Scared, But Moving On

I had my follow-up appointment with my ob/gyn this morning.  I was a nervous wreck going into it, as I was prepared to tell her I wanted to seek further testing and treatment with a RE.  I was worried about how she would react, but hopeful she would understand where I was coming from, and I even thought perhaps she would suggest this herself.  Just as I feared, when I suggested that maybe seeing a RE would be beneficial, she didn't take the bait. 

She doesn't think a RE would do anything differently than what she's doing.

She thinks seeing a RE would be beneficial if I wasn't ovulating, but since I respond to Clomid and don't have trouble getting pregnant, she doesn't think it would be necessary.

She's willing to do chromosomal analysis for Jeff and I, as well as a HSG.  However, she said if either of these things show something wrong, there's nothing that can be done about it anyway.  First, I don't believe that an issue with my uterus can't be fixed.  Most things can....right?  And yes I realize nothing can be done about our genetics.  However if, God forbid, blood tests show that either one of us has a chromosome issue, we'd much rather know about it now instead of going through this same cycle of getting pregnant and miscarrying over and over again.  Why would be put ourselves through that if we didn't have to?

She threw out other ideas of things to try:  Femera instead of Clomid, throwing baby aspirin in the mix even though I don't have clotting disorders.  She suggests these things but then stares at me like I'm suppose to be the one to decide what we do.  You're the doctor.  You need to tell me what do to.

As soon as I could see the conversation wasn't going to swing the way I wanted it to, I shut down.  I put up a wall, nodded my head, and said okay we'd think about it.  I wish I had the guts to just tell her we'll be going to a RE anyway, but by that point I didn't care.  I just wanted to get out of there so I could start crying (which you can bet I did as soon as I got to my car). 

I hate to bash my doctor, because up until she now she really has been great.  I've been through a lot with her in the 8 years I've been going to her.  I trust her.  I know it sounds stupid, but when I fantasize about having a baby, she's always been included in my fantasy as the one to deliver him/her.  So stepping away from her not only scares me, but also makes me sad.  I assume once I do achieve a successful pregnancy, I will be go back to her, but who knows where this new road is going to lead us in the future. 

I don't question her knowledge per say.  She is probably right for the most part, we may find she isn't doing anything different than a RE would do.  But what bothers me is she doesn't seem to be supportive of a second opinion.  She can't admit that maybe, just maybe, she doesn't know it all.  And that maybe us seeing a specialist wouldn't be such a bad idea.

The other thing that has always bothered me, the thing I thought of while sitting in the room half naked for 35 minutes today waiting for her to see me, is I always feel like I'm not the priority in that office.  I feel like when I go there for a prenatal appointment, I get brought right back to the room, and I hardly have to wait for my doctor to come in.  But when I'm there for a Clomid check, or D&C follow-up appointment, I always have to wait a really long time.  It just makes me feel even that much more left behind.  Like the pregnant ladies are the important ones, and those who can't have a baby are on the bottom of the totem pole.  I'm ready to go to a doctor who's #1 priority all day every day is their patients' fertility.  Where we're all equally in first place instead of last.   

For some stupid, silly reason I wanted her blessing.  And I didn't get it.  And that upsets me.  But, I have to take this next step, with or without her blessing, because I know in my heart it's what is best for us. 

I'm so exhausted from the last year.  I feel like I have had to be my own advocate for so much.  I felt like I had to spend my time searching the internet to try and find an answer to our problems.  I'm just tired, and ready to put this in the hands of someone else.  I want to throw it all on a RE and tell him to take care of it.  Tell him to figure out what's wrong and what we need to do.  Have him make a plan for us.  Tell me what I need to do and where I need to be, and I'll do it.  I just can't think about it anymore...

Welcome ICLWers!

Hello all, and welcome to my blog.  I am a 30 year old with PCOS.  My husband and I have been married for 2 1/2 years, and together for 6.  We are trying to start the family we've always wanted, but finding it to be much harder than we ever thought.  In the last year I have been pregnant three times, and lost all three.  Not many people can say they have been pregnant three times in one year, and it almost makes me sick to my stomach that I can say that.

I started this blog in March of last year, shortly after my first miscarriage.  When I started it, I expected to blog about my journey through infertility for a few months, and then have it quickly turn into a pregnancy blog, and then write about raising our first child and our life in general.  I never in a million years dreamed I would be sitting here a year later, still writing about our struggle, with two more losses under our belt. 

