter]

Hi Ann Marie,

I am having twins and my first beta at 10 days past 5 day transfer was 250 (or 15dpo/1 day after menstrual cycle was due). One week later it had risen to over 6000.

Hope this helps. Good luck with your pregnancy

Dexter

[Anne Marie]

Thank you for your replies. I wish you all the very best of luck on this journey.
Dexter- Your results look FANTASTIC! Baby dust to ya!
AmandaM- Did your RE recommend PGD? I had a friend who truely believes that her cycles weren't successful because she had PGD done. This is an invasive procedure to the embryos. My DH and I opted out of doing PGD Analysis because of the way this procedure if done. There are other genetic tests that can be done to see if you are a carrier of some sort of genetic disorder. This only requires a simple blood test from you and your DH. GooD LUCK to you!! Keep me posted!
Anne Marie

[AmandaM]

Ann Marie

Thanks for the info on PGD. I thought that the two poor cycles may have had something to do with that, but they are saying it isnt the case. I actually have a known genetic condition we are trying to prevent passing on. A test has already been built and it brings the chances down from 50% to about 2%. In my two cycles I had 25 and 29 eggs. However, they are saying that there is a lot of fragmenation and uneven cells. I go in for my thrid blood work tomorrow, but with the first two levels being so low, crampying off and on and spotting for two weeks, im not expecting good news.

Congrats again on your BFP.

[Anne Marie]

AmandaM
I hope you have good news. Please keep a positive attitude during all of this. I am a cytogenetic technologist. I look at chromosomes all day long. I believe PGD can only pick up SOME genetic testing, but not all. Have you and your husband thought about having a chromosome analysis done? They say that PGD is safe, but for me, I didn't want to risk it. I would have only done PGD on this cycle to test for Thalassemia. But since my first cycle was not successful, I didn't want to risk the embryos. For me, if it's meant to be, it's meant to be. Good luck and I hope you have happy news !! Let me know how your test went...
Anne Marie

[AmandaM]

Anne Marie

Sadly it wasnt good news. The hormone level went up but only to 161. They said it wasn't hgh enough. Last night AF showed up so I will have to go for a third try. I am trying to keep a positive attitude but it can be hard sometimes. Originally the only reason we were going through IVF was to do PGD. Because of my genetic condition we do not want to pass on. I dont have any serious problems from it, but my child could. We felt it was best to skip to 50/50 chance of passing it on. They have built a test based on our DNA which can only be used on us. After two tries they feel their is an egg quality problem because on day 3 when they go to do the biopsy there are a lot of uneven cells and fragmentation. Now they have to work around that too. We are going to start the Lupron again around May. This time they want to put me on a growth hormone for 10 days that they have had success with in the past on improving egg quality. I hope everything is going well with your cycle. Keep me posted!

[Anne Marie]

AmandaM,
I'm so sorry to hear your news. I have heard that 3 times is a charm and that the average is about 3 to 4 cycles to have a successful ivf. Keep your chin up. So best of luck on your third try. I'll be thinking of you!
The fragmentation issue tends to be a problem. During my first cycle, I looked at the pics that the RE office gave me of my embryos and thought the same thing (that they were fragmented). During this cycle, I held the photos up together of this cycle and the last cycle. I could REALLY tell the difference. The embryos in my first cycle were not as healthy looking as the embryos from this cycle. Plus, none of the embryos from the first cycle were at the 8 cell stage. (Second cycle..all were at 8 cell stage). Being older, I kind of expected fragmentation to occur.
Good news, I had my first U/S today. My DH and I were able to view 2 sacs AND both heartbeats! This was a plus since i'm a pessimist by nature and tend to be really guarded (in fear of dissappointment). Then the Dr. told me of Vanishing Twins (which I already knew a little about). I have to keep my fingers crossed and hope that the twins survive.
AmandaM, did you ever consider donor eggs? Perhaps have donor eggs with your husband's sperm and possibly have them implanted in you? Just a thought..
Anne Marie