How long does it take for a HCG shot (pregnyl) to leave your system?

I saw this question posted in several forums and blogs and decided to write about my experience with it. I know that during our 2 weeks wait we are always obsessing to know if we are getting a real BFP and I hope my experience can help someone looking for a little comfort.

I took HCG shots to trigger my ovulation in all 4 IUIs. The doctors would say that I could only have a beta at least 14 days after the HCG shot to avoid false positives. I don’t remember how much was the dose but 7 after the shot I would have negative urine tests. There was this once when I had a blood test exactly 14 days after my shot and it came back inconclusive. I don’t really know if it was a chemical or traces of the shot because the next day AF arrived. 

During my last IVF cycle I had not only a HCG trigger shot but I also had a second shot in the middle of the 2 week wait as a booster (5000 iu). 5 days after the booster (15 dpo or 13dp2dt ) my doctor asked for a beta. I couldn’t really understand why he would ask me to have a blood test when it would be probably a deceiving result. My beta was 28. He said that it was probably negative because by this time if there was a healthy embryo and it had implanted I should have at least a beta of 50-60. He also said that I probably had an implantation but it didn’t take because if it was only traces of the shot I would have a beta with less than 16. 

I don’t know if I believe him or not. He probably has more experience than I do with all this hormone craziness. I read that it takes 1 day per 1000 iu for the HCG shot leave your system. Obviously, in my case 5 days after the shot I still had HCG in my blood stream. I would say that testing only 2 weeks after is being too cautious but testing 5 days later is maybe too early. The doctor told me then to stop all the shots (yay!) and wait for my period :( AF has not shown it ugly face yet but I’ve been testing at home and the line gradually disappeared around 7-8 days after the shot. 

To conclude, I think everyone is different and it probably depends on your weight, if you drink lots of liquids after the shot, the dose administrated and etc. My experience says my body takes a week to excrete the whole 5000 IU Pregnyl shot. I do believe if you have a HCG trigger and a week later you have a positive stick in your hand or if you faint line gets darker the following days you are probably looking at the real thing. 

Confusing news and results

I have been waiting anxiously to write a post here. The second week wait wasn't pleasant but not as awful as I thought it would be. I got really anxious two days before my first beta that was schedule for yesterday, and to make things easier on my nerves they made me wait for the quantitative results until this morning.

So I have some confusing news to share. My IVF doctor had asked for a pregnancy test on day 13 after the transfer (13dp2dt) and since I am back to the States I went to my clinic and ask for the test. The nurse didn't really wanted to give me a blood test, she first offered a urine test and after I decline she sent me directly to the laboratory although this is obviously not the standard procedure. She was not an american, otherwise I don't think I would have gotten my beta right now. I don't want to generalize but a regular American (maybe the ones with a lower education level) can not really think outside of the box. Once, at the hospital the receptionist asked me to read my social number because she got confused with the way I wrote the numbers!!! What?! "My no. one is not a single straight vertical dash", she said, but it is exactly like this "1", a little pointy at the top. I am tolerant with cultural differences not with old good fashion stupidity.

Here is where it gets really confusing and frustrating and my tears are covering my face as write this. The test was positive with beta of 28. If it was a natural cycle I would be more than happy by now but 5 days ago I had a HCG booster shot (pregnyl) of 5000 iu. I really don't understand why my doctor would ask a pregnancy test after such a short time of a HCG shot. I seriously suspect that he is trying to deceive us at having one positive pregnancy test. It could also be my nervous and stressed mind thinking the worse of people.

Now, I would like to have a second and maybe a third test like any other person that goes through IVF, but my clinic now has to follow procedure and that said I need to make an OB appointment. I just tried to do schedule it, but as soon as I said the I had an IVF done all the doors shut down on my face and they suggest I go back to my IVF clinic and come back when I know for sure I am pregnant.