My husband and I are at a bit of a stalling point now in our TTC journey.  My ob/gyn has basically chalked all three losses up to "bad luck" and wants us to just keep trying and doing what we've been doing (Clomid).  Neither one of us can accept that and feel like we need to have more testing done before moving forward.  I plan on making an appointment with a RE in the very near future to explore our options.

I look forward to meeting some new faces and getting to know you!

Goodbye Angel #3

We didn't get good news at our appointment today.  There was no heartbeat and it was measuring 2 weeks behind.  I'm devastated.  I'm not ready to give up this fight yet, but I really don't know how much more I can take. 

My doctor feels like we're doing everything possible, and there's just no explanation for it.  After 3 losses I'm starting to find that to be a pretty tough pill to swallow.  I feel like I need  more answers than what we've gotten so far.  She said we can do chromosonal testing on both Jeff and I to see if there are any issues there.  However, if there is something chromosonal/genetically wrong with us, nothing can be done to change it.   She said issues with the uterus itself can sometimes cause miscarriage, but mine appears to be find to her and she really doesn't think that's an issue. 

So, I don't know what to do.  My doctor wants to keep doing what we're doing and hope for the best.  I feel like I need more than that.  I don't know if such a thing as egg quality really exists, but I can't help wondering if my PCOS is affecting the eggs themselves, and therefore things just aren't right from the start?  Would moving on to injectibles instead of dinking around with Clomid give us a better result, and reduce our chance for miscarriage somehow?  She doesn't think so.  If we were to seek a second opinion - would we go back to the RE we consulted with a year ago?  Is there some other type of doctor who specializes in things like RPL? 

Obviously, Jeff and I have a lot of things to talk about and a lot of decisions to make.  We went ahead and scheduled a D&C for this Friday.  So first we'll get through that and take things one step at a time from there.  God, I really don't want to be going through this again.  I wish someone could just put me to sleep and wake me up in a month when the hardest part of this, emotionally and physically, is over with. 

I Was Wrong

This morning when I peed on a stick, two pink lines appeared.  I couldn't believe it, and I still am a little shocked.  My first reaction was to freak out (naturally) and start crying, thinking about all the bad ways this pregnancy could end.  I really don't think I can handle a third miscarriage.  Poor confused Jeff asked why I was crying and said "But I thought we wanted to get pregnant?"  He told me I need to think positive.  He's always the optimist.


So, now I need to start the progesterone suppositories.  I'm waiting on a call back from my doctor's office to get this filled and get some more instructions on how to use them.  I guess one reason I'm super paranoid about the outcome of this pregnancy is because my doctor just called me late yesterday to let me know my progesterone results from last week.  It was 11.5 (at 6dpo).  For those of you who aren't familiar with this, they want to see it over a 10 on a nonmedicated cycle, and over 15 on a medicated cycle.  So, that number basically confirmed I did ovulate, but the number wasn't as high as they want to see.  So now I feel panicked to start the progesterone ASAP (I called them 2 hours ago and no call back yet - grrrr!). 

I have so many thoughts running through my head right now, but need some time to gather them.  If anyone has used progesterone (vaginal) suppositories, and has any suggestions/advice, I'll gladly take it.

Testing Tomorrow...

I'm planning on testing tomorrow (I'll be 12dpo) but I have a really strong feeling it's going to be negative.  The two times I've been pregnant I had an intuition leading up to testing that I was pregnant (I got a BFP at 11dpo both times).  This time, my intuition tells me I'm not.  And I'm lacking the one and only symptom I had those times before:  extreme thirst.  I know it sounds silly, but that's how I knew I was pregnant both times before - I was extremely thirsty for a couple days before I tested.  Right now I could care less if my water glass is empty.

I'm trying to brace for the lack of second line, but I know it's going to hurt.  I feel like we really made an effort this cycle and had really good timing, and I'm afraid it's all been for nothing and we'll have to do it all over again in a couple weeks.  I realize this is only our second cycle of trying again, but as each cycle goes by with a BFN, I get more and more scared that this might not ever happen again for us, or the means to get pregnant again might be a little more involved than simply popping 5 Clomid pills each cycle. 

I guess it's out of my control.  Part of me feels so strongly that I'm not pregnant that I don't want to even bother wasting a test.  But....I have to start progesterone suppositories as soon as I get a BFP, so I hate to wait to test and put off starting the progesterone that much longer.  So, either way I feel forced to test.  If it's negative, at least I can start mentally moving on from this cycle that much sooner.

