Completely Confused

MamaAnna · #1 May 15th, 2008, 08:26 AM

I thought AF would be here yesterday. My LP last cycle was 14 days and since that's supposed to be pretty consistent I was sure she'd be here yesterday. She didn't show up. Today I woke up and had some spotting for about an hour this morning and now nothing. According to my chart I'm at 16 DPO today. My temp was down this morning, but we had the AC on last night and I was chilly when I woke up so it could've been from that. I went back to bed and temped when I got up the second time and my temp was almost 2 degrees higher. It was outside of the normal time so I didn't record it though and stuck with the usual 4:30 temp. Do you think my O date is wrong because I was sick? I don't know what to think at this point.

#2 May 15th, 2008, 08:30 AM

with you being sick it is hard to tell. If AF hasn't shown tomorrow, I'd test again and see

MamaAnna · #3 May 15th, 2008, 08:54 AM

I can't get a positive so testing is a guaranteed negative. Thanks for taking the time to read and respond though! I'm hoping I just O'd late and the illness masked it. I really don't want a huge variance in my LP.

#4 May 15th, 2008, 10:25 AM

Why do you say you can't get a positive? Sorry for being nosey

MamaAnna · #5 May 15th, 2008, 11:55 AM

I'm one of the women that has to deal with the hook effect so I get false negatives on urine tests until the second trimester. I have to have a quantititive done to get a positive before then. I still POAS though for some reason. I don't know why. I can't get a positive and yet, I'm an addict.

#6 May 15th, 2008, 12:40 PM

oooh I didn't know some women wer elike this! I just checked your chart, temp dip and spotting, do you think AF is coming?

MamaAnna · #7 May 15th, 2008, 12:45 PM

I don't know. We had the A/C on last night which we usually don't and I was cold when I woke up so the dip could be from that. The spotting stopped this morning and I've had nothing since.

Lo_and_Behold · #8 May 16th, 2008, 09:04 AM

Sorry to ask but what is the hook effect? This is the first time I'm hearing this... I even cohosted Am I Pregnant (actually...so did Fiona!

)...

MamaAnna · #9 May 16th, 2008, 09:10 AM

The hook effect is a chemical problem that causes false negatives on urine tests and sometimes quantitives until the second trimester and sometimes throughout pregnancy. There are two possible causes. The most common is that one of the two types of HCG builds up so quickly that it basically breaks the tests. The other cause is antibodies attaching themselves to the HCG which hides it from the tests. It is very, very annoying.

greeneyes · #10 May 16th, 2008, 09:15 AM

The "hook effect" is when the hCG levels are so high they can't be translated or read by the test so it reads negative. This is usually more common in multiple pregnancies. However, MamaAnna, did you know that doctors have had a LOT of success with simply diluting the urine in order to get a positive? Maybe try that?

Lo_and_Behold · #11 May 16th, 2008, 09:16 AM

Wow I can imagine that would be annoying. Thank you for explaining it though.

MamaAnna · #12 May 16th, 2008, 09:47 AM

I've never had a multiple pregnancy or a first trimester positive. I'd heard that about multiples as well. Diluting it, to my understanding, has to be pretty precise and you have to know that your water won't throw off the test. Otherwise you still end up with a false result. My doctor said that more women are coming forward with this problem so they order quantititive HCG tests fairly often. She's not sure if it's strictly the hook effect for all women or if it's something to do with the tests themselves. They only give her the count, but not enough information to know the cause of the false negatives. If it were that I were experiencing multiple pregnancies then I would be thrilled, but that just isn't the case.

I've read numerous sites about the hook effect, but I haven't found any information as to whether or not it's something that occurs during each pregnancy for a woman or if it's a pregnancy by pregnancy basis. I had a positive quantititive at 12 weeks with DD and a faint positive urine test at my doctor's office at four and a half months with DS. Since it's been 2/2 for me so far I'm thinking it'll always be that way, but I'd love to know for sure. It'd be nice to see that second line before the baby bump!

MamaAnna · #13 May 16th, 2008, 10:54 AM

Well, light as it may be AF is definitely here. Talking about it obviously brings her on! We've been married 6 months today so of course today is the day she shows. Just like last month! Argh! Ah well, on to cycle 7. So much for giving DH a January baby for his birthday.