Are you ready to share the news about the pregnancy? Great! And the next question is: Who should you tell? As we have said, telling people about your pregnancy can be a gift to them.  

I’m often asked this question: Who should I share the news about my pregnancy with? Maybe you’ve been thinking about this for a while.  

Some women make the decision this way: They decide who will share in the joy with you. They think about family and friends who have supported them unconditionally in the past. Perhaps you have a family member who has helped you through hard times. Perhaps you have a friend who always seems to be there for you. These are the people who will best share the joy with you. 

So here you are. You’re finally pregnant. What a gift!

Did you ever think that telling people about your pregnancy could be a gift to them? 

I’m often asked his question: When should you share the news that you’re pregnant with others? Is it after the beta HCG is positive? Is it after the first ultrasound? Is it after the first trimester? Is it after the anatomy scan?

Pregnant women and their bodies go through a tremendous amount of changes. Your body is putting molecules together to create a new human and, even if this is something you've done before, the changes can cause some anxiety. Some changes are subtle. Others not so much! Maybe you’re nauseated. Maybe you’re bloated. Maybe you fall asleep at your desk at 3:30 in the afternoon. You may wonder if these changes are “normal.”

The pregnancy’s been confirmed at the doctor’s office. No big surprise to you as you took three pregnancy tests this morning before the appointment – just to be sure! It was a bit startling, though, when the lab tech told you, “Congratulations, you’re pregnant.” You weren’t quite sure that she was talking to you.

Now, you have to wait two more weeks for an ultrasound. So the question is: Who do you want to wait with? Who do you want to tell about the pregnancy?

So, the pregnancy test was finally positive! You’ve been waiting months for this!

Now you’re waiting again. Your waiting for the first OB appointment so the pregnancy can be confirmed even though you took four home tests! Then you’re waiting for the first ultrasound and the first glimpse of your baby.

Waiting is difficult – very difficult. You have questions. Am I really pregnant? Could all of those home pregnancy tests be of false positive? Can I get excited? Am I just kidding myself?

For many women undergoing IVF, there are ten days of the cycle which are hellish: the time period between her transfer day and her pregnancy test day. Although there is no label for this time, all women know what it feels like. It is a vulnerable, fragile time that drags on and on, often dragging their mood with it. For few women does the time just fly by. This is a time where the promise of pregnancy feels so attainable, more so than it has ever felt in the past. But will the promise be kept?

A chemical pregnancy is a very early loss of a pregnancy. It is a miscarriage. In a chemical pregnancy, there is usually an embryo and the early stages of a placenta which is implanted in the uterus but does not grow. The levels of BHCG are low because the placenta is not growing properly.

Anna has wanted children for as long as she can remember. Her reproductive story began when she was a teenager. Her childhood had been filled with joyous summers at the Long Island beaches with her mother and three younger siblings. Winter holidays were filled with eggnog and trimming of the Christmas tree with all the siblings singing carols. Anna remembers her childhood as idyllic, so, by the time she was 13, she knew that she wanted a family like her own. She hoped to have four children and model herself after her own caring and loving mother. The oldest child would be a boy named after her father, as she had always wanted an older brother. He would be tall and strong and always stick up for her.

I’m sure you’re aware that women experiencing medical problems during pregnancy are commonly prescribed medication. But did you know that the most commonly prescribed medication during pregnancy in the US is an antidepressant (i.e., selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor [SSRI])? In fact, 8% of pregnant women in the US are on antidepressants.