Should I have HCG levels tested???

[MeredithMommy]

I have a dilema.

I am 5 1/2 weeks pregnant. I have had a little brown and also a bit of red spotting the last couple of days, and I talked to ob who delivered dd, and at first we thought misscarriage, but it looks ok right now.

My dh just started a new job, and his insurance starts in 7 more weeks, I will be 12 weeks then. I do not know for sure if the insurance will cover this pregnancy b/c I concieved before his hire date. I talked to a lady in billing at dr office and she said that I would stand a good chance of insurance covering pregnancy if I waited until we got our insurance cards to come in to the office. I was planning on just waiting till then to go to the dr office to confirm pregnancy and go from there so that Insurance would hopefully cover it.

I think I would feel better going into the office to get HCG numbers and then going again a few days later to confirm that numbers are rising like they should, but I'm not sure of I should wait or not.

I know that just my knowing HCG numbers isn't going to chance the fact if this preg will stay or not, so I don't know what to do????

I did interview a excellent midwife, and I want to birth at home with her, but this bleeding episode has turned me into a chicken, and made me go running to my ob.

[*~Danielle~*]

Hi Meridithsmommy,

I saw your post and wanted to respond. I think you really need to listen to your head and your heart. Whether you know the levels or not, that will not have an impact on the outcome of your pregnancy. However, it may hurt your chances of saving money with insurance if everything turns out to be okay. It is a tough call. My gut says wait two more months to go get checked out. Ultimately, you have to do what you think is best, though. Let us know what you decide to do. :Hug

[boscopup]

Are you going from one BC/BS plan to another? If so, I think maternity is usually covered right away in that case. It's trickier if you aren't coming from a group plan (and if it's not BC/BS, I have no clue).

I think in the next 7 weeks, it'd be pretty obvious if you're still pregnant - ie, you'll be getting morning sickness and other symptoms during that time. I'm 7.5 weeks, and in the last week, my queasiness has increased, so it's obvious to me that yep, I'm pregnant.

If you really must know (and I totally understand that!), maybe talk with your OB about getting just an hcg blood test done without an office visit (ie, you don't see the OB - just go in for quick bloodwork, and let him know you'd have to pay out of pocket for it. He might lower the price since it's not being billed to insurance, and if you aren't having an actual office visit, it shouldn't be too expensive. I had a complete pregnancy bloodwork done at a lab that my midwife sent me to, and it was $150. I imagine for hcg alone, it wouldn't be that much... like maybe $30 or something? Not much more than a co-pay. Never hurts to talk with your OB about the situation. Some doctors will cut you some slack if you have to pay out of pocket. My GP usually charges $50 per office visit, but if you don't have insurance, she only charges you $30. Insurance pays the whole $50, so she really gets that from insurance people, but she cuts the non-insurance people some slack so they can get affordable medical care. There are doctors out there that do that, but you sometimes have to shop around!