Okay, so we know the home pregnancy tests showed positives, but there is still something nerve-racking about taking the blood test. It’s more official and definitive. Home pregnancy tests use urine, only provide a yes or no to the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), and can be influenced by time of day and hydration level. The blood test is quantitative and isn’t swayed by other factors. It can provide an early detection of miscarriage if the numbers aren’t within the expected range.
I went to the clinic and the nurse had a hard time finding my vein. She said, “The baby doesn’t want to share your blood. When I was pregnant the same thing happened.” She poked and dug all around my left arm; my best arm. She then moved to my right arm and finally got it. I had to wait for the results, so the hubs and I went to watch a movie. It was nice to keep our minds of things, and hold hands in the theater. It is so rare to get out together without a toddler in between us.
Of course I had a missed call from the clinic when we got out. They never call that quickly. I called them back and the nurse said my progesterone levels look great and CONGRATULATIONS! My blood test came back as 541. To put that in perspective, here’s the chart from the American Pregnancy Association. Keep in mind there’s 2 weeks added to the beginning of your pregnancy, so the earliest you’d ever be physically pregnant is week 3 on the chart (week of conception + 2 weeks).
Weeks from Last Period Amount of hCG (in mIU/ml or IU/l)
3 weeks 5 to 50
4 weeks 5 to 426
5 weeks 19 to 7,340
6 weeks 1,080 to 56,500
As you can see, my number looks great!! Whether I’m 3 weeks or 4 weeks pregnant, I’m golden. I have to go back in 2 days to make sure the numbers are doubling every 48 hours. Stay tuned.