I understand I am a particular case, that not a lot of women have IVF in one country and then have to live in another for work reasons. Also, I can see that having a military health insurance (Tricare) makes it even more difficult for them to adapt to a diferent situation, everything has to follow protocol. So what do I do no??

I might have to look for a private clinic to keep going with my treatment. This is ridiculous. My husband came back from work and he saw I was upset on the phone but it didn't really help. Every time I look at him I feel even more like a failure. We shouldn't have done IVF this way, I knew from the beginning but every time I would say no he would get really mad thinking I wasn't doing my part, that I was just giving up. Even the doctor suggested that we should wait a little more and pursuit IVF a little later but when DH sets something on his mind it is as good as done. He actually thanked me every time he would give me a shot for doing this for the family. Sometime I whished he was a more relaxed person but he is as anxious as I am. Also I believe technology has spoiled us. We are used to have whatever we want, whenever we want, wherever we are.

Nobody is to blame here, not us or the doctors not even the f@%&-?#% Tricare. The fact is that we need to learn to be more patient and understand that sometimes the universe works in mysterious ways.

One week after transfer, one week to go

Today is officially the end of the first week wait. It was not that terrible really. I mean, of course I am constantly over analyzing my symptoms but the time seemed to fly. I am still sleeping off the time difference.

The trip back to the U.S. wasn’t so bad. Fortunately I was able to sleep half of the trip, also I found very kind people in my way that would help me with my hand luggage. I read that I shouldn’t lift more than 5 pounds, so I packed I really light hand luggage, only a jacket and my laptop.

I also read a lot about resting and diets that you should do after the transfer. To be sincere I am not following anything strictly. All the suggestions people give contradict each other and I am afraid of doing something wrong, trying to do the right thing. I decide I will continue with my life normally and just try to take it easy in exercise or heavy food. I have been having soup almost every day. First, I love soups, and because it is easier for the stomach to process. I want my whole buddy concentrating its energy in hugging the embryos and making a nice and healthy environment for them to grow strong.

I do have a little anecdote from my trip. On the longest flight from Zurich to Philadelphia I had the company of a very persistent Protestant-Christian-Republican guy. As soon as we started talking I thought to myself and actually even told him that I wasn’t interested in discussing very deep stuff. Obviously we wouldn’t share the same point views. I realized he would try to start a conversation all the time and try to steer it to a religious topic. When the plane was getting close to land he became very aggressive and like in a rush to preach me his agenda.

I lived in many countries and I think I am learning how to be more and more tolerant, not only religiously wise but in all aspects. I used to love debating but I learned that only words won’t change opinions that easily. I mean, you should have an opinion and beliefs but if you choose to share it with others you have to be prepared to have someone disagreeing with you and understand that he might be right even when being wrong. One single thing can be looked at so many different perspectives that I will never be so arrogant as to think I know it all. “The more I learn the less I know”, “all I know is that I know nothing” … Just to conclude, protestants, Christians, republicans, liberals, atheists, Catholics, democrats, everybody, do not alienate people. I end the conversation with the guy being a little rough but still politely enough. I didn’t want to get nervous or stressed and hurt my little embryos with a conversation that had no benefit at all for both of us.

I have been feeling cramps ever since the transfer. Every time I stand up I have very sharp cramps that last for 5 seconds and the completely go away. I typed into Dr. Google and the comments were from “implantation cramps” to “early miscarriage”. We found our doctor yesterday on Skype and we asked him because yesterday I was feeling really dizzy as well. The doctor said that cramps are a good sign and 9 days after transfer I might feel my breasts more sensitive.

Just for my despair, today I have no cramps. I only wished I could know if it worked before I have to take all the remaining injections. I have a feeling the next week will be way longer than the last one.

The Transfer

On Wednesday, I had a 2 days transfer. I read a lot around and I see that there are a lot of discussions about it since most clinics do a 3-5 day transfer. From the forum discussions I concluded that the most recent ones mention a 2 day transfer, maybe it is a new trend. I actually agree with my doctor when he says he prefers the embryo to be transferred as soon as possible and let the womb work its miracle.

