Contradictions

Dr. K was not a fan of me going to the doctor so early--I was barely 4 weeks pregnant according to my August 22 cycle. I explained that I was very anxious given my health history and he finally agreed I could get confirmation and blood work, but gave explicit orders for no ultrasound. His argument was the pregnancy being so new (just implanted) and the balance in my body so fragile. I thought that was reasonable.

The next day was slightly awkward. I got my blood taken and when the RE came in to perform an ultrasound I told him I would not be getting one until 6 weeks. He wasn't pleased and assured me vaginal ultrasound doesn't cause miscarriage--they would never do anything to put a pregnancy at risk. I fully trusted and believed him too, but I stood my ground. There was no medical necessity to have one this soon unless they suspected an ectopic pregnancy (which would have other signs/symptoms).

The RE's nurse called later with my blood results. My hormones were within the recommended range but on the low end. They wanted me on supplements--progesterone and estrogen. Shocker, Dr. K didn't want me to take them. He reminded me how western medicine had dismissed my ability to get pregnant, and he thought my body would respond without synthetic/unnecessary medication. He was worried that adding outside hormones would disrupt systems and balance in my body. He said it could be hard on my kidney/liver and cause inflammation. Great. More contradictions and choosing sides.

In the next 24 hours, I consulted with my regular OB, my practitioner from The Clinic, and two family friends that are also OBs and trained in natural healing. The opinions continued to vary but the overall message was that hormones might not be necessary but also shouldn't hurt me/baby. My body was within range and might be able to sustain things on its own but I wanted to limit risk in case I did need the hormonal supplementation. I chose to take the progesterone and estrogen.