Tag Archives: menstruation

Conversations.

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RE Nurse: We need to send you over to an OBGYN so they can give you a Rhogam shot.

K: OK.

RE Nurse (on phone): We have a patient here that needs a Rhogam shot.  Can we send her over to you?

OBGYN Nurse (on phone): Is she having a miscarriage?

RE Nurse: Yes.

OBGYN Nurse: How has this been confirmed? Hands phone to me.

K: I’ve had six betas, the highest of which peaked at 410. My most recent was 32.  I’ve been bleeding for five days. Bright, red blood. The ultrasound at 5 weeks 5 days didn’t show anything in my uterus.

OB Nurse: So this is your first pregnancy?

K: No, this is my second.

OB Nurse: Oh! You have one child?

K: No. I had a miscarriage in March.

OB Nurse: March of 2011?

K: No. March of this year. March 6th.

OB Nurse: And you are having another miscarriage?!

K: Yes.

OB Nurse: OK. I think we can see you today.  Can you come right over?

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OBGYN: So, this is your first pregnancy?

K: No. This is my second.

OBGYN: Oh! You have a child?

K: No. I had a miscarriage in March. I was 9 weeks. They did a D&C and gave me the Rhogam shot.

OBGYN: It really isn’t that common to have back-to-back miscarriages.

(Five percent.  Those are the odds.  I don’t need you to tell me.)

OBGYN: So. You’ve just been spotting and you think your pregnancy might be at risk?

K: No. I had a miscarriage. This has been confirmed with betas and an ultrasound.

OBGYN: Well. An ultrasound that early may not show anything.

K: No, perhaps not.

(Lady, I’m not fucking pregnant. I understand you must cover your ass, but there isn’t a shot in hell. Did you even glance at the chart?)

OBGYN: You’ve just been spotting?

K: No. I’ve been bleeding since Friday.  Bright red blood.  Clots. Stringy shit. At this point, the bleeding has tapered off.

OBGYN: Well, was it bleeding like menstruation or spotting?

K: Bleeding like menstruation. Heavier than menstruation.

OBGYN: Oh, that’s too bad. Well now it’s time to do some more testing.

K: Yes. My RE ordered the karyotyping test.

OBGYN:   Well, you are young and healthy.  It will happen.

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Hair Stylist: I love your hair.  I was dying my hair bright white like yours, but I stopped.

(Oh, she stopped dying her hair because she’s pregnant.  She set the conversation up like this so I will ask her why she stopped bleaching her hair. Everyone thinks that babies are a good conversation for women our age.)

K: Oh? Why did you stop dying it?

Stylist: Well, I found out I was pregnant and I was uncomfortable with all the chemicals necessary to bleach my hair.  I thought I would rather be safe than sorry.

(I bet she is due in October when I would have been due.)

K: Congratulations. When is your due date?

Stylist: October 12th. You can’t really tell. I’m not showing yet.

(Right. A due date a couple of days behind me. How many weeks would I have been, 20?)

K: How many weeks are you?

Stylist: Hmm.  I dunno.  Nineteen or 20?

(That must be nice. You mean you don’t have an internal tracker that ticks the days off as you move towards viability. Huh.)

K: Halfway there.  How do you feel?

Stylist: I’ve been pretty sick, but my mum was sick for the entire pregnancy when she had me, so that’s what I think is going to happen.  Do you have kids?

K: No.

Stylist: Oh, do you want kids?

K: Shrug.

Stylist: Maybe someday? They are a lot of work.  This is going to be my only one.

K: Maybe someday.

CD 1, Cycle #13

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The Story of Menstruation presented by Walt Disney Co. and sponsored by Kotex, circa 1945.

“To most girls the menstrual period should bring no severe discomfort. Some girls have a little less pep or a feeling of pressure in the lower part of the body, perhaps an occasional twinge or touch of nerves. But don’t let it get you down. After all, no matter how you feel, you have to live with people. You have to live with yourself, too! And once you stop feeling sorry for yourself and you take those days in your stride, you’ll find it easier to keep smiling and even-tempered.”

“And, incidentally, it’s smart to keep looking smart. That well-groomed feeling will give you new poise and boost your morale. Especially when it’s backed up year-round with fresh air and sunshine and plenty of rest and sleep. Because the best possible insurance on those days is healthy living every day.”

New Life.

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Today is CD 1.  I started spotting late last night, and today my period officially started. I won’t lie. I’m not sad to see this cycle go.  I was happy that I ovulated only 23 days after the D&C, but my follicular phase and luteal phase both were punctuated with abnormal and unusual patterns.  For instance, I didn’t have any normal signs of ovulation.  There was scant cervical mucus.  My cervix jumped about from position to position. My libido was AWOL, but my heart feels a bit broken these days hence the AWOL libido.  Post-O, my breasts didn’t change size and they weren’t sore.  My temperature shifted but, overall, my temps were much lower than normal.  And, at ten days, this was the shortest luteal phase I’ve ever had.  I hope the miscarriage hasn’t permanently disrupted my fragile balance of hormones.

Plus, I lost my baby this cycle.  My hope for a new life. My dream of a potential future.  All of that really sucked ass.  I’m ready to move forward.

CD #1 of our twelfth cycle in the sixteenth month  feels really good.  It is time to start anew, and we are ready.  My RE informs me that by taking clomid or femara my odds of conceiving any given month jump from about 5% to 15%, which are the odds that 88.5% of fertile couples our age face during any given cycle.  That means that I should get pregnant within the next six cycles, assuming I medicate for all six. [Insert prayer here.]

This is going to be my first medicated cycle, so hold on to your pants, ladies.  Here we go.

It felt appropriate to insert some photos from our trip to the Butterfly Pavillion yesterday. I hope everyone has had wonderful weekend.