The time following a miscarriage or D&C (dilation and curettage) can be both physically and emotionally challenging, and many surrogates wonder when their menstrual cycle will return following either a miscarriage or D&C. Attuning yourself to your body’s health and response over the next several weeks helps you understand how you are recovering and what your next steps in surrogacy will be. 

HOW LONG DOES INITIAL BLEEDING LAST AFTER A MISCARRIAGE?

You will typically experience a slow bleed for up to a week following the miscarriage or procedure. Typically, bleeding stops once your human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) levels have returned to zero. Doctors will generally monitor your blood hormone levels to ensure that your hCG levels return to zero on their own.

HOW SOON AFTER MISCARRIAGE OR D&C DO YOU GET YOUR PERIOD?

Your first period will generally return within four weeks of your hCG levels returning to zero. However, it is not uncommon for some women to experience prolonged return to ovulation and menses, which can last up to eight weeks. 

WHEN WILL OVULATION RESUME?

In many cases, ovulation will not occur during your first cycle, as your body is still recovering. In most cases, your IVF doctor will wait for you to experience one or two cycles before starting medications for a repeat medical cycle and transfer. During this time, your cervix will remain soft and open, which may make intercourse painful.

WHEN TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT EXTENDED BLEEDING AFTER A MISCARRIAGE

In the cases of a natural miscarriage especially, you’ll want to pay special attention to how long your initial bleed lasts and how frequently you experience a recurrence of bleeding. In these cases, it is possible that some tissue may have been retained in the uterus and is preventing your body from healing. If you continue to experience light spotting over an extended time, it could be possible that your body is having trouble returning to regular hormone levels. You will want to speak with your doctor if you experience any case of extended bleeding.

PROLONGED ABSENCE OF MENSES (NO PERIOD AFTER MISCARRIAGE)

A prolonged return of menstruation is not normal. While it can take up to eight weeks for your body to properly recover and return to having regular cycles, some women will experience an even longer delay. This is typically experienced after a D&C as opposed to a natural miscarriage and may indicate the presence of new scar tissue or fibroids inside of the uterus. If you have not experienced a menstrual bleed by 10 weeks following the miscarriage or procedure, it is important that you notify your doctor.

At Growing Generations, we are here for you every step of the way. Contact Growing Generations to learn more.

All pregnant women are tested for gestational diabetes during their pregnancy, and it is no cause for alarm. Even if they’ve had no prior issues with blood sugar levels in their day-to-day life or in previous pregnancies, they will still have a glucose test during pregnancy as a surrogate.

While being a surrogate does not raise the odds of developing gestational diabetes, factors such as excessive weight, age, and carrying multiples may contribute to a more significant insulin resistance and the development of this condition.

GESTATIONAL DIABETES TEST

Glucose tolerance tests monitor the body’s ability to turn sugar into energy. During pregnancy, the additional hormones can confuse the pancreas, rendering it unable to break down glucose properly. When this happens, blood glucose rises and, on occasion, the woman will develop gestational diabetes. Unlike type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes is purely hormonal. If a diagnosis of gestational diabetes is given, it is not the result of your surrogate’s food and exercise choices. This is not a diagnosis that could have been avoided with different behaviors.

GLUCOSE TOLERANCE TEST RESULTS

Learning that your surrogate’s initial glucose tolerance test came back elevated is a conversation that no intended parent hopes to have during their journey. Your initial reaction will likely be surprise, which then ignites questions and concerns: “She’s never had THAT in her history! What does this mean for the pregnancy? What did she do to ‘fail’ this test when she’s never failed it before?”

Let’s start by establishing a baseline. Having an elevated one-hour glucose test result is not a “failure.” If the test result is elevated (a “fail”), then there is nothing that could have been done differently by your surrogate to “pass.”. Also, many women will have elevated levels in a one-hour standard test and go on to pass a three-hour screening and have no problems. However, an elevated result on a one-hour glucose screening can also be the first indicator that your surrogate has developed gestational diabetes. In either event, it’s important to note that this test result is not the result of any action or inaction on the part of your surrogate.

Understand that your surrogate is likely having an emotional reaction to these results as well. Despite not being able to control the results, she likely feels guilty and perhaps even a bit scared. The kindest thing that you can do for her is to reassure her that she hasn’t lost your trust and that you’re in this together.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE BABY?

If left unidentified or untreated, gestational diabetes can affect the baby. Here's how: With a buildup of sugar in the bloodstream, a pancreas will work harder than it should, often to no avail. This means that the glucose buildup can, and often will, cross the placenta and work its way into the developing baby’s blood. That will cause the newborn’s pancreas to work overtime and create more energy than it needs. As a result, that fetus will store the extra energy as fat. This can lead to a variety of complications, including high birth weight, damage to the shoulders as they exit the birth canal, and an increased risk of obesity or type 2 diabetes later in life.

