HCG and the IVF Two Week Wait
One of the things that many infertile couples don’t know before they go into their first cycle of IVF is that the most trying part of the whole process could quite possibly be the last two weeks. Sure, the shots and the hormone fluxes, along with going to the doctor’s office every other day right before the eggs are harvested, fertilized, and implanted may bring up some stress. But waiting for the test that tells you whether or not you’re pregnant after the first implantation often triggers anxiety. This blood test will show your levels of HCG; IVF will have either worked or not, and you won’t know until two weeks after the implantation.
Even though waiting on the HCG test can be a difficult time, you shouldn’t hang all your hopes on what that number is once the test is complete. Worrying about the results of your HCG test during the two weeks when the embryo is hopefully growing in your womb isn’t going to help matters much, and, in fact you can’t even expect to get a 100% positive answer from an HCG test, no matter how sensitive and sophisticated the doctor’s office test may be.
HCG is Just an Indicator
One of the reasons that many couples get so tense about their HCG tests is that they think the level of the hormone in a woman’s blood will be able to say definitively whether or not her pregnancy is going to work out. This is simply not true. While no HCG in your blood will certainly be disappointing because it means you aren’t pregnant, a low level of HCG doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to miscarry in the next week.
In fact, the average level of HCG is a pretty good indicator about a pregnancy’s viability, but the lowest number that can indicate a healthy pregnancy is really variable. In one test, for instance, some normal pregnancies had fourteen-day HCG levels of just 17 mIU/ml even though the average was 48 mIU/ml.
Your Implantation Could Affect Your Numbers
One thing that doctors are finding seriously affects HCG numbers at day fourteen and beyond is when the egg was implanted. Many couples now are opting for day five transfers, which means that doctors can more successfully predict which embryos will be healthy and which will not. For the most part, couples who choose day five transfer have had trouble with IVF before, but this procedure has been proven to be helpful for some couples, especially those who struggle with many spontaneous miscarriages.
However, even though this process is helpful, it may also lower day fourteen and beyond HCG levels. Because by the embryo’s fourteenth day of life it has been implanted for two fewer days than is considered normal in today’s world of IVF, a woman’s body has less time to react to the implantation and to create HCG. The lowered levels of HCG don’t mean that a pregnancy is less likely to work out; they simply mean that the blood levels are lower than average.
An Ultrasound is Best
Even though HCG tests are important in helping you determine whether or not you are actually pregnant, the ultrasound that you’ll have later on is even more important in helping you know whether or not your pregnancy is viable. Although nothing can actually predict whether or not a pregnancy will miscarry, an ultrasound is definitely a more definitive predictor than an HCG test, anyway.
Even though it can be scary to wait for the results of your HCG test, just remember that no amount of worrying is going to help. In fact, since stress is related to infertility and may be related to miscarriages, worrying about your test results may be counterproductive. Be kind to yourself and do everything you can to relax and remain positive. It often helps to meditate daily to ease your mind, strengthen your spirit, and prepare yourself psychologically for whatever awaits you at the end of these two weeks.
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IVF Success Stories: The Top Ten Best
Sometimes the best stories about IVF are the ones with the most heartbreaking beginnings or the most surprising endings. If you’re looking for a little inspiration on your journey through IVF, here are the top ten IVF success stories that we have found to be incredibly touching and inspirational.
10. 2nd Time’s the Charm to Overcome Chelsea and Mike’s Infertility . . .
You’ve heard that the third time’s the charm, but for Chelsea and Mike, two was the magic number. This couple struggled with infertility for several years before moving on to IVF. Chelsea was really excited about the possibilities, but, unfortunately, the first round did not go so well. The doctor harvested ten viable eggs, but not one of them fertilized.
Thinking that there was an issue with her eggs, Chelsea and Mike sought the help of a second fertility specialist, who confirmed that ISCI might be the best option for the couple. So, they prepared for another round of IVF, which was uncomfortable for Chelsea but which resulted in another ten healthy eggs. This time, ISCI was used to fertilize five of them. The doctor insisted on implanting only two eggs for the sake of safety. Two weeks later, Chelsea found out that she was pregnant, and her pregnancy was confirmed to be a singleton a few weeks after that. Now, she is the mother of a healthy baby boy.
9. Male Factor Issues
When Rene and her husband James had been trying to get pregnant for six months with no luck, they figured it was time to see an infertility specialist. The couple had noticed before that James seemed to have unusually thin semen, and their suspicions were confirmed when they had him tested. Basically, James produced sperm but was missing the anatomical parts to get it out, which meant that any children Rene and James had would have to be conceived by assisted reproductive technology.
Because the couple’s insurance paid for some IVF procedures, they decided to go that route right away, adding in the additional ICSI treatment. They started Rene on medication, and she responded incredibly well. The doctors were able to harvest twenty-two eggs, and they were able to extract plenty of healthy sperm from James. In the end, twelve eggs were fertilized, three of which were put back into Rene’s uterus. Luckily, one of the eggs took on the first time, and the couple now has a healthy son. They hope to use the other embryos that were frozen to give their son siblings someday!
