TTC Post: Clearblue Advanced Digital Pregnancy Test

This post is geared toward our TTC readers and may include information that is not helpful for some of our readers.  If you aren't in a great place right now, please feel free to skip this post.  We want our readers to take care of themselves first!

There has been a lot of buzz recently over these new Clearblue Advanced Digital Pregnancy Tests.  They recently became available in the US, although they've been around in Canada and Europe for awhile.  Basically, it's similar to a traditional digital test, but with the added feature of predicting how many weeks it has been since ovulation.  The readout will say "Pregnant" or "Not Pregnant" and if it is a positive result, it will be accompanied by either "1-2", "2-3" or "3+" (weeks, that is).  These test can be useful in pinning down ovulation date, but can be confusing in terms of estimating a due date. This is because the result does not mean a tester is (for example) 2-3 weeks pregnant, at least not in the way that a doctor would judge them.  It means it is estimated to have been that long since ovulation.  Doctor's typically date a pregnancy from the first day of your last period, so by the time a woman is 3 week past ovulation, they are most likely closer to 5 weeks pregnant, thus putting their due date approximately 35 weeks from that time.

While the POASA (that pee-on-a-stick-addict) in me is excited that these tests are available in the US now, I also know that there are limits to this information, and it isn't quite so cut-and-dry.  Since this test works by detecting the level of HCG in the urine, it can be easily skewed by things like an ectopic pregnancy (which produces higher HCG levels sooner), multiples, and the time which an egg implants.  For example, if implantation occurs fairly early, like 7 days past ovulation, the HCG levels in the blood will be higher sooner than if implantation does not occur until 12 days past ovulation.  With my second son, my HCG levels at 14 DPO (and we knew the ovulation date was accurate due to a trigger shot) was only 12, indicating that the egg had only implanted a few days prior, perhaps as late as 12 DPO. So there is some ambiguity there.

Do I think this is a good tool?  Yes!  But I caution women to read the instructions carefully and if they have concerns about their results to consult with a physician.

The article discussed in this post can be found here.

When everyone is getting their BFP but you...

We've all been there. The morning you get your XXXth BFN (insert number here) and you log onto social media for a bit of cheering up...and all you seem to find is everyone else's BFP or pregnancy announcements or parenting woes.

It's tough. It's heart breaking, and sometimes it doesn't feel like you'll get through it. But you will, I promise.

So here are some helpful tips that, although they won't take away the ache, they might help get you through those dark moments:

#1 – Grieve. Take a moment to let it all out. You have every right to feel sad and lost and confused. Don't ignore your emotions - acknowledge and appreciate them. You're having them for a good reason. Let it out.

#2 – Avoid the situation. I know, you can't avoid life...but if you KNOW someone is going to announce something, or blab endlessly about their pregnancy/children and it's hard for you to be around them – then try to limit your contact. Good friends will understand, just let them know it's hard for you and you need a bit of space. If you're dreading a baby shower and you don't think you can keep it together - come up with a thoughtful way to not go. Say you're not feeling well (you probably aren't anyway), and don't go. Putting ourselves through these situations when all it does is hurt us is not necessary.

#3 – Do something. If you feel particularly sad or overwhelmed or emotional and you just can't get out of the funk – keep busy. Find something to do, and do it. The busier your hands are, and the less you will dwell on it.

#4 – Don't compare - remember that every situation is different. Sometimes when we see someone who doesn't have as good a job as we do, or as nice a house, or doesn't seem to have as good a relationship as we do – we can be overcome with jealousy and anger that they get to have children and we struggle. No amount of wondering and stressing and crying will change the situation, so it's really important to try and remember that we don't know everything about their situation. Just because they seem to be in a worse place than us doesn't mean they are and doesn't mean that they don't deserve children. Their situation is completely unique to them, as ours is to us. Comparing other women to yourself is comparing apples to oranges, it will never be fair because they're just too different.

#5 – Build support. I know this is hard sometimes, but that’s why this blog is here. Support is critical – in both good and bad times. Especially when the support is from people who have gone through something similar to you. Having someone to talk to when you're overwhelmed or stressed is so important. You need to know you're not alone.

