Updates Before the "Big" Day

Just an update of what was happening during these past few days:

Feb 6 - first day of menstruation

Feb 7 - baseline transvaginal ultrasound (Result: polyphs are still there; endometrium measuring 0.4cm).

Feb 7 till Feb 11 - was put on Clomiphene Citrate Serophene 50mg (also known as Clomid) for 5 days, twice a day -- one in the morning and one at night.

Feb 16 - 2nd ultrasound for follicle monitoring (Result: 1 dominant follicle in my right ovary measuring 18mm and endometrium is 0.7cm. We had to wait for a couple of days to let the dominant follicle grow more into a much suitable size)

Feb 18 - 3rd ultrasound for follicle monitoring (Result: the dominant follicle on the right ovary measures now at 24mm and endometrium is at 1.0cm thick which is already good for assisted reproduction.)

Feb 19 - at 12:30am I was scheduled to administer the trigger shot for the follicle. Ovidrel 250mg was given to me. This is a pre-filled syringe to be injected subcutaneously under the umbelicus (in the abdomen area).

IUI procedure is scheduled on Feb 20 at the Center for Reproductive Medicine in Ortigas. Sperm washing will be done at 9am while the actual IUI will be done by Dr. T at 12:30pm.

Of course I am not relying in science only. In between these days, my husband and I were very much occupied visiting churches offering masses and prayer requests. Everything will happen in God's time. I know He will give us our heart's desires very soon. :)

The Little Swimmers Up Close

November 7, 2012

DH, my sister and I had to wake up early and battle against the early morning rush going to Ortigas. DH was given a referral by Dra. Tecson for sperm analysis in the Center for Reproductive Medcine, Raffles Corporate Center, Ortigas.

For further information, you can visit their website at http://crmivf.webs.com/contactinformation.htm. Though the website has not been fully updated, I can say tahat their clinic is quite modernized.

DH's sperm analysis costs P700 and you can get the result after 6 hours. Prior to the sperm analysis, we were advised by Dra.Tecson to have sexual abstinence for 3 days -- no more, no less.

While filling up the patient's form, there were questions like how many sticks of cigarettes being consumed a day, how much alcohol being taken, and how often we do baby dances in a week's time. I was not worried with the last question because I know we would score good on this lol! But what made me worried was the first and the second questions.... DH now knows that alcohol and cigarettes have really a big impact on his little swimmers'' performance.

While painstakingly waiting for 6 hours in SM Megamall (the nearest mall in Raffles Building), we tried to divert our attention to the medical result. DH was the only one who returned to the clinic to get the result as it was quite a long walk going back there especially in the midst of a hot afternoon.

When he received the sperm analysis report, he was asking the nurses and receptionist there if was a good or bad news but he was told that our doctor will be the one to interpret it for us.

When DH handed over to me the result, I was somehow lost, drowning into some alien terms! Since my sister who is a nurse is with us, I right away asked her if she can interpret it for us. But she told me she is an ICU nurse and this is not her specialty.

But the curious little Dora in me wanted to explore and understand more the results and I just could not wait for Dra. Tecson's analysis the next day. So during the bus ride from SM Megamall to Cubao and the FX ride from Cubao to Malolos, I indulged myself in deciphering these numeric figures and alien words. My hunch was correct -- DH also has fertility issues...

As per Dra. Tecson, DH is suffering from teratozoospermia, a condition wherein the sperms have abnormal morphology or shapes that affect fertility. In DH's case, the heads of his little swimmers are having defects which makes it harder for them to penetrate my egg cell.

To get pregnant naturally, it would take a lot of patience, effort and luck given the current condition of DH. Hence, Dra. Tecson advised us to resort to IUI procedure, an assisted reproductive technology that can boost the success rate of pregnancy to 20-25%.

I had to explain further to DH what an IUI is and how it will be done. Generally, men really do not have that much knowledge about reproduction compared to women.

We will see how it goes!