GESTATIONAL DIABETES TREATMENT

In most cases, gestational diabetes can be managed by closely monitoring diet and adding a bit of additional exercise. Your surrogate will be asked to monitor her glucose levels with a home testing kit and keep a strict log of her food intake and sugar levels, but she may not need to change much about her lifestyle.

Women who are unable to control their blood sugar levels, even with strict adherence to diet and exercise, may be asked to begin taking oral medication or injected insulin. For most women, gestational diabetes will go away once the child is born. The American Diabetes Association advises women who develop gestational diabetes to have a 2-hour glucose tolerance test at 6 weeks postpartum in order to ensure that the diabetes has cleared up.

UNDERSTANDING GESTATIONAL DIABETES DURING SURROGACY

It’s important to understand what gestational diabetes is (a hormone-driven resistance to insulin) and what it is not (poor dietary choices or the inability to follow a diet). Your surrogate will likely feel some level of guilt in the case of a gestational diabetes diagnosis, even though it was induced by pregnancy. This is a great time to show her that you support her and will stand by her side moving forward.

Growing Generations is always here to answer your questions as intended parents and support you throughout your family-building journey. 

THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUR EGG DONOR PROFILE

During your admissions process, you’ll be asked to complete your donor profile and video. This is the information that is posted on our database for prospective parents to review and select their perfect donor. Your profile consists of your educational history, medical history (mental health, reproductive health, etc.), family/genetic history, and most importantly, photos, and personal essay questions.

Some parents are looking for specific qualities in an egg donor, like a higher education level or certain ethnicity, but most parents are hoping to find a donor they can relate to, whether it’s through appearances, personalities, or similar interests. Your profile and video give parents an opportunity to get to know the “real” you.

It’s important to take your time creating your profile and not rush through it. Parents are also looking for an egg donor they can trust. Using proper grammar and providing well thought-out responses gives parents confidence that you are serious about this process.

KEY ELEMENTS OF YOUR PROFILE

Medical

Most of your profile consists of listing your medical history. It’s helpful to consult with trusted family members about your family health history, so you can give honest and precise answers. The more details you can provide the better. Parents are looking at this information to ensure they have a compatible health history (i.e., not having a history of diabetes in both families). This is also information the parents will use in the future when providing their child’s health history.

Personal

The more fun aspect of your profile are the personal essay questions and photos/video. Are you adventurous and love to travel? Do you love animals and volunteer work? Are you a great cook? These questions are designed to really let your personality shine. When parents read your answers, they are hoping to find a connection with you, so it’s important to be honest and true to yourself.

MATCHING WITH INTENDED PARENTS

Once your profile is published on our database, intended parents will begin reviewing your information. There is no set time frame on when you’ll be selected, but we find that donors who take the time to create a great profile are usually selected sooner. After you’re selected by intended parents, you’ll begin the egg donation process, which consists of medical/psychological screenings, a legal contract, and the IVF cycle for the egg retrieval.

One of the tests that you’ll have completed during your journey is a Vitamin D screening. This screening, completed by a simple blood test, is something that you’ll do in your own hometown (or at least close by) prior to being flown to California for your in-person screenings. If your results come back low, you may be asked to add a supplement to your diet.

Vitamin D, more commonly known as the sunshine vitamin, is essential in pregnancy and critical to IVF success. Studies show a link between proper Vitamin D levels and IVF success. Not only will egg donors with proper Vitamin D levels produce better quality embryos, but surrogates who have ideal Vitamin D levels are more likely to have a transfer result in an implanted embryo (positive pregnancy result) than those with a Vitamin D deficiency.

In fact, studies have shown that women attempting to become pregnant through IVF who maintain ideal Vitamin D levels are twice as likely to become pregnant than women who are Vitamin D deficient.

Once pregnant, having adequate levels of vitamin D will benefit the developing fetus and help you maintain your bone density during the pregnancy. It also helps ensure that your immune system is performing at top notch to keep you feeling as good as possible throughout the pregnancy.

Studies have shown several scary potential side effects of pregnancies completed when Vitamin D levels are not adequate. Infants can be born with low birth weights, occasionally leading to poor skeletal development and immune system problems throughout their lives. For you, a pregnancy completed without proper Vitamin D levels could mean poor calcium absorption and a greater stress on your own bone reserves. You could be more prone to break a bone both during and after the pregnancy.

Some women are more prone to low vitamin D levels than others. Women with darker skin tones and those who are more likely to have their skin covered while outside (due either to style choices or inclement weather) tend to have lower Vitamin D levels.

In general, most doctors consider a Vitamin D level of 20 ng/ml to be sufficient for daily life but recommend a level no lower than 30 ng/ml for optimal IVF and pregnancy benefits. If your levels fall below the minimum requirement of 30 ng/ml, you will likely be asked to introduce a supplement to your diet, wait a period of time, and then complete a second Vitamin D screening before moving forward towards an embryo transfer. If your levels are significantly too low, you may be asked to follow-up with your family doctor to try and pinpoint the low levels and correct any underlying issues. Occasionally this comes with an injection of Vitamin D.