Warning: Infertile Inside

Today I had my Clomid check (check for cysts and get progesterone drawn) with my Ob/Gyn.  I think every single pregnant lady or new mom with their baby decided to make an appointment on the same day as me.  Normally I'm fine with seeing the occassional pregnant patient in the office, as I know it's bound to happen in an Ob/Gyn's office.  But seriously, every.single.patient. today was knocked up.  Ouch. 

And even that wouldn't be so bad, except I sat in the waiting room for 45 minutes before I finally got called back.  And in that time a dozen pregnant women were called back while I sat....and waited...and waited...and waited.  I felt like a leper.  I felt like I was low on the priority list just because I wasn't pregnant.  I can picture the receptionists conversation now:  "Who is that patient out there still waiting?  Oh, she's an infertile?  Well, she can wait then." 

I know that's not how it is at all.  There are 5 physicians in this practice so I'm sure I was just the lucky one who's doctor was running behind.  But still, it made me feel really crappy.  When I show up they should hang a sign on the door that reads:  'Warning: Infertile Inside, Pregnant Women Enter at Your Own Risk.'  

The other thing that stung today was the conversation I had with Dr. C.  We were talking about how many cycles of Clomid we'll try, etc.  She said something to the effect of:  "Once we get you ovulating you seem to not have a problem getting pregnant - it's the staying pregnant part that is an issue now."

Gulp.  I know all this, believe me I do.  But it was the first time I've actually heard my doctor say it out loud to me.  Staying pregnant is an issue.  I guess I expected my doctor to be the optimistic one that would say having two miscarriages in a row was normal and something she saw all the time.  But no, it's an issue for my doctor just as much as it's an issue with me.  Sigh.

On a good note, I'm pretty sure I did finally ovulate last week (on CD17 nonetheless - that's good right?!).  I know I've said it before but I'm going to say it again, I'm in love with the 2WW (two week wait).  It's 1,000 times less stressful than waiting to ovulate.  I really do want to thank everyone for their comments on my Mid-Cycle Freakout post.  I helps so much to know I'm not crazy and that everyone else has felt that way at some point in their journey.  I feel so lucky to have "met" all of you.  This blogging community is so amazing. 

XOXO

Mid-Cycle Freakout

Today is CD16.  This is usually the time every cycle where I start to have slight panic attacks, get frustrated with my body, and start to lose hope that I will ever a) ovulate, b) get pregnant again, and c) stay pregnant.

Every cycle once I coast right past CD14 (you know, the day when "normal" people ovulate) I start questioning everything:
 

• What if the Clomid doesn't work this cycle and I don't ovulate? 
• Why is my doctor still dinking around with 50mg, shouldn't we be moving me up to 100mg? 
• Am I doing the right thing by continuing to treat with my OB/GYN instead of a RE? 
• If I was treating with an RE instead, would he be doing anything differently? 
• What if we don't get pregnant this cycle?  That means the number of Clomid cycles we can do is diminishing, and what if we have to move on to injectibles with a RE? 
• Will Jeff or myself be able to give me shots if it comes down to that?
• Does ovulating later than "normal" mean my eggs are a poorer quality?  Is this the reason for my miscarriages?  Is there even such a thing?  If there is, then maybe I don't want to get pregnant this cycle afterall.
• What if we get burned out of having sex and miss my fertile window, simply because it takes me so long to ovulate and we get sick of doing it by then?
• What if I don't get pregnant again with Clomid alone?  What if someday it comes down to IVF?  Will that be a huge waste of money if I can't even stay pregnant?
• Why does this have to be so hard?

I know I sound like a raging lunatic.  But honestly, every single one of these thoughts ran through my head (multiple times) last night as I tried to go to sleep. 

Someone please have me committed. 

At least then I wouldn't have to worry about all this stuff.

Eating My Words

So....I may have to eat my words from my last post.  I may have ovulated afterall.  My BBT has been high for a few days now and it appears I have.  I have an appointment today to get my progesterone checked, so only time will tell for sure.  I would show you my chart but I can't figure out how to!

So why can't I seem to get positive OPKs?  I think I've written about this before that I am never able to catch my surge.  Is my surge really that short?  I get so frustrated with them that I've decided I'm not going to use them anymore.  I trust that as long as we're having sex every other day we should be covered, even though that didn't happen this cycle.  I find that by using the OPKs I get more focused on looking for that positive instead of just doing it.  They seem to do me more harm than good so I've decided to give them up. 

