Beta's after 5DT at SG

[Anonymous]

I am going through my first IVF cycle at SG. I did a 5DT of a single embryo (blast grade 2AB) on Sept. 28th. My nurse insists that patients have to wait 14 days after the transfer to come in for a beta. This would be 19 days after ER! It seems like too long of a time to wait (I've heard of waiting 14 days from retrieval but not transfer)! So, my question is, for those of you who have gone through IVF (anywhere, not just at SG), it is necessary to have to wait a full two weeks after transfer for the beta? Should I do HPTs this week? Should I ask my nurse if I could come in earlier (although she already told me no)?

[Anonymous]

SG does all their betas on the late side (I thought it was generally 18 days after transfer, but if that falls on a weekend, they'll have you wait until Monday.) My RN told me they wait until then because they are looking not only for a negative or positive, but also for the number to be over a certain value (I think to be able to rule out a chemical pregnancy.)

I could never wait and always took a hpt at home beginning around 13 or 14 days after retrieval. Be aware that even if your hpt is positive, SG still won't generally let you come in for a beta much before 17 or 18 days after retrieval.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I didn't find that to be true. I'd always test early at home--like at 12-14 dpo or the equivalent, call in with the results and they'd have me come in for a blood test. I could never and was never made to wait to 18dpo. It was torturous.

[Anonymous]

Our normal test day would be on a weekend (16 days after transfer), so we have to wait until the following Monday. Our nurse said that if we tested early, our results might not be accurate.

We decided that an inaccurate result (either way) would be worse than waiting the extra days. For the same reason we don't do the HPT. We have a friend who's sister is also going through IVF who did the HPT on her first cycle. The HPT was positive so she shared the good news with her family, only to learn it was a false positive after the beta.

This two week wait is the worse. Take the HPT if it will ease your mind, but as a PP said, don't take he result as 100% accurate. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Yep, SG does their betas much later than other practices. Generally at 14 days following transfer which is 19dpo if you have a 5 day transfer! They aren't really flexible on this unless you start bleeding earlier or have another complication. If 19 dpo falls on the weekend they'll often agree to do the beta the Friday before even if it's a few days earlier (they don't do betas on weekend days).

They do this to screen out the confusion scenarios of early chemical pregnancies.

I've done 3 IVF cycles (+, -, and +) and by 5dp5dt (so 10 days after ovulation/retrieval I got an accurate result on a hpt. (positive in 2 cases and negative in one). I could never wait the full 18 days. Torture!

[Anonymous]

What about a FET? I just had my FET on Thursday, October 1 of 1 very good blast and one not so good blast. Do you think that today would be too soon to take a HPT? If so, when do you think I could safely take one?

[Anonymous]

Thanks, everyone for your advice. Each day I feel differently...one day I want to use HPT's and the next day I don't want to know. If I can hold out for one more week....then it will be the day of my beta. Right now, I don't even have HPT's in the house...so it's keeping me from being tempted. We'll see if I can wait a full week longer!

[Anonymous]

The 2WW is the worst. I mean, it's like you actually get to feel what it might be like to be insane...that's how I feltI. I have to say, I'm totally off of doing the HPT's. I've done 4 IUI's and 4 IVF's...still no baby. But I used to do the HPT's...During one cycle, I did an HPT 14 dpo and had a faint positive line and was so excited!--same thing, told my family...2 days later (day of beta)...tested again, stronger positive--now I was through the roof excited. Later that day my RE called to say my beta was positive, but low and was likely to be a chemical pregnancy...sure enough, it was a chem. preg (confirmed after I went back for the second beta and the numbers went down). This scenario happened twice to me on separate IVF cycles. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I found out I even GOT pregnant...but the false hope wasn't worth it. If I would've waited, I still would've found out that yes I tested positive, but it wasn't likely to stick...vs. 3 days of being on cloud 9 and calculating due dates, and talking to family and then getting the crushing blow. So I'm getting ready to start an IVF cycle with donor eggs and I've vowed to wait for the beta.

[Anonymous]

I did a bunch of HPTs after my first IVF and got some very faint positives, and then my beta was negative. I am sorry that I did them, because I think it just added to my stress during the 2WW. This time around my plan is to do one HPT on the morning of my beta, and that's it.