Once a repeat blood test indicates that you’ve hit the minimum barrier for IVF success, we can prepare your in-person screening.

When your surrogacy journey ends with an extended hospital stay it can feel overwhelming and emotionally draining. This may be a challenging way to enter into your parenthood journey, but parenthood is rarely a smooth experience. We have faith that you can navigate this first hurdle. Here’s a look at what to expect if your surrogate-born baby must stay in the NICU, and how we can help you during this time.

WHAT YOU'RE FEELING

You may be feeling a whirlwind of emotions, including fear or anxiety if your new child needs time in the NICU. You could be feeling stress about the financial implications of extended hospital care for your child or your surrogate or feeling confused about what is expected of you and who to talk to when it comes to managing expenses. All of this is likely happening in a city you're not familiar with while your normal life goes on back home. It’s a lot to manage at once--we understand. Whatever you’re feeling is normal, and your mental health specialist is available to talk with you about your emotions and how to manage them if you’d like.

WHAT'S EXPECTED OF YOU

If your surrogate needs to be hospitalized for an extended period of time, be it before or after the delivery, you will be responsible for any additional medical expenses that occur as the result of the pregnancy or birth. Additionally, you will be responsible for additional lost wages, child care, and housekeeping expenses that may arise as a result of an extended hospital stay.

If your surrogate is going to express breast milk for your use, you will be responsible for the costs of a breast pump, nursing supplies, and compensation for your surrogate. These expenses are outlined in your contract with your surrogate.

HOW TO BALANCE IT ALL

You’re likely going to spend a fair amount of time in a city that you aren’t familiar with. The best thing to do is look into long-term housing options. We recommend looking into furnished apartments with a kitchen. Not only are they far more affordable than hotels, they’ll also give you a “home base” and sense of comfort in the days or weeks to come. If you know that you’ll need to be in your surrogate’s hometown for an extended period following the birth, it can be advantageous to look into this sort of lodging in advance of the delivery. This is prudent especially in the instance of multiples.

Next up, it is in your best interest to identify your hospital social worker and establish a good rapport with this person. Growing Generations will not be with you at the hospital, and the hospital social worker is your best link for on-site support and guidance. It is likely that you will meet this person during your 20-week hospital tour.

Finally, consider allowing your surrogate time with your new child. Quite often, surrogates feel as though they’ve failed in their mission to carry a child for you if the child needs to spend time in the NICU. She may also be jarred from a premature end to her surrogate journey. Allowing your surrogate time with the child that she carried for you is a kindness that will help with her emotional and physical recovery.

Growing Generations is here to support you as you welcome your baby into your family, however that occurs. If you're considering surrogacy agencies for your own journey, please reach out to us online or call us at 323.965.7500. Our team is known for our white-glove attention to detail and compassionate, knowledgeable support for intended parents, surrogates, and egg donors. 

The choice of when to share your IVF pregnancy announcement with those around you is a moment so many parents-to-be dream about for years. When you’re becoming a parent through surrogacy, sometimes this announcement takes on new levels of planning. 

Intended parents may also feel nervous or stressed about sharing their baby news because they aren't sure how others around them will react. There are a few different approaches intended parents take when sharing their big news.

ANNOUNCING IVF PREGNANCY EARLY

It can be hard to keep such happy news a secret, especially when the road to pregnancy for most intended parents has been such a long one. Some intended parents feel that sharing the news of a positive pregnancy test early allows friends and family to share in their initial excitement and provides them with support and empathy from those around them.

WAITING UNTIL AFTER THE FIRST TRIMESTER TO MAKE YOUR IVF BABY ANNOUNCEMENT

Many intended parents wait until the 12th week of pregnancy to share their pregnancy news, as the rate of miscarriage drops dramatically from this point on. Many parents-to-be may also wait until after the first-trimester screening (or further testing with amniocentesis) is complete. Intended parents in this category generally feel as though withholding the news of a pregnancy until it appears to be viable provides them a safety net in the unfortunate event of a first-trimester miscarriage.

SHARING BABY NEWS IN THE THIRD TRIMESTER OR AFTER BIRTH

Finally, some parents choose to wait to share the news of their pregnancy until late in the third trimester or even until after the birth. This choice is made for a variety of personal reasons, and a late reveal is an option uniquely available to parents through surrogacy.

What is important to remember is that there is no singular “right” time to share your pregnancy news. The right time for one parent may not be ideal at all for another. You’ll need to balance your desires for privacy, support, and inclusion as you decide when you want to share. This announcement is just the first of many new decisions you’ll need to make from the heart.

Growing Generations is here to support you throughout your family-building journey. To get started, fill out our intended parent application or reach out to us online.