#6 – Be kind to yourself. Don't say anything to yourself that you wouldn't say to a three year old. Treat yourself kindly. This is a tough thing to go through. You deserve a bit of slack. Jealousy, anger, frustration, sadness, fear – these are all normal emotions that we've all experienced on our TTC journey. It's tough enough on it's own, don't make it worse by being unkind to yourself as well. Love yourself and be kind, because you've been through enough.

Overall, just be conscious and caring about what you're feeling. It is tough to go through infertility...especially when social media and the press seem to put such a spotlight on procreating. So be kind to yourself and give yourself time, and a little extra love. You deserve it.

Quote: Unknown. Photo: Rachel at A Little Bit More

The 411 on POAS

Yes, that's right, we're going to talk about pee sticks!!  In case you don't speak TTC, POAS stands for "pee on a stick".  And if you've ever tried to get pregnant, you know there are a lot of choices out there.  And even once you've chosen a test, WHEN should you use it?  And how do you use them properly?

Firstly, there are three main types of pregnancy tests:

• Cartridge test--Any test which yields two lines or a plus symbol and is houses in a plastic case (cartridge) with a window where the result is viewed.  Available in pink dye and blue dye. Sensitivity ranges from 10 mIU and up.
• Test strip--similar to a cartridge test, but without the case and only available in the two lined result. Sensitivity ranges from 20 mIU and up.
• Digital test--a cartridge test with a digital readout of either "Yes/No" or "Pregnant/Not Pregnant". Sensitivity starts at 50 mIU.

There are pros and cons to each kind of test.  For example, digital tests take any guess work about "is there a faint line?" away.  However, they are less sensitive than some non-digital tests, meaning that the level of HCG in the body must be higher.  This means that you'll need to be further along to get a positive result.  Test strips are much less expensive than cartridge tests, but in my experience they aren't as sensitive and can produce evaporation lines more often than other tests.   An evaporation line is a faint ghost line on a pregnancy test not caused by hcg in the urine.  These lines usually develop outside the time limit for reading the results and often have no true color.  So what about pink or blue dye?  Well, it's pretty widely accepted in the TTC world that pink dye is much more reliable in terms of results than blue dye.  Thin second lines are often observed on blue dye tests in non-pregnant women.  I've been fooled by a blue dye before!  Unless the line is quite dark and/or thick, I'd question it on a blue dye!

So when should you use a pregnancy test?  Well, assuming you have a good idea of when you ovulated, implantation is likely to occur 6-12 days after ovulation (on average).  HCG needs a few days to rise to a level that can be detected on a home pregnancy test.  The sooner you test, the higher the likelihood of a false negative result.  We know that it's very hard to wait for the answer!!  We recommend not testing earlier than about 9 DPO, and to try to keep in mind that a negative result before your missed period might not mean that you aren't pregnant.  With both my second (miscarriage/chemical pregnancy) and third round of BFP pregnancy tests, I didn't get a positive result until 14 or 15 DPO, and believe me, I was testing early!

Most pregnancy test directions will also recommend that you take the test with first morning urine.  This is because it is thought that it will contain the highest concentration of HCG.  I definitely agree with this, however, some women find that this isn't true for them.  Some women have more accurate results when testing in the evening.  Try both methods and see what works for you.

So we're down to how to use a pregnancy test properly.  The most important thing is the read the directions very carefully. Remove the test from it's wrapper and remove cap if applicable. Hold the "wick" end of the test in the stream of urine for the time listed in the instructions (this varies by brand and sensitivity) or collect a sample in a clean cup and dip the test (again, check directions, this time may differ depending on your method of testing).  Place the test face up on a flat surface and WALK AWAY SLOWLY!!!

Wait the amount of time indicated in the directions and take a peek.  And remember NOT to trust any result that shows up AFTER the amount of time listed on the directions (usually about 10 minutes).  Lines may show up after the time limit, even in non-pregnant women.

So that's the skinny on pregnancy tests!  We take them, some of us even take photos of them and scrutinize them using photo editing software!  We toss them in the trash and pull them out hours later to look at them again (why do we do this??).  We curse them, threaten to take a red sharpie to show them JUST what that second line should look like, we hoard them, and we take far to many of them in a 24 hour period.  What else do you want to know about pregnancy tests???