Conference moira::parenting_v3

    What are the symptoms of a low hormone count?  I'm 6 1/2 weeks pregnant,
    but I don't have ANY symptoms.  It's making me real curious if
    everything is ok.  I did have spotting on one day, but it was only
    one little spot.  I'm thinking that my hormone level isn't increasing
    either, otherwise I'd feel something.  
    
    Thanks.  
    

    There is no symptoms of a low hormone count except for the blood test.
    The bleeding I had was all out bleeding for about 6 hours and then it
    would stop.  This happend twice.  Spotting is pretty normal, but you
    should let your doctor know.  If you are not feelin anything at 6 1/2
    weeks that is probably a good sign I would only be 3 weeks and am in a
    lot of pain.  With my last pregnancy I diden't even knoe untill 7 weeks
    and I have a very healthy 1 year old.  So your probably ok if in dought
    call your doctor.
                                                   Mary

    Thanks.  I have my first Dr.'s appt. next week, so I'll ask then.  Just
    seems strange not to have any symptoms.  After all the books I've read
    I expected to feel totally different.

    I was 6� weeks when I found out I was pregnant.  I suddenly got real
    sick, I thought I had the flu or an intestinal virus.  When the dr
    told me I was pregnant, I was shocked. (I wasn't suppose to be
    able to get pregnant, plus I was on the pill)  About a week after I
    started bleeding.  It lasted a day and went away.  Exactly a week later
    it happened again.  He sent me to have a sonogram each time and 
    everything seemed fine, except that I was so sick, I had lost 10 lbs in
    a week.  He didn't know what else to do so he told me I should have a DNC.
    He said he didn't know why I was bleeding and being I was so sick 
    (morning sickness) he didn't think I should continue the pregnancy.  
    
    Even though I was so sick I dragged myself to another doctor for a 
    second opinion and the other doctor said there was nothing wrong with 
    the pregnancy.  He said sometimes women bleed at the beginning of their
    pregnancy, and basically it is everything just settling in and goes
    away after a week or so.  The morning sickness I would have to live
    with.
    
    Anyway, to make this short, I suggest if you don't feel like you have
    all the answers or something just doesn't feel right ( that inner
    feeling people get about things) the next time you talk to your doctor, 
    I suggest getting a second opinion.  I am glad I did.  I had a hard
    pregnancy because I had severe morning sickness the entire time, but
    when I think how easily the dr was wanting to terminate my preganacy,
    just to be done with it, it really makes me mad.  Just because he is a
    dr doesn't mean he is always right.
    
    Stephen was born 9/5/90 (my labor day baby).  He is a wonderful, 
    happy, healthy baby. With all the joy and love he radiates, I can't
    imagine him not being with us.
    
    That is just my opinion.
    
    Kathy

RE: base note

Yes, ask your doctor for more information.  Use the next week to write down all
your questions and ask all of them.  (I used to forget what I wanted to know the
second I got into the examining room.  So I wrote them all down as I thought of
them).


RE: .2


I felt "different".  Absolutely no way to quantify it, just "different".

I wouldn't worry about not feeling anything at 6 weeks.  Remember there's
women who don't know they are pregnant until much later - they even have 
their menstrual bleeding.  (Or what appears to be menstrual bleeding).

    Thanks for your replies so far.  I am sorry about my spelling in the
    base note I was very upset yesterday.  I'm felling better today.
    Through all this my husband was out of town and he got home last night.
    So I fell better today.  I have a doctors appointment at 11:00 today to
    ask all the questions.  Even when I made this appointment they wanted
    to do a dnc today and I had to insist that I just wanted to talk.  It
    seems the doctor should do an ultruasound first to make sure.  I just
    don't feel right about a DNC based solely on the hormone count.
                                                          Mary

    I wouldn't consent to a D&C without benefit of a sonogram -- at this
    early stage they would need to do a vaginal one so that they can see
    the sac.  (It may still be too early to visualize the embryo within, so
    you may have to wait for this.)  Don't let him perform a D&C until you
    feel certain that this pregnancy won't make it!
    
    A low HCG count can also point to a tubal pregnancy -- many times there
    is abnormal bleeding with this.  A tubal pregnancy rarely registers
    above 5000 for an HCG count, so I'd make sure that the doctor repeats
    the blood test AND gives you a new quantitative blood test before the
    D&C procedure is scheduled.
    
    Just my opinion, but speaking as someone who in the last four years has
    had both a blighted ovum pregnancy, as well as two tubal pregnancies, I
    feel justified in sharing my thoughts.
    
    Good luck to you.  Please remember that there are  "strange" pregnancy
    stories about people who had a shaky beginning, but who yielded the
    same successful product -- a healthy baby!
    
    Please let us know how you are doing, and even more importantly, if you
    feel uncomfortable or uncertain with what your doctor is telling you,
    please get a second opinion!
    
    We care,
    
    Dale

    
    Yes, please don't rely on the hormone count. When I had my miscarriage,
    I had barely any spotting at all. They did three successive HCG blood
    tests to see if the level was dropping and the last one actually showed
    an increase. They finally did the ultrasound and this showed there was
    absolutely nothing there. Where at 11 weeks there was a small fetus
    (official diagnosis of approximately 5-6 weeks along) and at 15 weeks
    there was nothing. So please stick to your guns and not let him do the
    D&C based on hormone count only. If we had done that I would have 
    continued to carry "nothing" though the HCG level said otherwise.
    
    Patty

    I too second the idea of not doing the D&C until every speck of doubt
    has been removed!  When I had the blighted ovum two years ago the
    doctor was doing weekly vaginal ultrasounds to see if perhaps the
    pregnancy was not as far along as we thought it was.  Finally at about
    4 months we had a pregnancy that looked like 3 weeks, and we were sure
    I was more than 3 weeks.  If you're bleeding has your doctor suggested
    supplimenting your hormones with progesterone suppositories?  In my
    case the blighted ovum was caused from not enough progesterone in my
    system at the time of conception and the week or two following
    conception.  I've since read that this is a common cause of blighted
    ovum.  I had a miscarriage when my son was almost a year, and that too
    was caused from the lack of enough hormone in my system.  Obviously if
    I want to conceive and carry a baby I need to take progesterone from
    day 18 of my cycle.  
    
    Lyn

    Thanks for all of your stories.  I talked to the doctor yesterday and
    he wants me to feel comfortable with whatever he does.  I told him how
    I felt about a D&C without being sure and he seemed to understand,
    although he believes there is little to no chance that I will carry for
    very long.
    I still feel pregnant and I have had no bleeding since the beginning.
    We are going to do another blood test on Tuesday.  The doctor expects
    the count to continue to drop.  Then the following week he wants to do
    an ultasound. I guess if the count goes up or down we will do the
    ultrasound.  If the count goes up he want to do it to make sure I am
    really carring something.  And if the count goes down he is going to
    look to see if he needs to do the D&C.
    The doctor does not want me to get my hope up, so I won't be let down
    but I can't help thinking the best.  Maybe it was all a mistake.
    I believe I am one of the people to be out of a job come Monday so good
    bye and thanks for all the help and caring from this file.
                                                         Mary