Other than TTC, things in my life are going well.  Despite our super crappy year, I'm letting myself enjoy the holiday season this year.  Our house is decorated, we managed to throw a few lights on our shrubs, and I've already spent one weekend baking cookies.  I plan on spending this weekend doing some more baking (and them I'm sure I'll be sick of it, haha!).  We did some shopping last night and managed to get quite a few gifts crossed off our list, which makes me feel way less stressed.  I think this is the first year that we actually know what we're getting everyone and aren't waiting until the last minute to do our shopping.  We are, however, struggling with ideas for our 2 year old nephews - so if anyone has ideas I'll gladly take them! 

Annoyed

I'm super annoyed with my body right now.  I swore I wasn't going to do a post complaining about my sucky body, but I just can't hold back any longer.  I'm currently on CD19 with no ovulation in sight.  I have some signs (cervical mucus and position - sorry for the TMI) that appear I'm gearing up to O, but my OPKs are very much negative and my temps are a little all over the place.   

When AF arrived all on her own 7 weeks post-miscarriage this time, I stupidly hoped my body might start cooperating a little more.  I was hoping my low-carb diet and Metformin would give me that extra little 'boost' this cycle to help me ovulate earlier than I have in the past.  I didn't ovulate until CD23 last time on Clomid (when I got pregnant the 2nd time) so I haven't completely given up hope yet.  I just get tired of waiting.  I've never been a patient person, but boy-oh-boy has my patience been tested this year.  I feel like all I've done is spent the last year and a half waiting - waiting through long unmedicated cycles, waiting to ovulate at a "normal" time while on Clomid, waiting for those first doctor's appointments once we did find out we were pregnant, spending half a day in the hospital (twice) waiting for my D&C's, waiting for the sting and sadness of losing our little ones to dissipate, waiting for my period to finally start after each miscarriage so that we could start trying again. 

And it's not that I even care so much about getting pregnant this cycle, I know the odds of it happening the first cycle are slim.  I just want to ovulate and feel like a normal woman.  I think that's the thing that women who have normal cycles can't quite understand.  For those of us with PCOS, the majority of the frustration is simply to be given a chance at getting pregnant.  If I had textbook 28-day cycles my anxiety level would be so much lower, because I would know that if things didn't work this month, I only had to wait a few weeks to try again.  With PCOS there never appears to be an end in sight with each cycle.  

I know I'll ovulate eventually.  Until then I guess I'll just keep peeing in a cup, sticking a thermometer in my mouth, and sticking a finger up my hooha.

Buckling Up and Holding on Tight

Guess what?  AF (aunt flo, aka: my period) arrived on Saturday!  I've never been so excited for AF to show up.  I'm not only excited for the fact that this means we can start trying again, but it also means my body really did cooperate and ovulated all on it's own.  Maybe I do need to try and have a little more faith in my body afterall? 

So....that means that today is CD3 and I'll be starting Clomid.  I never dreamed that when I miscarried in October that we would be able to start trying again in November already.  I feel really good about this.  I'm hopeful that I will get pregnant again and will actually stay pregnant this time.  Then again, maybe I'm just being stupidly optimistic and will get my heart broken again.  But, you can't win if you don't play though, so let the rollercoaster ride begin!

New and Improved Plan

I had my follow up appointment with my OB and here is our plan moving forward:

- I started on Metformin ER (extended release) 500mg, and will continue to take that through the 1st trimester when I get pregnant again.

- I had 11 vials of blood drawn yesterday for my RPL testing, results pending.

- Once my period decides to make it's grand entrance, I will take Clomid again since it seems to work for me.  If my period doesn't start by the first part of December I am to call for Provera to induce one.

- When I get pregnant again I will be on progesterone suppositories through the 1st trimester.

I'm so happy with this plan.  It's everything I was hoping for going into this appointment.  What's great is my OB suggested most of these things so I didn't even have to push her to do any of it.  I've had this inner struggle for a long time as to whether or not I should be moving on to an RE.  However, I feel so comfortable with my OB and feel like she's doing all the right things at this point that I'm glad I decided to stick it out with her.  Obviously if I don't get pregnant again with a few more cycles of Clomid, it might then be time to re-evaluate things.  But for now, I couldn't be more excited about our plan and the possibilities of what the future holds!