8. Victory on the Fifth Try with In Vitro Fertilization
Brianne and her husband Jack were married relatively young, and they chose to try for children within a year of their marriage. Thinking that the process would be simple, they started with just unprotected sex, and then moved on to more earnest trying. When this didn’t work, they saw a specialist who found that Brianne’s tubes were blocked with mucus, making it difficult for sperm to get to her eggs.
The couple wanted children badly and decided to jump straight to IVF. The first round seemed to go very well, since they got twelve fertilized eggs. The doctors implanted three and froze the rest. But unfortunately, the round ended in a negative result. They started again, using the frozen embryos for a cycle that ended in miscarriage and then went on and had two more frozen cycles which both had negative results and which used up all the frozen embryos. After taking a break for a whole year, the couple decided to do one more complete round of fresh cycle IVF. This time, the doctor implanted five eggs instead of three like they had every time previously, and two weeks later, Brianna found that she was pregnant! This time, she carried a little girl to full term.
7. Double Your Fun with Fertility Treatment Out of the Country
Alex and her husband had been trying for six years to have children before they finally sought the help of a fertility specialist, who noted that Alex had scarred tubes, endometriosis, and fibroid tumors. The couple couldn’t afford IVF at the time, so they tried four years of other, less expensive treatments. They were ready to give up but decided to save up their money and try IVF just to see if it would work.
They went to Mexico to have the treatment done because it would be more affordable there. The whole procedure went well, and the couple became pregnant on the first round. After that baby boy was born, Alex wanted to try for one more before she turned forty (she was thirty-eight at the time), so when her son was a year old, she tried one more round of IVF, which also resulted in a pregnancy and, eventually, a lovely baby sister for her son.
6. From Tragedy to IVF Happiness
Cassie knew long before she started that she would have to have IVF because she had Hepatitis C. Cassie’s story, though, actually starts with a pregnancy. Three years before she started IVF, she had a tubal pregnancy that nearly killed her. When she went to the ER to have her tube removed, she was bleeding internally and externally, and the doctors had to remove both of her tubes. When Cassie got home, she knew she was still pregnant, which was confirmed by her OB after some convincing three days later. She had had both an ectopic and a normal pregnancy, but the surgery had killed the baby in her womb.
Cassie also ended up with Hepatitis C from the blood transfusion she was given during her whole messy ectopic pregnancy. Because of this and the removal of both tubes, she would only be able to get pregnant through IVF. When she first started, she was nervous, and she didn’t respond well to the medications. In the end, she only got three embryos that weren’t of the best quality, but the doctors transferred all of them. Two weeks later, Cassie found out she was pregnant, and she is going to have a little girl in a couple of months!
5. A Total Surprise Story Positive Pregnancy Test
Shannon and her husband Tim suspected they had a problem when they tried to get pregnant for eighteen months when they were in their early twenties and nothing happened at all. The couple saw a specialist, who found that Shannon had severe tubal blockage. In an attempt to get pregnant naturally, they paid to have her tubes repaired. Unfortunately, the surgery didn’t work and ended up with Shannon having to have both tubes totally removed.
Now, their only choice was to try IVF, and try they did. The first round of IVF resulted in a devastating chemical pregnancy, but Shannon and Tim decided to press on. Just before the New Year, they had another retrieval and transfer, which resulted in four eggs being transferred. Shannon was supposed to go in for her pregnancy test on the 2nd, but her nurse actually decided to run the test along with other hormone tests on the 30th. At this point, she found out she was pregnant, and she was totally shocked! Shannon was originally pregnant with twins, but one miscarried early on, leaving she and Tim with one healthy, bouncing baby boy.
4. Waiting for Two Babies
Amy and Tom got married when they were in their early thirties, and they knew that if they wanted a family, it would be best for them to get started right away. After three years of attempting to make a baby, they had no luck. Eventually, they were diagnosed with unexplained infertility, and after four years of trying other treatments, they moved on to IVF.
Their first round of IVF didn’t go well at all, and they switched clinics, thinking hard about who would give them the best results. The second round went much better, even though Amy and Tom had to fly into Nevada from their home in Canada to make sure everything happened at the right time. The couple actually opted to transfer six eggs, a risky move but one they were willing to make. Luckily, only three of the eggs implanted, and Amy was pregnant. At her first ultrasound, they heard two beating hearts, and the couple is now proud parents of a boy and a girl.
3. Waiting for Fertility Insurance
Sometimes, IVF comes down to insurance or no insurance for couples who simply don’t have the means to pay for the procedure. This was the case for Cheri and Rob. They knew after six months of trying to get pregnant that they had issues, which turned out to be very low sperm count and motility for Rob. The couple wanted to jump right into IVF, but they couldn’t afford the $10,000. At first, Cheri thought her company’s insurance would pay for part of the costs, so they got ready to go. Then, they had all sorts of problems with the insurance company, and Cheri’s place of work decided to change companies. Luckily, though, the benefits representative at the company searched specifically for companies that covered IVF for Cheri’s sake.
