Blood Work - ick

It's been a while since my last update.  As some of you may know the last step to a miscarriage is blood work.  The doctor, actually the phlebotomist, will draw blood and test it every 1-2 weeks until your hcg levels are down to zero.  My first draw was January 6 (the same week of the miscarriage) and my levels were down to 2003 (at that point I was technically 12 weeks).  To put that in perspective here is a chart:

Guideline to hCG levels during pregnancy:

hCG levels in weeks from LMP (gestational age)* :

• 3 weeks LMP: 5 - 50 mIU/ml
• 4 weeks LMP: 5 - 426 mIU/ml
• 5 weeks LMP: 18 - 7,340 mIU/ml
• 6 weeks LMP: 1,080 - 56,500 mIU/ml
• 7 - 8 weeks LMP: 7, 650 - 229,000 mIU/ml
• 9 - 12 weeks LMP: 25,700 - 288,000 mIU/ml
• 13 - 16 weeks LMP: 13,300 - 254,000 mIU/ml
• 17 - 24 weeks LMP: 4,060 - 165,400 mIU/ml
• 25 - 40 weeks LMP: 3,640 - 117,000 mIU/ml
• Non-pregnant females: <5.0 mIU/ml
• Postmenopausal females: <9.5 mIU/ml

* These numbers are just a GUIDELINE-- every woman’s level of hCG can rise differently. It is not necessarily the level that matters but rather the change in the level.

As you can all note.  I should have been at 25,700 - 288,000 mIU/ml by that point.  Technically, the baby stopped growing around 8 weeks.  So with my levels at 2003 I was well on my way to zero.  The next round of blood work was on the 13th.  It was weird since that was when we were supposed to be there for our nuchal fold test.  I was down to 67 at that point.  My last round of blood work was this past Friday.  I should be at zero.  Once I am down to zero there is nothing that would keep me from getting pregnant again...

I have found the bright side of things.  This past month has been VERY stressful due to work. I have been slammed.  Stress makes me lose weight (a def perk to stress).  I have been working late and stressing to the point I can wear my dress pants buttoned all day at work.  Bright Side.  If I were pregnant this amount of stress would not have been good for me.  Not to mention my co-workers.  I recently got back from a road trip to Nashvegas (Nashville) for Erin's last 20's birthday.  Good times.  Bright Side.  I would not have been able to do the things we did together pregnant (LD, #Town, Shot Gun, etc).  Wild times.

I am thinking we will try again.  No time frame or deadlines.