Easy at home progression

[Steffi12]

Hello all!

Feel like I post so much but I always get such lovely responses and I don’t have anyone else to ask these things to
I have recently found out I am pregnant again after 5 recurrent miscarriages, no living children.
My last MC was a chemical, which has now got me obsessed with line progression. I know a lot of people say it isn’t a reliable way of monitoring hcg but it’s so hard when you’ve gone through so many losses, particularly with my last loss where my lines were so faint and just didn’t progress. I was on progesterone for that pregnancy too and my last hcg blood level was less than 1 but I only started to bleed 2 days after stopping the medication. So I’m worried the same couple happen again. Although my lines were never as dark as the ones I’ve had this time.

So, pictured is my line progression. I know the numbers are a little confusing, I was tracking ovulation with LH strips and didn’t actually get a peak just 2 days of consistently high numbers on the premom app. So I could be either 14 or 15dpo today I’m not sure but decided to go with the later number. My test today was a lot lighter than I expected for 14/15dpo. I also keep comparing to a previous pregnancy using the same strips last October, which were visibly darker at this stage. I have heard easy at homes aren’t as sensitive as they used to be but can’t find any proper evidence of that.

I am on progesterone 3 times daily and asprin following our IVF doctors instruction, we had just had our first appointment to get the ball rolling with IVF last month!

I did think my urine was quite dilute this morning for FMU as I’m so thirsty and have been waking in the night to drink which is unusual for me. So obviously this could be the cause. I know ultimately I’m on what medication I hopefully need to be on and it’s a waiting game but I’m driving myself crazy trawling the internet for progression pictures. I will try to contact my doctor in the morning to hopefully get some hcg bloods done to save all this testing

Thanks as always for reading all my ramblings! Xx

I think it's looking great.
You're also meant to test every second day, there won't be much of a visible difference when you test daily.
Everything crossed 🤞

Hey, I'm so sorry to hear of everything you've been through. I truly hope this is successful for you❤️ I have used easy@home for years between fertility struggles, loss, one successful pregnancy and now pregnant again, about 7 weeks along. I never had a bad thing so say about them until this time. I always thought they were excellent but this time round I was getting evaps in the months prior to conceiving, when actually pregnant they took ages to darken, some were broken lines, some were lighter than days previous. It really made me lose hope over this pregnancy progressing at all. On the day I had really admitted defeat, I went and got a few Boots tests and instantly got a dye stealer, when e@h weren't even close to that!
I think the quality must have changed big time since I last used them so maybe steer clear of them for now and see how another brand goes❤️

@Ginnygi

Thank you so so much for your kind response and advice. And you are right, looking at the 12 vs 14 and 13 vs 15 they do look like they have progressed. I really hope this baby makes it to our arms 🤞🏻❤️ xx

@Poster2233

Thank you so so much for your kind response and sharing your experiences❤️
I’m so sorry to hear about your struggles and losses but so glad you have had a successful pregnancy and are pregnant again ❤️

Your experience with these tests sounds so similar to mine! Thank you so sharing its made me feel a little more at ease hoping the tests just arent as sensitive. I think I’ll pop out to boots later to get the early response ones to try tomorrow!
I have already ordered more FRERs from Amazon but think I just need as much reassurance as I can get 🙈 I had 2 FRERs I used on 10 and 12 dpo this time. 10dpo was barely visable but 12dpo was a definite line so that showed progression. Hoping for a much darker line tomorrow morning on those 🤞🏻 xx

I just wanted to post a little update as I always find them useful if I’ve been searching through threads. So the next morning (4/8) I took another test, it was still easy at home but I had to order a new box as id ran out of the others. The test was a different design to my originals, the strip itself was longer and was just made in a different way so clearly a totally different batch which wasn’t ideal!
I also took a clear blue weeks indicator. The e@h test looked similar if not potentially a tad lighter to my others and the clear blue gave me a 1-2. Which was still in the range of normal for 15 or 16dpo but I was hoping for the 2-3. I contacted my GP who agreed to send me for HCG bloods. I have just had the first result today and going back tomorrow for a repeat in 72hours
My result was 215!! The picture of the test is the one I took that morning I had the bloods. And clearly the digitals can’t be fully trusted as the thereshold for 2-3 is 156!
I’m no way out of the woods and also will say weirdly my urine tests have been darker in the evening which I haven’t had before so that could be a factor. It’s just my at home tests had me a little worried as personally I would expect a darker line for a beta of 215. Hopefully my next result has more than doubled 🤞🏻 x

That sounds so promising and I have everything crossed for you that things continue to progress smoothly! I have heard of some women getting darker tests in the evening now that you mention it! Your GP sounds good and supportive. Update us if and when you feel up to it x

Hi OP,

A few thoughts to share!