Caught By Surprise Again

It's funny how one simple little thing like ovulating can change my entire mood and outlook on life.  Ovulating is all I ever wanted this cycle, and it looks like I may have finally gotten just that.  My temps have been up for over 3 days now and I have that clear thermal shift on my chart.  When I tested last Friday afternoon/evening the 2nd line on the OPK was *almost* as dark as the control line (on the internet cheapies).  Saturday morning was the same thing.  However, the digitals kept coming up negative.  By Saturday afternoon the line had started to fade, and when I tested again Sunday afternoon it was stark white.  So, I'm guessing I must have had a really short LH surge again this cycle sometime between Friday night and Saturday morning and missed it?  Agh, it's so confusing and annoying!  I did have what I believe to be ovulation pain Saturday.  I didn't temp Saturday or Sunday morning so I can't tell for sure when I O'd, but think it was one of those days (CD22 or 23). 

Dr. C. just called and confirmed my progesterone was low on CD21, so that didn't surprise me at all.  She said next cycle we'll up the Clomid dose to 100mg and hopefully that will move my O date up.  That's if I'm not pregnant of course.  We actually did have good timing considering I had no idea what my body was up to.  I'm just happy my body finally did cooperate, even though it was late.  Waiting to O is just pure torture.  I would take a 2 week wait over waiting to O any day.

Waiting

Why can't my body just be normal and do what it's suppose to for once?  I'm 16 dpo and still waiting for my period to start.  I had a huge temp drop at 13 dpo and thought for sure this cycle was coming to an end.  I was prepared for it because I had already tested (it was negative, obviously), and was okay with it.  But the next day my temp sprung way back up (the highest it's been this cycle) and stayed there since.  I don't know what's going on.  I took another test yesterday and it was stark white. 

The ladies on my message board say it could just be the stronger ovulation from taking Clomid caused my progresterone levels to be higher, and is just taking this long to leave my system.  However, my progesterone at 7 dpo was 18.9, so it wasn't that high.   

At this point I don't know what to do.  I get the impression that both my doctor and nurses at my ob/gyn office don't really "believe" in charting, so if I called them and told thim about my temps still being up they'd think I was some sort of loon.  I guess all I can do is wait.  I just worry that this delay in AF is some sort of bad side effect from Clomid, although I don't have any idea what it would be. 

Preparing For A Temp Drop

When we started TTC again, I told myself this time around I wasn't going to get my hopes up.  In my life I always set myself up for disappointment, and therefore I made a pact with myself not to do this while TTC this second time around.  Well, that's way easier said than done.

I had told myself I wasn't going to get stressed out if 3 or 4 Clomid cycles go by and I'm not pregnant yet.  Maybe after 4 cycles I'll let myself start panicking.  And I for sure wasn't placing any expectations at all on this very first cycle.  Ha!  Here I am at 8dpo and I'm already imagining the "what ifs".  I swore I'd never be one of those girls that gets all excited over phantom symptoms.  Especially now that I know what it really feels like (or doesn't feel like) this early on in a pregnancy.  However, with every little twinge I feel in my abdomen I get excited thinking this is it. 

*sigh*

So, all I can do is try not to think about it for the next few days and brace myself for a temp drop.  I'm going to try really hard to hold out on testing until 12dpo because I think a temp drop would be easier to see than a BFN.  But who are we kidding?  A temp drop is going to sting just as bad. 

Didn't See That Coming

According to my BBT (basil body temperature) I ovulated on Monday, which was CD16.  That totally caught me off guard.  The last time I took Clomid I didn't ovulate until CD21 so I wasn't expecting it at all this early.  I had even been taking ovulation predictor tests, which had been negative.  Apparently I missed my surge?  I was only testing once a day so I suppose that's very likely what happened.  I guess I'll know better next time (if there is one!) to test twice a day.  I'm still not fully convinced I actually ovulated as I didn't really have any other symptoms (ovulation pain, sore boobs), but my temps definitely tell me I did.  I have my progesterone check on Monday which should confirm whether or not I did ovulate.  So for now, I wait.....

Clomid Round 1.2

Well, we're officially back in TTC game.  My period finally decided to make it's grand appearance over the weekend.  It actually started on the last day of my Provera pills so I was a little surprised to see it that soon, but definitely no complaints here! 

