I thought that this week I would be getting the results of my PGS testing. I was wrong. Last Tuesday, Genesis received my second shipment of cells to test. We sent them 4 cells after retrieval 1 and 11 cells after retrieval 2. To prevent testing until both shipments were received, they placed a hold on my account. Last Tuesday they told me that my RE needed to give approval to start testing which he did .
I talked to them today and they are still waiting on my RE’s authorization even though he did this a week ago. He said he would do it again but I am getting a little frustrated. I know I will get these results at some point but it would be nice for this waiting game to come to an end.
On Sunday I started having some chest pains on my left side. I went to my GP on Monday and she said there was a small chance I had a blood clot. One of the very rare side effects of some of the fertility hormone medications I took are blood clots. I took a blood test called a D-Dimer. It measures a substance that is released when a blood clot breaks up.
If I had a blood clot, it would be positive, but a positive test does not for sure indicate a clot. On a random note, I asked her if she could also test my B-12 since I am doing a transfer soon. I have had it checked before but low levels have been linked to implantation problems and I wanted to make sure it would not be an issue.
Today my GP called and said my B12 was fine but D-Dimer result was 10 times higher than normal levels and I had to go to the hospital. I think infertility has made me lose touch with reality because my first thought was that I was glad that my B12 was fine. In reality, I should have been more concerned with the fact that I could have a blood clot (those are bad news).
My husband took me to the hospital for a CT Angiogram. I had another thought that made me wonder if I have lost touch with reality. Part of me wanted the test to show a blood clot. At least that could be treated and I would know why I am in pain. I just did not want more unanswered questions.
The test showed that everything is normal. My GE and RE had a talk about me to determine if there is anything else they should look at. Besides a Complete Blood Count (CBC) they did not think of anything. I get a CBC every year during my physical and am scheduled to do this again tomorrow. I have a feeling it will not show anything definitive. That is good but now I have chest pains, highly elevated D-Dimer levels, and no answers . Even so, I am still more concerned getting my eggs tested and getting those results. I would love to get some answers.
Solving the four years of infertility mystery 
Im so glad to hear you’re ok! I’m sorry you’re dealing with so many unanswered questions. I agree that infertility can make us lose touch with reality. I hope you hear the results soon.
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Thanks and I hope so too. Sometimes I feel like infertility is making me an expert at waiting.
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Oh man that is scary!!! I’m glad the test results today were positive. Hopefully they’ll have your results soon.
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I hope so too. You would think they would want to get it started so they can get our money. Genetic testing isn’t cheap!
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Yeah you would think!!! What is cheap in the fertility world? Haha!
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I am happy to hear you are OK, a blood clot is scary! It is interesting how perspective changes as to what is most important health wise on this journey.
I am upset for you that your PGS is taking so long, if I ever get to PGS I am also sending our cells to Genesis. In fact they contact me today with consent forms. I hope you get results soon!!!
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Thanks! If you ever use Genesis I am sure you will be fine. What is holding me up is the fact that they banked from two retrievals. Normally they start testing as soon as they get a shipment.
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this past spring after a surgery i had chest pain as well. my d-dimer came back high as well. they did a scan and nothing was found. they could only say that surgery can elevate DD levels for some reason sometimes. so strange. i hope you start to feel better soon and get some info on those embryos in the meantime.
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Thanks for telling me about your experience. I consulted Dr. Google and of course came to a worst scenario conclusion. It just drives me crazy how a test can be that abnormal but nothing is done after that.
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Are you located in BC? I was with Genesis and now Olive. I’m glad you got checked out 😦 I’m glad you are okay!
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Hey no I am in the US. I think Genesis is usually fine. My situation is different than normal since I banked from two retrievals. Usually they just start testing right away.
