The beta wait time + key TIPS at the end
what is betawait?
The betawait is that moment in which we are waiting to know if we are pregnant or not, those long days in which, whether naturally or through assisted reproduction, we know that we may be pregnant, although it is a term more used within fertility and assisted reproduction treatments.
Beta waiting is defined as the time that elapses between embryo transfer or artificial insemination and the moment in which can we do a pregnancy test either a urine test or the beta hcg blood pregnancy test, obtaining a reliable result.
Why should we wait?
Even if we don't like it, we must wait to take the pregnancy test because we have to give that embryo time to implant, grow and so our body will give us the beta hcg hormone signal. That's why we can't do anything before, at the moment, there is no pregnancy test that can detect it before. Whether or not there is assisted reproduction treatment.
In this article we bring you advice on what to do and what not to do during those intense days when we don't know if there is a positive outcome.
What to do and what not to do while waiting for the Beta hormone result.
It is known as the pregnancy hormone because it is only secreted by the woman's body when the embryo begins to develop, around day 10 of pregnancy. But We could also call it the despair hormone because these 10 days can become eternal, especially for women.
Fertility processes are a challenge for all couples and the result of their efforts will be materialized by the measurement of this hormone. Since the woman has an embryo transfer or undergoes an artificial insemination process, she must wait about 10 days to take the pregnancy test.
It can be measured both in urine and in blood tests and If the pregnancy develops normally, the values of this hormone will double every 48 hours, which would mean that everything is fine. The maximum peak of this hormone occurs around week 12-14 of pregnancy, that is, at the end of the first trimester and the beginning of the second trimester of pregnancy.
Why is it called Beta hcg and what does it actually do?
If you want to know more details about this hormone read that, if you want direct advice on betawait skip it 🫶
It is a hormone produced by the pituitary gland within the brain. It is part of the hormones called gonadotropins because they are secreted by cells with a similar name (gonadotrophs) of the pituitary gland. These hormones will mainly condition the function of the reproductive organs in men and women: the testicles and ovaries. But the Beta Chorionic Gonadotropin is manufactured exclusively from the developing embryo shortly after conception and, later, from a portion of the placenta. That is why it is such a determining factor in determining pregnancy.
But the importance of this hormone goes beyond the diagnosis of pregnancy. It is believed that its main function is to enhance the secretion of certain hormones, such as progesterone, which ensures the maintenance of the endometrium so that the monthly menstruation process does not occur and the pregnancy is viable. But also, It is believed that thanks to it the mother's immune system becomes tolerant of something strange and new such as an implanted embryo.. In this way, it prevents the mother's own immune system from rejecting, attacking and expelling the embryo. So it will be a protective hormone for the embryo during the first three months.
On its less positive side, we could highlight that This hormone is directly related to the severity of dizziness and nausea in pregnant women. But the initial discomfort of pregnant women during the first trimester remains a mystery to science today. So the relationship of this Beta hormone is rather based on hypotheses tested based on associations and some clinical evidence, rather than on understanding the mechanism of action that relates them.
How do we manage the wait better?
Now that we know the most technical part, let's see what we can do to make the wait until we can take the pregnancy test. It is important that waiting to know the result of this beta hcg hormone does not become an ordeal and You can continue with your normal life or keep your mind busy.
It is said that children come to this world to teach their parents... In the case of couples who have to go through fertility support processes, this learning begins even before! Learn to cultivate patience, perseverance and motivation It becomes a necessary routine for these couples. And, of course, after everything that has happened until reaching a betawait, it is perhaps even more difficult to stop your mind and live these days with happiness and excitement instead of anguish and fear.
There are those who ask you about what things they can do and what they can't. If they can walk, exercise; if they can work or pick up groceries; if they can go to the pool or the beach; If they can eat everything or not... they have asked us if in beta waiting you can sweep or better mop...We have to be sensible, and know that if we come from ovarian stimulation with embryo transfer, about 15 days after the puncture we will know if the assisted reproduction treatment has been successful.
What they do ask us above all is what they can do to not be nervous during 10 long days and 10 long nights. In the next posts we will post what we recommend doing in the waiting beta and in another, what we DO NOT recommend doing. Concepts and recommendations that we hope can help you these days.
The key TIPS:
- Keep your mind distracted.
- If your biomedical team or the assisted reproduction center has not told you otherwise, try to live a normal life.
- Many women prefer to be calm for those 10 or 14 days, especially after embryo transfer. It's okay if you need it too, we are human and we need our space.
- Ask for psychological support if you need it, they are there to help you whether or not you get a positive result.
- Do not leave the embryo transfer with questions, if you have any questions, ask your team.
- It's normal to feel everything from lower back pain to more need to sleep, pamper yourself and allow yourself to rest.
- On an emotional level, do not do anything that you feel could harm you towards a positive result, but do it sensibly.
- If you need to take the day off and lying down post embryo transfer, do it, it's your time.
- In terms of food, rich, varied, fresh, with colors and nuts.
- Don't forget your vitamins, mineral salts and folic acid.
- Exercise, it is not the time to do things that you did not do before, and if you are normally a very athletic person, it is the time to exercise a little more gently these 10 days until you know the result of the blood test.
- When taking the pregnancy test, if you do it in urine, keep in mind that it is important that you acquire test of pregnancy of the most sensitive, especially if you have been in assisted reproduction since on an emotional level there is a lot of tension and it is better to avoid erroneous results.
It may interest you:
- What do we recommend you do during the Betawait? 8 very important tips
- All about the best pregnancy tests, types and sensitivity
