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“You said in your paperwork there was no chance you could be pregnant, correct?”
“Correct. I have an IUD, and I actually took a pregnancy test not too long ago, after the last time I’d had intercourse. So I don’t think there’s any way for me to be pregnant.” The nurse’s smile wavered, and concern filled me. “Why do you ask?’
“Well… because your blood results and urine results both came back positive.”
“Positive for what?”
“For pregnancy,” she said.
“That’s impossible. Run them again.”
“Both tests, Ms. Berkshire. Blood test results for pregnancy are very accurate, I might add. How long after intercourse did you take the pregnancy test?”
“Uhhh, a couple of weeks, I don’t know.” My head was spinning.
“Did you only take one test?”
“Yes.”
“It may have been too early. You might not have had enough hormones for a positive test at that time.”
“But the IUD?”
“We will want to get the IUD out right away, and check that it hasn’t migrated.”
“No, I mean, the IUD should have prevented pregnancy. I mean, I know accidents happen, but they’re rare…”
“They are rare, but sometimes IUD’s migrate or even fall out. Which is why we want to be sure yours isn’t somewhere it shouldn’t be.”
“No, seriously, I can’t be pregnant.” My head was spinning, and I felt like the room was closing in on me.
“I can assure you that you are,” the nurse said kindly.
“But the internship…”
The clinic was connected to the reserve and had a close relationship with them. The nurse knew exactly why I was there and what this would mean for me.
“Well, you will have to talk to the coordinators, but one thing you need to consider is that Zika poses a risk for pregnant women here, and the nature of the work is intense at times. I cannot recommend for a pregnant woman to take a position. In Tanzania, your options are limited, but if you are going back to the US before the internship starts, you have more options.”
“More options. As in–” Oh God. I’m pregnant. She’s not lying to me. This isn’t a mistake. I have choices to make. My hand fell on my stomach as the realization hit me that the pregnancy test was wrong a few weeks ago.
“Right now, I’m going to send you in for an ultrasound,” she said.
“For the baby?”
“No, for the IUD. It’s likely too early to see much of the baby,” the nurse said, her smile returning.
Everything else happened so fast. One second, I was in the tiny little office, the next I was lying flat in another room with an ultrasound wand on my belly. I kept looking at the screen, wondering what I was looking at and if I could see any sign of my baby.
“No sign of an IUD at all,” the tech said to me.
“What do you mean no sign of one? Meaning it didn’t migrate or–”
“You don’t have one,” the tech said.
“I don’t understand. I remember getting it placed.”
“Did your doctor check for the strings after insertion, or have you had any pap smears since then to make sure it’s been in place?”