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I don’t want to add more to your plate, but you might want to talk to your RE about starting baby aspirin and even blood thinner with the hormones for your FET. I personally have two clotting issues, but pregnancy is a hyper-coagulable state for everyone (even if you don’t have extra clotting factors). I lost my first two IVF pregnancies (we’ll never know why, but I suspect clotting) and with the third, I started baby aspirin and blood thinner BEFORE my BFP, and it was my only successful pregnancy. It can be a hassle, and it’s a lot of shots, but it’s totally worth it, especially if your possible clot now turns out to be legit.
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Wow thanks so much for this information! You are not adding anything to my plate. I am so determined to figure this out. I will look at and or try pretty much anything. I also appreciate any information given to me. We are not going to start our FET until January (maybe even February because I have to go out of town for a while in January). Extra shots do not bother me at all. At this point I have gone through 2 retrievals so I am pretty immune to them. I am going to talk to my RE about this.
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I already knew I had clotting issues because my older cousin lost several pregnancies, so I was tested years before I was even married. Most REs don’t test for clotting factors until you’re dealing with Repeat Pregnancy Loss — and I personally think that’s too late if you’re already dealing with IVF! Most docs are ok with the extra meds, especially if you’ve ever had a potential clot, it’s a little bit extra work, but totally worth it.
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I’m glad your scan came back good, but the extra stress is just not helpful. The last thing you need right now is additional stress and worry!! I hope your chest pains go away and you start feeling better asap.
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Thanks I hope so too. Chest pains are not the worst thing in the world but they sure do suck!
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So glad you are ok!!! That is super scary! I know what you mean though so many of my first thoughts are related to TTC that I forget to worry about the “important” stuff!
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Thanks Caroline! I am glad I am not the only one who sometimes thinks that way! Sometimes I feel that TTC runs my life. Also, I hope you are having fun this week 🙂
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I’m glad you’re okay! I hope that your CBC comes back with good results too. I know not knowing is so difficult. Hugs to you! ❤
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Thanks 🙂 Everything came back good today. I am glad but it still does not give me any answers.
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Ugh how I hate inefficiency. People in these clinics need to be more careful and not lose authorisations and the such. What a pain about not having those results there. You must be on the edge of your seat. Don’t worry it will all be fine. Could it be stress causing the chest pains???? Glad to hear there is no clot. Phew. I hope the pain eases for you soon. As stupid as it sounds I recommend meditation. If it is stress at all that should ease it. If you aren’t used to doing one find a guided one online. Just follow what it says to do and it will help take your mind off your chest pain. If the pain remains no matter what then it probably isn’t stress 🙂 Hope that helps!
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Hey thanks and I do not think meditation is stupid. I got into it a while back but let it go. I need to get back into it. I think it will help manage everything and bring a little bit of peace into my life. Things feel like they are always crazy. Anyways, it can’t hurt right!
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I don’t know if this would help you or not, but I have a blood disorder in which my blood doesn’t clot properly due to a lack of the granuals needed for a clotting agent. Perhaps your doc should order a test to check for clotting issues
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Yes I am definitely going to look into this. I am not sure what exact test I would order but I am going to figure it out. If you do not mind me asking, do you think this has impacted your fertility in any way? I am always looking for answers. This is the first medical test I have ever had that did not come back normal (minus little tests for things like strep throat and what not).
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Its hard to say for certain. I was also suffering with idiopathic hives thought to be autoimmune. Its interesting that i got pregnant the month i was put on systemic antihistamines. Of course my body could have been attacking betore implantation could finish
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Thank you for sharing that. I am starting to think I may have immune issues since I am still ‘unexplained’. I worry that my body attacks sperm and or a fetus before it has a chance. If our first transfer does not work, I am going to look into this more. Thanks again.
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Scary with the clot! Are you on any blood thinners this cycle? Looking forward to hearing about your PGS results!!
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Hey I just started baby asprin. My transfer is not until January and i figured I would start it since some say it help thicken your lining. Also I am about to go crazy waiting for the PGS tests!
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