https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 28 Jun 2026 17:23:44 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hcg-testing-amp-ivf-whats-the-best-way-to-get-the-news#post-1734115 Tue, 01 Jul 2014 12:01:02 +0000 raintreebee 1734115@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The first cycle, I did not test ahead of time. Beta was my 35th birthday, and DH and I wandered Central Park for hours waiting for the call. We were devastated when we got the disappointing news, but I think it was so much worse because we were just agonizing waiting and eventually took the call on the street. The next two cycles, I POAS'd first and felt much better I knew what was coming. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hcg-testing-amp-ivf-whats-the-best-way-to-get-the-news#post-1732296 Mon, 30 Jun 2014 12:21:49 +0000 Jenn23 1732296@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I tested ahead and got my BFP 5dp5dt and did have an inkling it had worked. A few early symptoms. I wanted to test at home and not wait to hear from a nurse, whether it be positive or negative. Plus, my RE does a really late beta and I probably would have already had AF by then had it not worked. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hcg-testing-amp-ivf-whats-the-best-way-to-get-the-news#post-1731985 Mon, 30 Jun 2014 11:03:12 +0000 Sunshine1810 1731985@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I decided to test first because I didn't want RE's nurse to be the one breaking it to me. It did make it a little easier for me to hear that I wasn't pregnant. I was fortunate that I was on vacation last week so I could answer the call at home. I don't know what I am going to do for my 2nd cycle since I am sure I won't be fortunate enough to be off of work next time. I might let the call go to voice mail. I am going to continue to test though. It helps soften the blow for me.</p> <p>Best of luck to you! I hope it works for you on the first try! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hcg-testing-amp-ivf-whats-the-best-way-to-get-the-news#post-1727223 Fri, 27 Jun 2014 12:32:40 +0000 abdubbs 1727223@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I definitely didn't POAS beforehand - home pregnancy tests gave me such anxiety from all of our past failures and I didn't want to deal with that. So we waited for the call... and missed it while on the other line with my dad! </p> <p>My heart was beating so fast when we went to play the message, I was so convinced it hadn't worked... and then we both started sobbing happy tears as soon as we heard "I'm calling to confirm that you are pregnant..."! Totally didn't hear the rest of the message and replayed it at least 10 more times throughout the day. </p> <p>Happiest day ever, and I hope you experience the same very soon! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hcg-testing-amp-ivf-whats-the-best-way-to-get-the-news#post-1727025 Fri, 27 Jun 2014 11:15:31 +0000 sweetooth 1727025@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I didn't do IVF, but I did do IUI to get pregnant. On our third cycle it worked &amp; the craziest thing for me was that my typical hormonal period acne wasn't flaring up. And I had NO symptoms. None. No sore boobs. No twinges of pain. Nothing. I peed on a stick and saw my first two lines ever and couldn't believe it. I had given up hope and thought all sticks were broken. I went in for my beta and it was low at first. So I didn't really fully celebrate for a while - 4 betas later, I was cautiously optimistic that I was finally pregnant.</p> <p>I always let the calls go to voicemail. I just had to be in the right frame of mind to listen to the news. And it was all about being in control for me. I chose when I listened to the news. I hated how out of my control the whole infertility journey felt. So I took the moments of control that I could get.</p> <p>I wish you the best of luck on your cycle and hope you get a great phone call, or two beautiful lines, or whatever way you choose to find out. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hcg-testing-amp-ivf-whats-the-best-way-to-get-the-news#post-1726972 Fri, 27 Jun 2014 10:54:13 +0000 mopeybuthopey 1726972@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mamaof2 -- that is too funny about the nurse!! My RE won't test for 14 days either, even if I'm lucky enough to get a five day transfer. So in non-IVF days, that would be ~ 19 DPO. UGH. </p> <p>If everyone else generally tests, I may need to bite the bullet. Just know I will be so emotionally angsty that day and dreading that three minute wait with the pee stick. I always get the loud and resounding "not pregnant" message. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hcg-testing-amp-ivf-whats-the-best-way-to-get-the-news#post-1726245 Fri, 27 Jun 2014 07:54:50 +0000 msmug 1726245@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The first IVF and FET, I tested beforehand. I had felt so sure that it worked and was constantly disappointed at home when I got the bfn and I'd be in a foul mood for days. Then the nurse would call with the results and I'd get my hopes up for that 1 in a million chance that it was positive.<br /> So I vowed not to test at home again. For FET #2, I focused on other things like trying to eat healthy, enjoy time with friends... And had almost forgotten about the fact that we had transferred embryos. Few days before, I felt a few weird twinge (implantation?) but put it out of my mind... The nurse called the day of the test and I wanted to let it go to voice mail bc I didn't want to deal with talking to her for bad news. The msg she left wasn't the results.. The msg was that she would call back. So naturally I was freaked out for the next few hours. She finally called back and gave me the bfp news. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hcg-testing-amp-ivf-whats-the-best-way-to-get-the-news#post-1726147 Fri, 27 Jun 2014 07:11:35 +0000 Mamaof2 1726147@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mopeybuthopey: My RE wouldn't do a blood test until 14dpt - there is no way I could wait that long - and like others I did not want to hear from the nurse that it didn't work.</p> <p>So I tested before hand and got a BFP! When the nurse called me after my blood test she said "I am sure you already know, your pregnant!" I laughed! She said everyone tests at home </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hcg-testing-amp-ivf-whats-the-best-way-to-get-the-news#post-1726011 Fri, 27 Jun 2014 00:51:58 +0000 brownie 1726011@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've done it both ways. One bfp no early testing and I have my son. One chemical pregnancy no early testing. And another chemical with positive sticks up to the hcg test.</p> <p>Having done that I will never not test again. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hcg-testing-amp-ivf-whats-the-best-way-to-get-the-news#post-1726004 Fri, 27 Jun 2014 00:35:59 +0000 Mrs.Pinecone316 1726004@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I will for sure POAS beforehand. I would rather cope with the bad news at home in my own way and not hear it from someone else first. BUT trying to stay positive and know I won't have to hear those words. FX </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hcg-testing-amp-ivf-whats-the-best-way-to-get-the-news#post-1725947 Thu, 26 Jun 2014 23:43:48 +0000 meganmp 1725947@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mopeybuthopey: I had a feeling that my first IVF failed, and I had the nurse call my husband and leave a voicemail, which we listened to together. For my FET, which was successful, I tested early. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hcg-testing-amp-ivf-whats-the-best-way-to-get-the-news#post-1725860 Thu, 26 Jun 2014 22:41:54 +0000 Happygal 1725860@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mopeybuthopey: sorry--didn't mean to be insensitive by responding. I have zero insurance coverage and it has really added up, but IVF is of course much more intense. I really hope this works for you. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hcg-testing-amp-ivf-whats-the-best-way-to-get-the-news#post-1725553 Thu, 26 Jun 2014 20:52:00 +0000 mopeybuthopey 1725553@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>thanks for all the advice ladies. Not sure yet what I'm going to do. I think I'll have a much better picture of my "odds" as my cycle progress. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hcg-testing-amp-ivf-whats-the-best-way-to-get-the-news#post-1725548 Thu, 26 Jun 2014 20:50:43 +0000 mopeybuthopey 1725548@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It's also different in the sense that you've just spent $10,000-15,000/cycle for the CHANCE to become pregnant. If it's negative, I'm going to take it much harder this time than I took with all the iui ($450), clomid ($1 for me), and femara (also $1) negatives... :| </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hcg-testing-amp-ivf-whats-the-best-way-to-get-the-news#post-1725438 Thu, 26 Jun 2014 20:21:18 +0000 tequiero21 1725438@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I definitely tested before beta. I wanted to know either way and be prepared. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hcg-testing-amp-ivf-whats-the-best-way-to-get-the-news#post-1725429 Thu, 26 Jun 2014 20:19:03 +0000 swedishfish 1725429@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ShootingStar: oh, I tested my trigger out and kept on testing. I needed to know too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hcg-testing-amp-ivf-whats-the-best-way-to-get-the-news#post-1725426 Thu, 26 Jun 2014 20:17:45 +0000 ShootingStar 1725426@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@swedishfish: I can understand that, it's a whole different level than what I was doing (TI + meds). I was also always expecting negatives and I couldn't believe it the day I got my :bfp: . But of course it's way different when you've had a fertilized egg placed in you. At that point I'm sure the expectation is much more that it's positive. </p> <p>But I also would have driven myself crazy if I didn't know. I was testing multiple times a day sometimes as it was. DH tried to convince me not to test as many days as I did, but I always had the uncertainty in the back of my mind driving me crazy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hcg-testing-amp-ivf-whats-the-best-way-to-get-the-news#post-1725424 Thu, 26 Jun 2014 20:17:08 +0000 beachbee 1725424@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I followed the "rules" and did not POAS before my bloodwork at my re's office. I was too nervous about a false positive on the pee stick. I went in at 7am for the blood draw and my nurse called me on my cell with the results (BFP!) before noon. Of course I was teaching a class at the time and missed her call! So I didn't get my results until I could call her back at 4:30. It was Friday so luckily the office was still open!</p> <p>As for intuition, I am an optimistic person by nature, but I was not feeling any "symptoms" and we had been through the ringer for so long, so I was expecting a BFN. To say I was shocked would be the understatement of the century :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hcg-testing-amp-ivf-whats-the-best-way-to-get-the-news#post-1725377 Thu, 26 Jun 2014 20:09:34 +0000 swedishfish 1725377@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ShootingStar: I was disappointed by negatives with trying on our own and IUI but I would have been devastated going through IVF and getting a negative. It's a whole different ball game. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hcg-testing-amp-ivf-whats-the-best-way-to-get-the-news#post-1725323 Thu, 26 Jun 2014 20:00:02 +0000 ShootingStar 1725323@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I didn't do IVF but I did work with an RE to get pregnant. With my RE's office they either have you come at 15DPO (or maybe 16, idk) for hcg, or you call at CD1 to schedule CD3 bloodwork and ultrasound. So most of the time you'd get AF and not need to have the nurse be the one to tell you. </p> <p>My RE's office also had a standard protocol for giving results, I'm not sure that you could really dictate to them how to do it. When you sign in for the bloodwork and ultrasound you leave your name and phone number on an index card and indicate whether it's ok to leave a message. I'm not sure that they'd tell someone else like your DH the results. </p> <p>But personally I tested out the trigger. There's no way I'd go longer than I had to to find out if I was pregnant. But then I wasn't one of those people that got super upset by negatives. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hcg-testing-amp-ivf-whats-the-best-way-to-get-the-news#post-1725272 Thu, 26 Jun 2014 19:45:48 +0000 Madison43 1725272@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I always tested beforehand so I knew what they were going to say. If you're considering letting the nurses call go to voicemail, just confirm that they will actually leave the results in a message, and won't just ask you to call back. This happened to me once, and I couldn't get them back on the phone, and I was super stressed! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hcg-testing-amp-ivf-whats-the-best-way-to-get-the-news#post-1725228 Thu, 26 Jun 2014 19:33:21 +0000 mrswin 1725228@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mopeybuthopey: I have been thinking about this too since I will be starting stims soon. I will probably test at home the day of my beta and will let the call go to voicemail when the nurse calls if it is BFN. Like other PP's I found it difficult to get the results "blind" and have to talk on the phone </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hcg-testing-amp-ivf-whats-the-best-way-to-get-the-news#post-1724965 Thu, 26 Jun 2014 18:30:26 +0000 swedishfish 1724965@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I tested my trigger out and kept testing until I got a :bfp: . This was better for me because I already knew before the doctor or nurse called. I didn't want to find out bad news blindly in the middle of a class at school. