Ectopics and Fertility

The dreaded two-week wait.  Those of us in this game know it as the 2ww. Those awful days between your pregnancy attempt — whether that be a natural try at home or a medicated attempt at the fertility center — and the day you get your pregnancy test results. There are a few things to know about the two-week wait, but the most important is: Time will never move more slowly in your entire life than it does here. There are a handful of “stages” of this time period that women go through, each one solidifying this waiting game as a time of utter insanity. 1. The NBD Stage This is how we all go into the 2ww. Positive. Hopeful. But, and especially if it’s not your first one, you also know to keep your cool. It’ll be what it’ll be. There’s nothing more you can do at this point. It’s now in God’s or the Universe’s or anyone else’s hands but your own. You’ve done all you can do, so now you just wait. No big deal. This stage usually lasts the first day, or maybe a full 36 hours. Bu

Somewhere there is a woman: 30, no children. People ask her, “Still no kids?” Her response varies from day to day, but it usually includes forced smiles and restraint. “Nope, not yet,” she says with a chuckle, muffling her frustration. “Well, don’t wait forever. That clock is ticking, ya know,” the sage says before departing, happy with herself for imparting such erudite wisdom. The sage leaves. The woman holds her smile. Alone, she cries… Cries because she’s been pregnant 4 times and miscarried every one. Cries because she started trying for a baby on her wedding night, and that was 5 years ago. Cries because her husband has an ex-wife and she has given him children. Cries because she wants desperately to try in vitro but can’t even afford the deposit. Cries because she’s done in vitro (multiple rounds) and still has no children. Cries because her best friend wouldn’t be a surrogate. “It would be too weird,” she said. Cries because her medication prevents pregnancy. C