SO???? Am I pregnant or what????

SO. The last time we did the BD was last Tuesday. Looking at the calendar below, (See "Neat Trick") I ovulated on Friday. Hmm, that is a bit of a stretch, even if we're just hoping for a girl--Shettle's says 2.5-3 days is the last time. Does O day count as part of that or no?? Arg!! Does BD day count or no???? Ack!!!

Well--I guess I just have to wait and see. But how soon can I see...here's the scoop on Hcg--what all those home pregnancy tests check.

From Conceiving concepts--HCG stands for human chorionic gonadotropin. Looks like it is secreted by the "trophoblast" (I assume the fertilized egg, right?) after actual fertilization (huh, I had thought it was only secreted after implantation--this is why I'm not a doctor! :) ). It says it doesn't show up in urine until "as early as" 10 days from conception, which is 1-2 days *after* implantation.

So, assuming I ovulated on Friday (4/29), and actually fertilized that day, I'm only on day 4 from conception (w/4/29 as day 1). Hmm, so maybe a little early to tell? I wonder what HCG levels are like at this stage....let's keep reading.

HCG is measured in milli-international units per millimeter (mIU/ml). Hmm, HCG is detectable in blood "as early as seven or eight days" after ovulation--"by very sensitive" tests. Again--I'm 4 days and counting. Arg.

Blood tests apparently can catch greater than 2 mIU/ml. And apparently HCG levels double every 2-3 days (72 hours) in early pregnancy. 0-1 week after *conception* is 0-50 mIU/ml expected HCG level. At 14 days after *ovulation* average is 48 mIU/ml. I'm currently only 4 days past either (in theory).

Hmmm, from babyhopes the various tests' sensitivities are:


Sensitivities checked with manufacturers in February 2005
Test Name Lowest hCG detected

AimStick Pregnancy Test Strip 20 mIU
AccuHome Midstream Pregnancy Test 25 mIU
Answer Early Result Pregnancy Test 25 mIU
Answer Pregnancy Test (Cup) 25 mIU
Clearblue +/- 25 mIU
Clearblue Digital 25 mIU
Confirm 1-Step Pregnancy Test 25 mIU
Equate Pregnancy Test 25 mIU
First Response Early Result Pregnancy Test 25 mIU
One Step Be Sure Pregnancy Test 25 mIU
Precise Pregnancy Test (doctors office) 25 mIU
Quickview Pregnancy Test (doctors office)25 mIU
Walgreen Digital 25 mIU
e.p.t. Home Pregnancy Test 40 mIU
Fact Plus Pregnancy Test 40 mIU
CVS Cartridge Pregnancy Test 50 mIU
CVS Midstream Pregnancy Test 50 mIU
Dollar Store Brand Pregnancy Test 50 mIU
Drug Emporium Brand Pregnancy Test 50 mIU
e.p.t. + / - Test 50 mIU
e.p.t. Certainty Digital Test 50 mIU
early Pregnancy test 50 mIU
RiteAid Brand Pregnancy Test 50 mIU
Target Brand Pregnancy Test 50 mIU
WalMart Brand Pregnancy Test 50 mIU
Walgreens Pregnancy Test 100 mIU


So, lowest sensitivity is 20 it looks like. Which I *might* have by now, maybe. Maybe not. I'm at 4 days, its detectable in blood 7-8 days after O. Arg. Maybe I'll just buy some just to have something to DO.