Tips for Navigating Beta Day

Beta Day: This is probably the most anxiety driven day for me. I can’t ever sleep the night before Beta days and truthfully dread them. Maybe it’s because I had so many negative results but the whole process of waiting for a call to let you know if you’re pregnant or not is very overwhelming.

After a few times, I seemed to have created a plan and wanted to share this with you for a suggestion on how to handle this day. Beta day is the day you go into your fertility clinic and have a blood test to determine if there is hCG present (pregnancy hormone).

The night before:

We typically go out to dinner. We try to distract ourselves and enjoy one another. We try to forget what could or couldn’t happen and enjoy the fact that we are pregnant. We tell ourselves that this could be it, but that if it’s not we will try again. We usually create a plan in terms of what we want to do if the test is negative and while we want to continue to think it worked, creating a plan together makes things less heavy.

The morning of:

Typically, you will go to your doctor’s office, or wherever they choose to have your blood drawn and take your blood first thing in the morning. After that I go about my morning as I had been the past 2 weeks. I try to keep busy whether its stopping for a coffee or some breakfast or going on a nice walk.

**Usually the nurse / doctor will call with results 3-4 hours after your bloodwork, however it’s not unusual for it to take longer. Just know that the time of day they call or don’t call doesn’t mean anything. Believe me I’ve done it 7 times and its always been at a different time in the day. It all depends on how busy the lab is that day.

To test or not to test on a home pregnancy stick:

This is something that you must decide on your own. The issue is that there is a chance for error because no test is 100% accurate. It could also read pregnant and then end up being an ectopic pregnancy (not to scare anyone). Your test could read positive but your levels on beta day could be low.

On the other hand, you could test and see a positive result and feel so relived. This could help with the anxiety that comes on beta day and you could then celebrate with your partner privately. Similarly, if the test is negative you could also take some time to digest it with your partner or whoever you are leaning on. But also, the test could read negative and it end up being a positive on beta day.

In other words, there are a lot of what ifs that are tied into testing at home. I know so many women who prefer to test at home but I also know a lot (me being one of them), who never do. This is one of those personal choice situations and there isn’t a right or wrong answer. Just keep in mind that either way your clinic will still want you to come in for a blood test.

Figure out the call:

I never wanted to be alone at the time the nurse was going to call. So, if I knew it was going to be a week day and Nick was going to be at work, I made sure they called his phone. This way he could just come home and tell me rather than me calling him and being worried about my phone ringing all day.

If it is on a weekend and he was home, we just made sure to take the call together. Although I typically made him answer.

Managing your emotions:

This is a big day regardless of the outcome. You’ve worked so hard to be here. You’ve literally given your blood, sweat and tears (and money) to get to this point and you should be so proud of yourself for making it here because unfortunately, not everyone can get to transfer. I know that’s not how we normally train ourselves to think, I mean we just want to get a positive test, but in all honesty, you should pat yourself on the back for making it this far.

Remember that no matter what happens you are enough. You have done everything in your power for this embryo to stick and you have done NOTHING to make it not stick. You have done everything right and unfortunately sometimes we have no idea why transfers don’t work (I’m still not sure why 6 of mine didn’t).

There are a lot of expectations that come with beta day. Just know that those are all in your head. No one expects you to keep it together either way, no one expects you to be ok with the outcome and no one expects you to share either. Listen to your needs. Find someone you can call or be with regardless of the outcome.

If people know you are testing today, don’t feel like you need to tell them right away. This is your time and pregnant or not you deserve time to digest the news. People will understand and if they don’t then maybe you don’t need them in your life right now.

All in all, you have to be true to how you’re feeling. If you feel like celebrating and telling the world about your news, then do it! If you don’t then that’s ok.

I always took a day to tell most people when I had a negative result. Sometimes I just didn’t even feel like reaching out to anyone but my best friend. And when the transfer finally worked, we didn’t tell most people until we were 12 weeks pregnant!

So just remember, this is your journey, and beta day is part of it. It’s your story to tell or not to tell but always make sure you feel supported.

-Erin Bulcao, Patient Advocate

Medical Disclaimer:

The information provided in this blog is intended for general informational purposes only and should not be considered as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your healthcare provider or qualified medical professional with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this blog.