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hcg-testing-amp-ivf-whats-the-best-way-to-get-the-news#post-1724536 Thu, 26 Jun 2014 16:42:46 +0000 thisisme 1724536@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If you know a nurse is going to call you, I would ask ahead of time approximately when you can expect a call. The day of my beta, the lab told me that my doctor would have the results within four hours (so by noon), and I sat around ALL DAY nervously waiting for the call. I didn't realize that the nurses at my practice wait until after office hours to make phone calls, and so I got very upset when I hadn't heard from them by what I thought was closing time, and they had stopped answering the phone. It was a Friday, too! I sent a crazy email and then heard from them by dinner time. I just wish I had known that they wouldn't be calling until later.</p> <p>Good luck! Hope you get a sticky baby on your first try! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hcg-testing-amp-ivf-whats-the-best-way-to-get-the-news#post-1724523 Thu, 26 Jun 2014 16:31:37 +0000 GreenThumb 1724523@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I honestly can't remember with my fresh IVF, but I just knew that one didn't work and yes, it sucked to talk to the nurse about it. For my FET, I did test at home the day before my beta and got a positive, so I knew before I went in for the blood work although I was also still anxious to hear the actual number. Until your post I hadn't thought about what I want to do this time… I'll probably test again at home beforehand (I'm doing another FET in a few weeks). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hcg-testing-amp-ivf-whats-the-best-way-to-get-the-news#post-1724451 Thu, 26 Jun 2014 16:04:41 +0000 travelgirl1 1724451@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I didn't have IVF but was with a fertility clinic. With both pregnancies I went in for my tests and the nurse called with the results. Both times I let it go to voicemail because I couldn't handle hearing bad news and having to actually respond to it with a conversation. It worked for me. Good luck with your cycle! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hcg-testing-amp-ivf-whats-the-best-way-to-get-the-news#post-1724409 Thu, 26 Jun 2014 15:53:38 +0000 Shutterbug 1724409@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mopeybuthopey: two fresh cycles. We have had 35 eggs retrieved total, and 16 embryos, but none made it to freeze. I'm the exception though - most people are successful the first time, or in two tries!<br /> I was surprised by the early AF as well. Although I do have a short LP naturally, with my IUI cycles I didn't get AF until after my beta. I'm starting up with a new RE in a few months and at my consultation with him he said that I wouldn't have bled early if there was something trying to implant (in other words, it wasn't the reason the cycle failed). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hcg-testing-amp-ivf-whats-the-best-way-to-get-the-news#post-1724396 Thu, 26 Jun 2014 15:50:50 +0000 Caly 1724396@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Prior testing is definitely a personal choice. I tested a day or two before the beta because I wanted to know and prepare myself if I was going to receive bad news. I purposely held out til the end to test because I didn't want to risk a false positive. Even with the positive preg test, I was very cautiously optimistic. I honestly didn't have any intuition that it worked, I was too focused on keeping my expectations and emotions in check. My blood was taken in the morning, the dr called with the good news at lunch. I happened to be at lunch with DH &amp; our best friend. Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hcg-testing-amp-ivf-whats-the-best-way-to-get-the-news#post-1724377 Thu, 26 Jun 2014 15:47:10 +0000 mopeybuthopey 1724377@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks guys! I hadn't thought about the considerations in hearing it from the nurse. I can see why that would be unpleasant and why finding out at home first may be better.</p> <p>@shutterbug, I hope you have happy news soon. I didn't realize that AF may show up anyways despite all the progesterone supplementation. Heartbreaking. Have you done two fresh cycles of IVF, or did one of your attempts involve a FET? Wish you the best and hope you get your BFP soon. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/hcg-testing-amp-ivf-whats-the-best-way-to-get-the-news#post-1724301 Thu, 26 Jun 2014 15:21:20 +0000 Happygal 1724301@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Good luck! </p> <p>I haven't gone through IVF, but they gave me options for how I could get my beta results. I wanted it online. I hate talking on the phone anyway, and didn't want to spend all day obsessively checking my phone or going through the agony of missing a call. I liked having the results online so I could go back and look at them. Finally, when I had called before to tell my RE's nurse that cycles hadn't worked, they were always kind and would apologize. I ended up trying to act chipper (fake) and would say, "Oh, it's ok!" I just didn't want to go through that anymore. </p>