And Then

This morning's beta was 285.

But...BUT... before we start whooping and hollering over the doubleliciousness of this result let us all give due consideration to how very low this number is compared to, oh, say, EVERY OTHER BETA the internet can find for fourteen days past a five day transfer (14dp5dt: an abbreviation that I am only adding so that I wind up googling myself again when I look this up- a phenomenom that is so. fucking. annoying. it gives me a sort of morbid pleasure.)

There. Now wasn't that sobering?

My nurse called with the number and declared it to be "good." Then I prodded a bit and said but isn't it a little, you know, LOW? And she said, "We-ee-ee-lll, we ARE going to have you repeat it on Monday."

So more blood draws pending. Also pending: unbridled enthusiasm.

But please, for the love of goth, if you want to be all hopeful and encouraging and share your similarly low betas that just started preschool... bring it on. I have nothing against optimism, I just cannot seem to find mine.

For now, to celebrate this short-of-momentous-occasion, we're having ribs.

Comments

[Theresa]

I have never posted before, but I read your blog a lot. I think you are freaking awesome.
After 3 miscarriages where the beta's were increasing as they were supposed to, I don't believe the numbers anymore. Having said that (not to get you down - honest), my sister is using a gestional surrogate. GS's numbers were 69,98,130,280,700-something, then 1143 (every other day). I am kinda estimating here. last week they saw the hearbeat. A week later...still a heartbeat. Her RE said sometimes it just starts slow.
Everything will be fine for you
~Theresa

[Aimee]

I'm going to stick with the ole' "It's doubling, that's good" and say WOOHOO! Ribs? Mmm!

Aimee

[Ninotchka]

If I recall, my #'s with Elle were uber-low too. Sorry I can't provide exact figures but I'm good to form a semi-coherent sentence right about now. Anyway, chin up. The numbers are going up, that has to be good. :)

[Rebekah]

Yep, I tend to think that as long as they are doubling, or even just going up at a reasonable rate, all is well.

I'm thinking of you and wishing you ALL the best. We all are.

[Julia]

Doubling is good. Doubling is very good.

I know squat about IVF, but I read somewhere that male factor IF is linked to low early HCG levels. Wish I could remember where, I've been swimming in IF blogs for the last six months. It was a study on HumRep maybe?

[Laura K.]

I will go the 'doubling is good' route, too!

Laura

[Anita]

Julia,

I don't have numbers to share. But I thought about your blog during dinner, and now I'm back to say The Numbers Doubled. That's all the information you have and it is Good News. You don't know anymore than what you know now. So I'm voting for It's Good.

Enjoy the ribs!

[Lisa S (& Riley, Bella, & Adelyn)]

You know, most pregnant people don't get these numbers drawn, so your sense of normal highs and lows are based on a smaller segment of the population. Dont' get caught up - UP is the the right direction, DOUBLE is fabulous.

What great news!!!

[oliviadrab]

IT DOESN'T MATTER where you fall compared to others. THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS is that it is doubling. Every pregnancy is different, every embryo is different. And that is ESPECIALLY true when it's an IVF cycle. Really. I am going to see if I can CAPITALIZE any OTHER words.

Stop Googling "normal beta number chart" because it is only going to make you a nervous wreck, and I'm sure you are doing fine by that on your own. Please keep reminding yourself that doubling is good. And it is very common for early betas to be slower. I will keep my "congrats" close at hand because I know it's not what you want to hear right now, but I have it ready to fling at'cha come Monday. That reminds me of a song..

Come Monday,
It'll be alright...

[Karen]

I don't know a DAMN thing about IVF. I do know a damn thing about ribs.

If you ever need a stellar rib recipe, let me know.

Crossing fingers for you in Texas,

K.

[JenAtHome]

Pregnancy #9 for me started with a beta of 53. Two days later, 98. It wasn't following IVF, but my period was respectably late. My RE told me, very bluntly, "I'm not optimistic here. These numbers are quite low. I don't want you to get your hopes up too much."

Well, pregnancy #9, later known as baby #2, just turned 4. It happens. Hang in there.

[joanneb]

At one point very early in my pregnancy I had a non-doubling beta and was told that beyond indicating a pregnancy, "betas don't tell you a terribly lot along the way". Things turned out okay for me. I hope they do for you as well.

[dawn]

I found this blog thru Tertia's and I love it!! first time replynig though
double is good!! i didnt write down my initial beta BUT my second journal entry says that it was 209 and that the RE'S nurse said that it doubled nicely.
I also googled like crazy and worried like you are
so hard as it is. enjoy for the moment. My ivf baby is 11.5 months old today and growing so fast I cant keep up!!!
Good Luck
Dawn

[Christine]

I'd go with Julia above. Blame Steve.

[Susy]

When I was busy freaking out about beta levels in my pregnancy, everything I read said that the number itself isn't what's important, but whether it's doubling (that didn't really help me because I only had the first number to deal with during my freakout).

I know the waiting sucks. But keep posting and we'll all share the suckiness and give it one big collective KICK IN THE HEAD.

[Maia]

No idea about numbers but want to congratulate you on having the numbers, the numbers that have doubled since I last checked :) Enjoy those ribs!

[Menita]

It's all about the doubling, so I'm thinking encouraging thoughts and waiting for the next beta.