After being delayed several months by the insurance problems, Cheri and Rob were finally ready to start IVF, which would be almost totally financed by insurance. Their very first round of IVF went well, and the couple was hopeful. So hopeful, in fact, that Rob bought a home pregnancy test for Cheri the day before they were supposed to go in for official blood tests. Imagine how heartbroken they were when the HPT was negative!
Still, Cheri went in for her blood test, and she got a call a few hours later saying that she actually was pregnant! She was floored, and later, she and Rob found they were pregnant with twins. After several more weeks of anxious waiting to get through the first trimester, they finally were able to breathe and relax in their joyful pregnancy.
2. Travelling the World Over for Reproductive Help
For those who think that IVF is simply too expensive to mess with, maybe this story will inspire you. Elaine and her husband tried to conceive through various means for six years before they decided that they absolutely would have to try IVF. However, there was no way that they could afford the out-of-pocket costs of about $10,000 in the states. Luckily, Elaine’s brother-in-law, an Irishman, told them about how much less expensive the procedure was in his home country; it cost about $1,400.
So, they decided on a fertility vacation, and tried a single round of IVF in Ireland. Three days after they got home, Elaine found out that she was pregnant, and she later found that she was carrying twins. Although the couple had a rough pregnancy, everything turned out well, and resulted in a boy and a girl eight and a half months later.
1. Waiting for Ages IVF Success Story
Who among us hasn’t experienced that knife-in-the-stomach physical pain when she sees a new baby, just wishing it could be hers? This was something that Lorraine experienced frequently, especially since she started trying to get pregnant very early – at twenty-one! – and was unsuccessful for four years. With unexplained infertility, she and her husband tried several treatment options, none of which worked.
Finally, they were ready to move on to IVF. Lorraine tried to prepare herself by using complementary therapies like yoga, healthy eating, and acupuncture, which seemed to help. Her doctors were amazed that they retrieved nearly thirty healthy eggs after she responded exceptionally well to the medications. The doctors, unfortunately, were only able to get four of the eggs to fertilize, and they decided to transfer all four of them.
During her two week wait, Lorraine started feeling pregnancy symptoms. She was constantly running to the bathroom, and she had the strangest food cravings. Because of this, she moved her pregnancy blood test up, and was glad she did because she found out that she was pregnant!
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Cost of IVF: Save Money With Medical Tourism
The high cost of IVF can be discouraging and sometimes impractical. As of 2009, IVF in the United States costs $12,000 plus per cycle – an amount that is very costly for a treatment that cannot always guarantee pregnancy. Like so many things in life worth doing, IVF involves taking a risk. However, you don’t have to pay such a high financial price for it. Many people these days are considering medical tourism when it comes to making their IVF within financial reach. Did you know that the cost of IVF is far more affordable in countries like Israel, Spain, and The Czech Republic?
Save Costs in Israel
The first IVF baby was born in the United Kingdom in 1979. Four years later, Israel had their first IVF baby. Not only has Israel become one of the world leaders in assisted reproductive technology; a single IVF cycle will cost you a fraction of the price of IVF in the United States. In Israel, treatments like IVF are not viewed as a luxury only rich people can enjoy; they are made available to all Israeli citizens through social health insurance. For foreigners who’d like to get IVF done in Israel, the red tape bureaucracy is less complicated compared to other countries, making it easy for you to obtain the medical care you need. The cost of living in Israel is also lower than in the US and Europe. Since lab fees and materials are less expensive and staff salaries are lower, you can minimize your costs while receiving world-class medical care. An average rate of IVF in Israel is about $4,856, compared to the US where you can get an IVF for about $12,146.
Inexpensive IVF in The Czech Republic
Several American couples who have had IVF in the Czech Republic were so happy with their experiences that they set up their own travel agencies to help others come to the Czech Republic and get pregnant. Like in Israel, the cost of living in the Czech Republic is lower than in the United States, allowing you to enjoy significant savings despite paying for your accommodations and travel expenses. Signing up with a travel agency will also eliminate the hassle of finding cheap plane tickets and affordable hotels, as they usually offer vacation package deals with a planned itinerary. Not only will your IVF cycle be all planned out; you and your partner can enjoy a relaxing vacation that includes spa treatments and tours around the Czech Republic or its neighboring countries. The average cost of IVF in The Czech Republic is around $4,500, and this price also includes travel coordination as well as treatments like ICSI and assisted hatching! Those special treatments, which can possibly increase your chance of success with IVF, cost thousands of dollars in addition to the cost of a regular IVF in the United States.
Consider Lower Prices of IVF in Spain
Spain is a popular medical tourism destination for UK couples frustrated with their own medical system. It’s a cheap flight away from home, there are no long waiting lists for donor eggs or surrogates, there are no legal limitations to the number of embryos for transfer, and the medical care is just as excellent. Many Spanish IVF clinics have ties to UK fertility centers so that couples can get the basic testing out of the way before they travel for the procedure itself. Those living in the United Kingdom might find it more convenient and cost-effective to get their IVF in Spain. It is also not a bad place to consider if you live in the United States. The average cost for an IVF in Spain using donor eggs is $8757.
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