Tuesday, July 19, 2011

to test or not to test part deux

My husband does not understand the jumping the gun mentality of the home pregnancy test.  Although I am not sure if I should partake in the self mind torturing ritual - especially since it has never really panned out before.

So for some reason my clinic does not test a beta until 11 days post 5 day transfer.  Thats a long time.  Far longer than it would take to get a beta of 20 which is the cutoff for most pee sticks.

What to do . . . what to do.

So my 11dp5dt is this sunday and I have an appointment at 8am.  This happens to be the day that I am throwing a baby shower.  I imagine this is how it will go down.

At 2 pm I will be calling baby bingo at which time my phone will ring - do I answer or let the clinic leave a message?  I can let it go to message and just check it after the shower, but how much self control do I really have?  When it comes to waiting for answers - well lets just say I know myself enough to not be able to ignore it.  I am obsessive when it comes to finding things out.  I am the type of doctor that calls the lab 15 times if a lab was sent stat and they haven't resulted it yet within the usual time parameter.

So what I will do is probably sneak away to the bathroom to check my message - but then what?  I still have to play happy hostess and center the world around the mom-to-be.  It would be an absolute disaster if I started crying and I would never be forgiven if I stole any attention for myself.

So then I start thinking about cheating the system and just checking a little early.  I certainly can and I think everyone else does.  But should I?  And if so  . . . when?

Or should I just let it go - come what may?  The answer doesn't change because I know any earlier.  Its either there or its not.  It doesn't make me any less upset once it happens - but it might make it easier to get through the day.

To test or not to test - I still don't have an answer.

13 comments:

  1. 11dp5dt?...... Torture! I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able make it that long!

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  2. Oh wow - I can see your dilemma. You are so selfless to be hosting a baby shower on this weekend. I think I would want to POAS. But then again, ignorance is bliss. Time goes by so quickly, so what's another 2 days in the grand scheme. You could just turn off your phone during the shower, so you wouldn't be distracted.

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  3. I would check it on Saturday and if it is positive, AWESOME! But, if it negative, then you can turn your phone off on Sunday, and not worry about the lab results. 2WW is horrible! Hang in there!

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  4. I don't think I have commented before, but have been following for a bit. It is torture that they make you wait so long!!! Thankfully my clinic actually tested early, so I didn't even have to wait the full 2 weeks!
    When I had my IVF I decided to test because I thought it would be "easier" to get the news in the privacy of my own home, where I could react however I "needed" to react, and I did not want to get "bad" news over the phone and since my husband had to work that day, I didn't want to get the news alone.
    Good luck with your decision!

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  5. I am a non-tester and I think, in these circumstances, even I would test. That is an incredibly long time to wait and I think I'd want to give myself the day to revel or cry on Saturday and then move forward one way or another on Sunday and ignore the phone until after the party. Good luck with it!

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  6. I also had to wait until 11dp5dt for my beta test. I went back and forth about testing at home. I had one test left in my house from my previous cycles. I was so sure it was the same result I didn't know what to do. Several commenters said to test and only a few said not to. I gave in and tested on 9dp5dt. I was so sure it was going to be BFN. I was wrong. But I was glad I did test. Of course then I spent about $100 on more tests because I didn't believe it.

    Good luck. I say now testing was the right thing to do, but previously I would have said the opposite. Keeping you in my thoughts!

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  7. Test on Saturday, so that you have time to process the news (either way) before the shower on Sunday.

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  8. My clicic wouldn't test until 14dpt!!! I tested myself because I couldn't wait that long. I got a positive at 9dpt. I guess, in your situation, I would test before as a heads-up. Not that a negative couldn't be an actual positive on the beta, but a baby shower is a really bad venue to hear bad news, should it come.

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  9. My policy is to use the inexpensive pregnancy tests you can buy on Amazon. (The hundreds of five-star reviews and my own experience speaks for their accuracy in detecting a "natural" pregnancy 9 or 10 days PO.) Anyway, they are 10 or 20 cents apiece, so I used to take one of those every morning. That's right, *every* morning. (That's < $10 / month.) That's a lot of negative pregnancy tests, but for me it was better than agonizing over whether to test or not.

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  10. I am a pee-stick-o-holic...I'd test tomorrow since it will be 9dp5dt...and I'd only test using the First Response Early Response sticks...not the digital ones. The ones that can test up to 5 or even 6 days sooner as you know they are most sensitive. Then I'd test again in 24 hours and see if the line gets darker. But I am a chronic...I'd have to know. ESPECIALLY before a baby shower that I was hosting!!

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  11. Actually that's where OB and RE's are quite wrong-just about every pee stick nowadays will give you a faint-but definitely there line when your beta comes back at 6 mIU/ml of HCG!!! Essentially HPT's are so sensitive now that they can, in fact, tell you when you are clinically pregnant just as early as a beta can.

    Why put yourself through the torture of waiting for a beta phone call in the middle of a baby shower (you're hosting ACCCCKKKKK!) when you can simply hold your pee for 4 hours and test yourself (when it is convenient for you to handle the news)?

    I will go even one further and say that IF the cramping you felt on Monday was due to something attempting implantation-if you tested today-48 hours after implantation was felt giving the hcg ample enough time to get above 5-that pee stick would be positive.

    Have more faith in those little at home tools-they are wonderful!!

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  12. I am so impressed that you are hosting a baby shower. I have not even been able to go to baby showers in years. I wish I could say I would wait till Sunday and give the clinic my husband number to call about the results because I know I would sneak off to the bathroom to listen. But I started testing 5dp5dt sometimes twice a day, a bit crazy. Do whatever you think will be best for you emotionally because you will be extremely emotional either way. I have a good feeling about this cycle, sticky thoughts!

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  13. Awww, that is truly a dilemma :C This cycle I didn't test thinking it would be better. But when AF showed, I was even more disappointed than usual. I agree with everyone who said test Saturday, that way you can at least start to process the results (hopefully good!) and be better able to focus for the shower. Sending prayers/good thoughts your way!

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