Hi Julia,

I have also never posted before but read your blog regularly. Truly, like others have said, it's the doubling that counts more than the number itself at this stage in the game. As an aside, though, my best friend had a low beta with her first IVF, to the point where her RE said that it didn't look good. Then things picked up and the pregnacy went fine. He later suggested that it was late implantation.

The waiting for the next beta sure sucks though. Reading your blog for the last few days has brought it all back to me.

Amy

[Summer]

After all you've been through, Julia, I'm not surprised that you find it hard to summon unbridled enthusiasm for the beginning of a pregnancy. Hell, after just one miscarriage, I kept saying "IF I have a baby" even while wearing giant "In Due Time" underpants pulled up to my ribs. Just do whatever you have to do to get you to ultrasound-day or whatever milestone you need to relax. Ribs, denial, HGTV, black eyeliner, whatever. All of us out here can do the cheering and the fretting and the googling and the praying for you.

[tracy]

All right, my similarly low beta started kindergartent this year; does that count?

As near as I can remember, the initial beta (13 days after 3-day transfer) was 27. Two days later, it was 50 something - not quite doubling. It took four more days before we went from barely-doubling to more-than-doubling. Take heart.

[Jen/VintageUterus]

I've Googled the crap out of low betas (I had a 14... yikes) and everything I've read has said it's not the number, it's the doubling.

Besides, your numbers sound great!

Hang in there.

[Jo]

Yeah, quit your googling. Surely you can think of someplace better to put those fingers, no?

So far so good, kiddo.

[Sheridan]

Not quite the starting preschool analogy, but I do know of quite a few girls who started off with really low betas who are now as pregnant as me - 30/31 weeks. Not quite a live kicking baby, but far enough to think you might just get over the finish line?

It's doubling, it's good. My optimism is here and happy for you, you just do what you need to do. Good luck for Monday.

[CJ]

Double the pleasure, double the fun, double mint gum...
I say yeah, still.

Now give us more information on the ribs....

[Joy]

Congrats...it is doubling, who cares what the number is?! Mine was 65 at 9dp5dt. Not too much different than yours and I am going to be happy. After having two pregnancies that resulted in very high early numbers and no baby, I'll take something in the median range now gladly.
Don't worry, be happy...

[Day]

Right after the BFP with my 2nd IVF, I grilled my RE to address a few questions I had.

This post summarizes what I found out:

http://abeautifulday.blogs.com/a_beautiful_day/2004/12/when_ivf_works_.html

Also, my RE told me that betas DO NOT HAVE TO DOUBLE to suggest viability...he said specifically that they can and tend to hit little plateaus in some women, and you can't make too much of them.

If you talk with my docs, a lot of information about IVF that we find on this great internet is outdated babble - and to remember that every woman and every embryo is different and does things in its own time.

Here's hoping Monday's numbers bring on the unbridled enthusiasm.

[Lauren]

no more AND Then!

Name the movie

[Kat]

Hey Julia,
If anyone can relate to your unbridled enthusiasm, it's me, your fellow Robertsonian Translocation buddy from way way back. (LauraK told me how to find you over here.)

I've been reading your story lately and I know nothing's going to reassure you.... but I'll remind you that my HcG numbers with my daughter started out very low but they doubled. You've got doubling... that's what matters.

I am so hopeful that Monday brings you relief and a more confident result so you can start shouting it from the rooftops!
~kat

[Toni]

Did they tell you that they always do a third beta? My dr's office ALWAYS does the third beta. Standard procedure from what I understand. I wouldn't worry about the 'lowness' of the number - just that it doubled. Now on to those ribs...another recipe???

[Kas]

As long as it is doubling, rejoice!!

I had betas so low the doctor told me the baby must have died. She is two and nursing right now. :-)

[Anita]

Wishing you peace of mind at today's visit!

[Debe]

Hoping for the best for today's test

[Debra]

For my IVF they did the first beat at 16dpo (13dp3dt) it was 105. They dont do a second beta unless the number is under 100. 1 week later they did an ultrasound and found a gest sac which was small for the dates they had and they did another beat. That was 23dpo, it was 482. My RE told me to expect this to be a blighted ovum and to prepare for bad news. He did another beta at 26dpo and that was 947. Finally at 31dpo they found a heartbeat. All along they told me my numbers were low, the gestational sac was small and even after they found a heartbeat they said things werent as good as they had hoped.

I am happy to say I am now 15 weeks. Even non doubling beta numbers arent always a bad thing. You doubled and I am very optimistic for you. I am so so so happy!!

[MICHELLE]

HI, ITS MY FIRST TIME POSTING. I JUST HAD MY FIRST IVF CYCLE WHICH WAS A SUCCESS. BUT NOW THEY ARE SAYING THAT THEY ARE NOT SEEING MY LEVELS DOUBLE SO I HAVE TO TAKE A THIRD BLOOD TEST. AND WHEN I ASKED THEM HOW BAD IS IT IF IT DOESNT DOUBLE I AM REALLY NOT GETTING A STRAIGHT ANSWER. CAN ANYONE HELP ME?

[Evaa]

you call those numbers bad.. i had a number 5 beta and have to go in again.. and ontop of that i am bleeding.. just great