New doctor doldrums...
So, I went to my regular OB's office for the first pre-natal appointment following my successful IVF cycle. Now, I shouldn't be complaining, I know... I should just be grateful & overjoyed that my 1st round of IVF worked and I've "graduated" from my RE's office (and with any luck, never to return)! But what I'm feeling is a degree of disappointment for a number of reasons...
1. I met with a nurse midwife today. He's nice enough and has been doing this for a long time, but that caused our meeting to feel as if he was just "going through the motions." Doing something he's done with hundreds, probably thousands, of women before me. It didn't feel special or customized to my specific medical issues or history.
2. The office I go to doesn't assign you to a particular OB. You rotate through all the doctors in the practice. (According to the midwife, this is because you could end up with any one of them on delivery day, and they want you to feel comfortable with all the docs). I can't decide if I think this is a good policy or if it's impersonal. I also wonder how common it is.
3. I found out I won't have another u/s (unless there's some sort of serious problem) until 20 weeks!!!!! I've only had ONE u/s at 6 weeks, and technically I paid for that in full, since it was during the end of my stint with the RE and still part of my IVF cycle. Really?! Insurance can't throw me a bone and give me some care/coverage, now that I finally AM pregnant?!?! Again, I understand the rationale. I'm being treated like any other pregnant patient at this point. ...But the problem is, I don't FEEL like a regular pregnant patient! They don't share the experience -- the rollercoaster with twists and turns and steep, stomach-churning drops -- that us IF gals do. Also, I'm one of those "advanced maternal age" gals, and I wish they'd treat me with a little more care, rather than just scaring me with all the associated risks of pregnancy over 35.
4. And of course there's the terrifying battalion of tests you can opt to have. Can I ask what you ladies have done? Are you having an amniocentesis? CVS? The risk of miscarriage horrifies me, so I'm wondering if the cell-free DNA blood test adequately substitutes for those other diagnostic (and sometimes dangerous) tests.
I left feeling mildly happy that I'm being treated like a "normal" pregnancy, but mostly feeling like I needed a hug. :(
1. I met with a nurse midwife today. He's nice enough and has been doing this for a long time, but that caused our meeting to feel as if he was just "going through the motions." Doing something he's done with hundreds, probably thousands, of women before me. It didn't feel special or customized to my specific medical issues or history.
2. The office I go to doesn't assign you to a particular OB. You rotate through all the doctors in the practice. (According to the midwife, this is because you could end up with any one of them on delivery day, and they want you to feel comfortable with all the docs). I can't decide if I think this is a good policy or if it's impersonal. I also wonder how common it is.
3. I found out I won't have another u/s (unless there's some sort of serious problem) until 20 weeks!!!!! I've only had ONE u/s at 6 weeks, and technically I paid for that in full, since it was during the end of my stint with the RE and still part of my IVF cycle. Really?! Insurance can't throw me a bone and give me some care/coverage, now that I finally AM pregnant?!?! Again, I understand the rationale. I'm being treated like any other pregnant patient at this point. ...But the problem is, I don't FEEL like a regular pregnant patient! They don't share the experience -- the rollercoaster with twists and turns and steep, stomach-churning drops -- that us IF gals do. Also, I'm one of those "advanced maternal age" gals, and I wish they'd treat me with a little more care, rather than just scaring me with all the associated risks of pregnancy over 35.
4. And of course there's the terrifying battalion of tests you can opt to have. Can I ask what you ladies have done? Are you having an amniocentesis? CVS? The risk of miscarriage horrifies me, so I'm wondering if the cell-free DNA blood test adequately substitutes for those other diagnostic (and sometimes dangerous) tests.
I left feeling mildly happy that I'm being treated like a "normal" pregnancy, but mostly feeling like I needed a hug. :(
Replies
NIPT (the cell free DNA test you referred to) is totally safe and has a high accuracy at detecting increased odds for trisomy 13, 18, and 21. If you\'re worried I would definitely start there since there are zero risks involved (other than you getting bruised from the blood draw). Also carrier screening if you haven\'t had that already.
Sincerely,
Your local genetics expert/nerd (aka feel free to ask me anything about genetics and I will likely have the answer for you!)