Waiting for the beta

One of the most tedious moments during a fertility treatment is: waiting for the pregnancy test, waiting for the beta or beta wait.

What is a beta? Once the embryo has implanted in the uterus, the hormone HCG (chorionic gonadotropin) is produced and sent to the maternal blood, as a message that she is pregnant. HCG is divided into two sections, the alpha section and the beta section, the latter is specific for pregnancy, and increases only if the woman is carrying a baby.

So, fifteen days after a treatment of scheduled intercourse or artificial insemination and ten days after an embryo transfer, if there is a pregnancy, enough HCG has been produced so that it can be read by the laboratory instruments and have a positive test, or not. be pregnant, have produced nothing and have a negative test.

Since it is a period in which we cannot do anything but wait, I give you some recommendations to make it more bearable:

  • Change your thoughts. According to specialists, the brain cannot focus on two things at the same time, so if the thoughts while you wait cause you a lot of anxiety, focus on something else. Imagine a trip, the destination, what clothes would you wear, how much would you spend, who would accompany you. Or find a guided meditation that allows you to think about other, more positive things.

  • Get busy. If you work, do it one hundred percent. If you are at home, read a book, do a craft, watch a movie, go for a walk (if the doctor agrees), tidy up that shelf that has been waiting for you for weeks.

  • If you have doubts, call your doctor, do not stay with questions, because that will take up time that you could spend being calm and relaxed.

  • If you don’t need rest, lead your life as normal as possible. Make your time productive.

  • Avoid watching violent television series, reduce news consumption to a minimum. It would be a good time to focus on finding news that speaks well of humanity. That will also give you security and peace of mind.

  • Watch the internet sparingly and don’t believe everything you read. If possible, only read what comes from reputable institutions and doctors with a lot of experience in the area. The anxiety produced by poorly processed information is very negative.

  • Watch your diet and drink enough water. Getting pregnant will require slight changes that provide well-being to the baby and to yourself. This is a good time to start taking care of yourself, while making you feel like you’re doing something to help your pregnancy.

Most importantly, take the beta on the correct day, it doesn’t matter if you’ve bled a little. When the embryo is implanted, there may be slight bleeding, so do not worry. According to the doctors, all information is important, even a negative test can give results that help another future procedure. We wish them all the success!

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“Women’s health is important at all stages of life, from childhood to adolescent, to adulthood and old age.”

Dr. Otto Paredes
Dr. Otto Paredes
Fertility Expert

Reproductive medicine and gynecological endocrinology
Instituto Valenciano de Infertilidad, Spain.

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