What's with HPT's being so rotten for IVFers?

[littlestars]

Hi Ladies!

This is my first post over here on these boards. I've been lurking around for the past month or so, during my first IVF protocol. I have to say these are some of the best, most informative boards I have read, esp. concerning IVF.

Today I am 7dp a 4dt, (we transferred 2 PGD'd embies), and my beta is on 4/5. Of course I am completely obessing over this. I did a naughty thing and tested with a HPT this morning, and of course it's a neg, and of course it's too early. Silly Ol' girl I am...

I read a post here a few days ago about this whole neg. HPT thing with IVFers, betas being positives w/ high number, but neg HPT's even on the same day. Is there a theory to this? Is it to torture us even more? Like we haven't been through enough of it???

Impatiently waiting,

Thanks girls,

Karey

[hildes]

Hope it goes well for you. We did PGD three cycles and only had one normal embie to transfer out of all of them, and then the RE (it was not my regular RE; the one "on call" that day) botched the transfer!!

Now we are doing DE and my beta is just one day before you - on 4/4. The wait is KILLING me too. I always do pretty well the first week and terrible the second. I have 3 days, 4 hours, 22 minutes and 21 seconds left til I know the truth... Not like I'm counting or anything!! LOL!

I, too, was naughty this morning with the evil pee stick and also negative, and I know it's too early too.... But I get them for free, so I can't restrain myself!

Hope the rest of your wait isn't too bad!

Hilde

[Hope4Kids]

I am sure it has happened that people get neg. HPTs even the morning of beta, but I have to think that would be highly unlikely IF they are using a strong enough HPT...I have ones that test 20miu, but I suppose if you only had one that tested 100miu, you could easily get a negative on beta day...lots of people have less than 100 on their beta day and can still get a good pregnancy (though most seem to be over 100)...so double check what yours tests for...50miu seems pretty common, and that would probably only work within a couple days of your beta.

Anyway, based on my research, you should be able to get an accurate HPT by 2 weeks after retrieval...probably even by 12-13 days after retrieval...so for you guys I would think in the next day or two...for me it is a few more days. GOOD LUCK!

[BC-KarenS-MI]

It's just plain torture & another bad way to freak us out. I've seen ladies on this bb have beta's of well over 200 & get negative hpt's the morning of their beta. There was someone last year that I can think of right off hand whose hpt the morning of her beta was negative, not even a glimmer of hope of a line, yet hours later, she got her beta back & it was well over 300!! For my last cycle, I waited until I had my beta & then a friend gave me an hpt that was supposed to pick up 20iu, & even with a beta of 177, it took a while to show up positive & wasn't very dark at all. (not that the shade of the line has to do with anything because it doesn't) So no, not even the "sensitive" hpt's will always be accurate. It's actually more common than one would think, to get a negative hpt & a positive beta. I've even seen ladies get a positive hpt the morning of their beta & hours later get a negative beta. And no, your beta wouldn't drop that much in a matter of an hour or two between the hpt being done & the blood being drawn. That happened to one of my very good friends, who did a DE IVF, so she had never had any drugs in her system that could've triggered a false positive.

Hpt's are just plain evil. They never leave the tester feeling good about the results, regardless of the result. If it's positive, they're left wondering if it's true or if it's hcg still in their system (I've seen ladies get a + hpt & then every day the positive fades as the HCG goes out of their system) & if it's negative, they're wondering if they just tested too early, if they had a late implanter, or if the test just sucks & is wrong.

Do your best to avoid them & wait for your beta. If you can't wait, then go ahead & test. I don't like them, won't use them & don't encourage them, but if someone caves & does one, I support them just as well!!

You're almost there now, so hold on tight. The last week is hard, but the last day is a killer. You'll get through!

BTW, I see this is your first post!!! Welcome aboard!!! Stick around & let us help you through this last week of your wait!!


Karen

[suzintexas]

Hi Karey,
I am 8 dp3dt today, so we must have had our retrievals on the same day.

Hilde, my beta is on 4/4 also! 3 days, 2 hours and 15 minutes from now I should get the results!

Karen stated it well about the reasons to avoid HPTs. Also, keep in mind that your blood level will usually be a good bit higher than your urine level, so even a beta of 100 could come up negative with an hpt.

I am trying to wait, but it is hard knowing that there is a good chance that I could get the right results tomorrow even though they may not be 100% acurate. I am trying to be strong but this is going to be one long weekend!
Good luck!!!!!!!!

Suz

[littlestars]

Thanks everyone! So informative, love it!

Hilde, So sorry to hear about a botched transfer. I'm with you for doing well in the first week of the 2ww, then the second week, I'm a wreck, like now!

Karen, thank you for all of the information! And the warm welcome.

Suz, Best wishes for the 4th

Hope4kids, I agree about the sensitivity to tests, of course, they all never seem completely reliable do they?

DH and I talked about it, and if we do test I'll wait until Sunday. Until then I'm just going to try to stay occupied, go to the movies, go for walks, all to kill time. When we want time it moves so fast and when we want it to hurry up it seems to take forever, even though it's moving the same speed always. Duh!

Karey

[PGDMommy2be]

I hpt'd starting 4dp5dt ( I know, I know ) I had been feeling some cramping and it felt the same as when I have been PG before, I had previously gotten + hpt (9dpo when doing clomid) So I assumed that I was not PG. I cried and cried, Did another - hpt 5dp5dt, I really thought I was not pg. It was torture!!!
Well long story short I got a BFP 10dp5dt my beta was 160.
We too t/f PGD embryos. I think my baby was just a late implanter. However I cried for days FOR NOTHING!!!
My advice TRY not to hpt anymore.

Good Luck with your beta!!!

-PGDMommy

[Loraflo]

Karen said it so perfectly--especially the part about even if you get a pg, you start wondering if it really is true. I absolutely refused to do them (in my mind I was tempted). I made myself an emotional wreck as it was; I wasn't going to make it worse....

[Adora1]

I don't know. I saw so many neg pg tests I REFUSED to test but when I got my beta results they were very low so it wouldn't have shown anyway. Good luck though. I know how torturous the waiting is.

[littlestars]

Well, today I am 9dp4dt, and DH and I decided to test and it was a big fat negative. I know, I was warned, and I did it anyway, now I'm a mess. I was kind of a mess all day yesterday anyway. I think I have 48 hrs left of freaking out, and the beta on 4/5 will tell me for sure.

PGD mommy, I hope to follow in your footsteps. Did you test again before the beta? Or did you give up when you were 5dp5dt?

Loraflo, How embarrassed am I that I tested now???

Adora1, How low was your beta?