We had a nice long talk before the transfer because the two beds were occupied with 2 ladies that had just had their transfer. We have to lay down for a little over an hour after the transfer. He told me that from my four eggs, one was inactive, probably too old and another one were not mature enough to be fertilized. We ended up with 2 embryos of 2 cells. He explained that on day 2 they should be between 2-4 cells. He expressed a little concern saying that they multiplied that morning instead of doing it during the night; they had then an 8 hours “develop-delay”.

As he is explaining everything to me I am laughing inside my head. I am known for not being a night person, my husband loves going out at night and I always hated it. I like going to sleep around 10 and my brain starts working only in the morning after my coffee jump start.

The transfer was exactly like an insemination. The doctor opened my cervix and inserted a catheter that contained the 2 embryos. He looked in the microscope right before doing it and told me that one of the embryos had already become a 3 cell embryo. He also looked the catheter afterwards to make sure he had dropped “all the eggs in the basket”.

Although he gave me a very honest 25% of chances for a take home baby, I am feeling very positive. He wishes I had produced more eggs and he is confident that my main issue is egg quality rather than the endometriosis. He says it could be because of my prolactin levels that have been high for quite some time but isn't endometriosis also a factor in egg quality (in a way doctors don´t really know yet)?

I don´t know what to think. The weird part is that I am 27 years old, I shouldn’t be having egg quality issues. He didn’t really want to talk about options for the future but he did say if this doesn’t work he wants to stimulate me with femara instead of clomid.

I am using progesterone 3 times a day and I will have to have few more injections during this next two weeks. They want to simulate a pregnancy, deceive my body. I have been feeling really bloated and I am not sure how I am going to feel flying back to the States tomorrow.

The Retrieval

On Monday we went early in the morning to the clinic. I was with an empty stomach, I haven’t had anything to eat for the last 15 hours. I think if I had anything on my stomach I would have thrown up anyway. I was making a real effort not to cry. I don’t think DH noticed. I am ashamed to say but deep down I was wishing that I had prematurely ovulated as the Doctor was expecting, just so i wouldn’t risk knowing that IVF failed later. I am a coward, I know. 

Against all the bids my 4 little follicles were there, patiently waiting in my ovaries.

So they start to get me ready for the retrieval. All the nurses were very sweet, except one that is always little bossy and rude but that day she was treating me fairly well. The anesthesiologist was awful; I get goose bumps just remembering. I mean he was nice and talked me through everything but it was far the worse needle experience I had in the last few months. I imagine that because I was nervous he couldn’t hit a vein. I was passing out even before he had injected the anesthesia. I just remember looking from the ultrasound monitor to the ceiling and thinking, “here we go”...

It’s the second time I remember waking up from anesthesia and feeling really alone, an awful emotional sensation, I started crying. My husband came running to tell me everything was fine and they got 4 nice looking eggs. I was happy but still I kept feeling a little panic sensation. Can’t explain why, I think it’s because of the anesthesia; it affects me in a weird way.

The doctor prescribed me an antibiotic and progesterone. I had a little abdomen pain after the procedure that faded away at night.

My husband after producing his part of the deal (I envy being a man so much), he took me home and went directly to the airport. He has too much going on and he had to be back to the States for several reasons. I am not really happy to stay here alone but we don’t have many choices. Today we talked and he called the clinic to check on the progress of our "Embibabies". One of them didn’t make, it was too old. Another has already showed signs of life and the other two they fear that they weren’t mature enough. Although we were expecting more, the truth is that I only need one to be strong and make it.

The transfer will be tomorrow at 2pm. I don’t even want to fantasize much about it. My plan is to go a little earlier have a healthy and light lunch somewhere around the clinic and come back with a taxi and lay back for the rest of the day. Maybe I will watch a funny movie... someone told me to laugh after the transfer might help the process.