Placenta...

[Pebbles]

Ok well I got my final BT results from FS today. The nurse said they are good :thumbsup: and I should have left it at that but silly me asked her what they are! She said my HCG is 80,000 and my Prog is 31. This freaked me out! I said "Hang on my HCG is sposed to double - it was 68,000 last week and my prog has dropped - it was 54 last week". She just calmly explains to me that the HCG starts to slow down and level off as the 12 week mark approaches and she thinks that the drop in progestorone is because my placenta is starting to take over. I think I would have accepted this if she didnt continue with "... so we are sure everything will be ok providing you dont bleed or spot in the next week or so..". I am already paranoid enough without her mentioning bleeding! :banghead:
Ok so I know that I am probably worrying for nothing but I thought the placenta didnt take over until the 12th week?? :confused: Being that I am only 9 weeks (or if we went by what my FS says I am only 8 weeks) should it have started to take over now...? Is this too early...? Ugh, I am so paranoid! But any info would be hugely appreciated.
Thanks Girls!
:hugs:

[Kewe]

Don't worry chicky, what she said it true, from about the 9th/10th week the HCG levels start going down a little, as the placenta starts taking over in the next few weeks, its not like there is a switch that is flicked and the placenta takes over all of a sudden, its all done progresivily, so you've got nothing to worry about it

and don't worry about her second comment about bleeding and all that, i'm sure all will be fine,

i'll see if I can find my chart that show's you how the levels at the end of the first trmester look like

[nicoleE]

:hugs: Pebbles

Im not sure as I have not had my HCG or Progesterone measured since the pregnancy blood test! Probably a good thing as I would be doing exactly what you are.... freaking out over probably nothing! :p

I dont know when the placenta takes over but on my scan yesterday (9 weeks 5 day) you can clearly see the placenta, it is almost as big as the baby!

Sorry I am absolutely NO help! :rolleyes:


I do know though that numbers dont mean much at all as they vary SO much. My FS and Ob seem to like to go by scans and not numbers, as I said I have not had those hormones measured or babies heart beat, but have seen that on the screen. They look at the embie/fetus growth as an indicator of health.

Try not to worry hun. Take each day as it comes and think positive. :hugs:

[Kewe]

Here ya go, here's how it goes up and then down

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


these are just averages mind you,

[Pebbles]

Thanks for your input Gizmo and Nicole. :hugs:

And Gizmo thanks for the chart, I have a similar one and I aint really too concerned about the HCG levels. The FS said as long as they keep going up when they are sposed to then that is the main thing.

I think I am mainly stressing about the Progestorone coz that was the problem my last pregnancy had - it started off with low prog and I needed to use pessaries but in the end nothing could save my peanut :gloomy: .

I know I am probably stressing for no reason, I feel a little silly. I just wish I knew more about what is going on in there!

Anyway, thanks again girls!

[Kewe]

:hugs: pebbles :hugs: , i'm sure everything will be fine, are you having anymore bloods taken?

[Pebbles]

Gizmo - No, I think that is the other reason why I am stressing a little. I am so used to being monitored! But they said that now my HCG and Prog will level out so there is no point in continuing to have BT's every week.

[Kewe]

thats how I feel too Pebbles, I havn't had mine taken for the past couple of weeks cause my GP said that cause this preg was orriginally a twin my levels will be all over the place and wouldn't have much of a pattern for a while and would probably cause me to panic, I like my levels to be text book material if you know what i mean, and if they aren't then I worry

[Pebbles]

Gizmo - Yeah thats what I am like too. I rang my mum and spoke to my hubby - they are the two most positive people in my life. They both said to just concentrate on the first sentence that the nurse said to me today - "Hi Tammy, I just rang to say your hormone levels are all good...". I know I should just think about that but it is hard coz those words about bleeding and spotting are echoing in my head! I am not ashamed to admit I am pretty scared at the moment. I know that things are looking good so far but I keep feeling as if the rug is gonna be pulled out and all of a sudden things are gonna start to go wrong.

[Kewe]

yeah just think of that first sentance, i'm sure if there was something wrong they would've got you to have another blood test in a few days,

i'm just as worried as you, I think i'm starting to become a mental case lol

[Believer]

Pebbles... I know how you feel cuz I'm a worrier as well. I really think the nurse meant that everything is going well and will continue to go well unless there is bleeding. That's the case for all of us during the dreaded 12 week danger zone. My ob told me the other day that most m/s happen in the first 12 weeks (as we are all aware) and that the majority of those happen in the first 10 weeks. So I guess you can look at 10 weeks as being the first step outside the danger zone! I'm sure everything will be fine so keep trusting the strength of your little one! Hang in there! :thumbsup:

[Believer]

Nicole... Just curious why you had a scan recently?

[Pebbles]

Thanks guys. I am definately feeling alot better today. Much more positive about things. I will be seeing my Doc tomorrow so that will be good just to get that little extra peace of mind.

[nicoleE]

Nicole... Just curious why you had a scan recently?

My 1st scan was at 7 weeks with the Fertility Specialist to ensure that the embryo was in the right place, to see that there was a heartbeat and to see if there were one or two (on the drugs I Od 2 eggs).

The one I had on Tuesday was a surprise to me, we were at our first Ob appointment and he had said when I booked the appointment that he wouldnt do one since I had already had a scan and everything was fine then and we knew the due date was acurate already. However when we got there he told me to pop up on the bed and he will do a scan! I think it was for our benefit really as he didnt seem to be taking any notes or anything. He only measured bubs (2.7cm by the way) because DH asked how big he/she was and while we were waiting for bubs to wake up (after I had caughed) he thought he would check again that there was only 1.



Pebbles I think she only mentioned the bleeding/spotting in the sence that the next few weeks are the main ones to get through the risk of M/C (for everyone) IYKWIM.... as if saying if you get through the next few weeks without any then she expects it would be smooth sailing from there. Not that any bleeding/spotting means that something will go wrong, it certainly is a warning sign BUT there are allot of women (i think I read 30%) that do bleed during pregnancy and go on to have healthy babies.
Hope that all made sence, i just think she was saying it in the way of saying after the next couple of weeks you will be out of the main 'danger zone'. (my Ob said at around 10 weeks there is only about a 1% chance of M/C)

[Believer]

nicoleE…. Happy 10 weeks (and 2 days of course)!! I’m so jealous that you got to have a scan at your ob appt. I don’t get to see my little one for another 2 weeks. I haven’t gotten any of those bags yet either… something’s unfair! I’m so desperate to get out of the danger zone so I can tell everyone! It’s funny how coughing wakes the little one up… my poor little one must be up constantly then since I’ve been sick and coughing all the time. Poor thing!