The reason I'm calling this round 1.2 is because technically this is my second round of Clomid, however my first round was way back in October and therefore it feels like we're starting over again for the first time.  Calling it round one would be incorrect, but at the same time calling it round two doesn't quite feel appropriate either.  So, I'm thinking of it as a second go at round one.  For some reason I'm having many mixed emotions about this, and it took me several hours today to muster up the courage to take the first pill.  I think I'm mostly worried that my body won't cooperate and it will end up being yet another very frustrating cycle.  And I what I mean by not cooperating is not ovulating.  I honestly don't expect to get pregnant this first cycle TTC again.  I'm not feeling pressured by any means, and am going to give it 3-4 cycles before starting to get too concerned if not pregnant by then.     

Getting Cold Feet

At the time of my D&C, Dr. C. was already talking about when we could start trying again.  Much to my surprise she said we only had to wait this one cycle, and once I got my period we could start trying again.  On average, women should get their period about 4-6 weeks after a miscarriage.  However, with my history of long cycles Dr. C. said if we made it to the eight week mark and no period, she would prescribe Provera to induce one.  At the time I couldn't even imagine what my life would look like eight weeks from then.  Having to wait eight weeks seemed like an eternity.  I mean, eight weeks: that's two whole months!  Of course I was mourning the loss of our baby, but at the same time very eager to start trying again. 

Well, this coming Tuesday marks eight weeks and I haven't even ovulated yet.  The last two months have flown by and I can't believe we're closing in on time to start trying again.  At this point I'm very undecided as to whether or not I want to call for the prescription.  As soon as my period starts, I'll be starting Clomid a few days later, and we'll officially be actively trying again.  It's crazy to think there's a possiblity that I could be pregnant again a month from now.  One one hand I want to call for the Provera and get started.  On the other hand, I want to let nature takes it's course and wait until my body ovulates, and in turn has a period, on it's own.  Maybe I'm putting too much faith in my own body, but deep down I feel like she can do it! 

If I'm being honest with myself though, I'm avoiding making that call because I'm scared.  Once we start trying again, it opens up all sorts of possibilities.  Once we start trying it opens up the possiblity that my body may not ovulate despite the help of Clomid.  It opens up the possibility of the disappointment and heartache of negative pregnancy tests.  Even worse, it opens up the possiblity of getting that elusive positive pregnancy test, only to miscarry again and lose yet another baby. 

Our TTC Journey Thus Far

I stopped taking birth control pills in May 2010 after being on them for 10 years.  After a couple of long, irregular cycles (60-90 days), my ob/gyn (Dr. C.) decided to do some bloodwork, which ended up showing that I have PCOS.  Dr. C. explained the first course of action would be to take a fertility drug called Clomid to make me ovulate.  Clomid is taken for 5 days and is usually prescribed for cycle days (CD) 3-7 or 5-9.  I was prescribed to take it CD3-7.  I did ovulate that cycle, but didn’t get pregnant.  In the meantime I had been doing some research, and had found that patients should be monitored with ultrasounds while taking Clomid.  Dr. C. had told me she didn’t think this was necessary.  I had also read that prior to taking Clomid, other tests should be done to rule out other possible fertility issues.  These include a semen analysis and a HSG, a procedure where they check to make sure your fallopian tubes are open.  We didn’t have those done either.  I decided to forgo using Clomid the next cycle, and seek a second opinion.  On January 6th my husband and I met with a RE (reproductive endocrinologist).   He didn’t think extra monitoring with ultrasounds was necessary either.  He said studies have shown monitoring versus not monitoring doesn’t affect the outcome of treatment with Clomid.  He also didn’t feel a semen analysis or HSG were necessary at the time.  He suggested we try 3 more rounds with the Clomid first, and if I didn’t get pregnant we would proceed with those tests.  Little did we know as we were sitting in the RE’s office, our sperm and egg had already met and I was pregnant!  I tested positive on January 14, 2011.  We were both excited, but very cautious as we knew the rate of miscarriage is very high (15%-20% of pregnancies end in miscarriage).  My first  ultrasound at 7 weeks 2 days showed everything looked great and the baby was developing right on track.  However, over the last weekend in February I started having some light bleeding.  We ended up going to the emergency room that Sunday evening and found that the baby had stopped developing at 7 weeks 6 days.  At that point I was supposed to be 9 weeks 6 days.  I had a D&C on March 1st to complete the miscarriage.