Agree with PP, I get darker lines in evening. FMU often rubbish for me, not sure why. So that’s definitely a thing.

The difference in the strength of line vs. Numbers may be because kidneys metabolise HCG and urine concentration is therefore less than blood concentration.

I think I recall estimates in the region of 60% or so urine to blood HCG levels from my rabbit-holing.

I had 2/3 weeks at 16 DPO in a loss, 1-2 weeks at 14 DPO in current (so far successful 🙏🏼) a 2-3 at 15 DPO successful first pregnancy. Stuck on 1-2 in losses. So can go either way with those digitals. Don’t think they are worth the money at all.

I mostly just stuck to cheapos off Amazon for progression, Wondfo was my brand of choice.

For me the lines have always indicated success or an impending loss. People say they don’t mean anything, but i disagree.

Ive also had a good progression that stalled at 17/18 DPO and then dropped right down at 19, bled a few days later.

This is because there’s a “lag” due to that metabolising, the tests are a bit behind the real time situation if that makes sense.

I’ve been where you are, had many early losses and chemicals. Gone through an amount of cheapo tests that I wouldn’t even care to admit to. I’m honestly surprised I’m not bankrupt.

I do hope this will be the one for you ♥️

Hi ladies so sorry for the late reply, I’ve been feeling pretty rough which I’m hoping is a healthy pregnancy progressing and not just the big dose of progesterone I am on

@Poster2233 thank you so much 🥰 so my second blood result was 745 which was 72hrs later, meaning it had a doubling rate of 40hrs which I was made up with 🥰 the EPU have booked my early scan for when I am just over 7weeks. Which I am a little nervous about as I’ve never had a pregnancy progress that far. Whenever I’ve had scans at 8 weeks or above that’s when I’ve found out I’ve had a MMC at 6 weeks. Once we had a 6 week scan and we saw a heartbeat and then the next scan was bad news. So I can’t decide if it’s better to wait or book a 6 week as it might be the only chance to see a heartbeat, it’s difficult 😓 xx

@CatchHimDerry thank you so much for all this info that’s really helpful and makes a lot of sense ☺️ I’m so sorry to hear about your losses and I hope your pregnancy is still progressing well?❤️

I’ve tried to not test now as I was testing with easy at homes and wondfo and they have gotten as dark as the test line but not got that elusive dye stealer. But then I look at the tests I took the morning of when I had my blood test of 745 and they are obviously positive but would have thought they would be dye stealers! But can totally see what your saying about how hcg is excreted in urine which could be why. I have, rightly or wrongly, ordered a clear blue digital as in theory that should be well over the threshold for the 3+🙈
I really hope you are doing okay, pregnancy after loss is so hard xx

Hi @Steffi12

Hook variant is a thing as well, after a certain point I had to dilute urine with water to get that “dye stealer”.

Didnt do any of this nonsense with my first, it’s all due to the losses that I turned into a mad woman 😂

22 weeks now and hoping for the best!

I was the same as all my losses were 6 weeks or less, but at the 7 week at EPAU things were looking good, so I just took it a day at a time from there.

I refused to use those digitals though, as if I didn’t get a 3+ I knew i would panic so wasn’t worth it to me.

Best of luck to you too ♥️

@CatchHimDerry

Ahhh I had totally forgotten about the hook effect! I know I need to step away from the tests but it’s so difficult after loss isn’t it, you just want some hope all is okay. Totally understand how losses make you a mad woman I’m completely the same 🙈 my first pregnancy I only took two tests the whole time, a normal supermarket cheapy and then a digital so my husband could see the words. That was it! No obsessing over line progression! But sadly loss really plays with your head in future pregnancies doesn’t it
My last loss was a chemical which my lines faded but the progesterone masked any bleeding until bloods confirmed the loss and I stopped taking it. So that makes me worried, feel like I just need to see those good lines!

Thats amazing massive congratulations 🥰💐

And so similar to my history! Can I ask if you did anything different in this pregnancy? I’m on progesterone and low dose asprin and so hoping that’s my magic combination 🤞🏻

And you are so right about the week digitals, I shouldn’t take them really. Even this pregnancy I got a 1-2 when my blood hcg was 215 so that caused unnecessary worry. And a previous pregnancy I took one and had a 3+ but was bleeding and so again had a blood test and my hcg was 1419 which doesn’t fit the threshold it should have been 2-3. So I know they aren’t to be trusted at any point really, why do we do it to ourselves 🙈

Thank you so much❤️ I hope everything continues smoothly for you xx