Monday 2 February 2015

Battling Infertility

When we lost our first baby early in my pregnancy last 2013, my roommate's  (my husband, btw) and my immediate urge to cope with the loss is to replace the baby right away.

My OB from Makati Med, Dra. Marinette Sto. Domingo, however, recommended that we wait for 6 months before we tried to conceive. This was to give my body and my uterus a sufficient time to heal and recover. During those time, my roommate and I had a healthy lifestyle. He even took Selenium with Vit. E to improve the health of his spermies

However, three months after our 6-month rest period had passed, and we were still not able to conceive, my roommate and I underwent some infertility treatments. Not because we weren't able to get pregnant (because technically I did), but because we're concerned we could be having problems staying pregnant. Dra. Sto Domingo told me perhaps the reason why I had a miscarriage last 2013 was either because I had an unhealthy egg or my husband had unhealthy sperms; thus, resulting to a blighted ovum.

However, we sat down together and had a serious heart-to-heart talk. There were many things that were going on in our minds then.

What if we couldn't conceive? 

What if I had the problem? 

What if he had the problem? 

What would our next steps be? 

Are we open to adoption? IUI? IVF? 

Do we have enough money to prepare for all these? 


Just thinking about all these was already very stressful, and it wasn't helping us at all! Dra. Sto Domingo and my close friends kept assuring us that all would be okay, and we just had to keep a positive attitude towards it.

We did. And we prayed. Hard.

Really hard.

After a trans-V ultrasound (Php 2,300 @ Makati Med), I started taking Clomiphene for 5 consecutive days five days after my period. This was done for 3 - 6 menstrual cycles, and then my OB evaluated whether my body was responding well to the meds by ovulating; hence, we avoided contact until she told us it's okay. It was a strict prescription, so to speak. 

A dominant follicle in my left ovary 
On the 10th day, I underwent a follicular monitoring (Php3,800 @ Makati Med; Php2,400 @ New World). This involved a series of trans-v ultrasound (3 days with a day or 2 interval) just to look out for "dominant" or the biggest follicles and see if any of these follicles released an egg.

We needed to go back to Makati Med after each u/s and show the result to our OB. When she saw that I had ovulated, she would then told us when to you know...do it. It's possible there would be a lot of mature follicles and that could result to having multiples, aaaaannnnnddddd we're trying to avoid that. 

On my first cycle, I failed to ovulate so I had a trigger shot of hCG (around Php1,000 @ Makati Med). This tricked the brain that I needed to ovulate so it would force my dominant follicles to actually release the egg. hCG shots should only be administered by your trusted OB because random administration could cause ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome

My clomiphene cycle continued for 3 consecutive months. It was tiring and frustrating (and expensive, too!) just thinking about why we couldn't conceive yet. Before my third month ended, my OB had my roommate checked for sperm count and total sperm health at Victory Lab. According to her, the difficulty to conceive was not always the woman's fault. Husbands should be checked as well; after all, it takes two to tango. I'm very fortunate that my roommate was very open to the procedure. I'm sure that not all men would be willing to have a check-up because of their fear that they could be the problem. 

So, with an open mind and an open heart, after a 5 day abstinence, we went to Victory Lab also in Makati for a Sperm Analysis (roughly Php1,000). We're not sure whether Makati Med offers this service. We then consulted Dr. Nikko J. Magsanoc who informed us that the results were good, and it was really just a matter of timing.

*Sigh of relief* 

Since Dra. Sto Domingo requested that I take a rest from the treatments and Dr. Magsanoc said that it was just a matter of timing, my roommate and I decided to break free from all these things that stressed us and went to Hongkong and Macau for a second honeymoon.

True enough, we conceived the following month! And we felt truly blessed!

Thank God and Makati Med doctors.ΓΌ

From one tiny follicle to this lovely baby girl! 

Dra. Marinette T. Sto. Domingo 
3rd Floor Makati Medical Center 
02.815.9679
For appointment 

Dr. Nikko J. Magsanoc 
02.892.8863
888.8999 loc 2123
For appointment 

Makati Medical Center 
5/F Tower 2 OR-DR Complex 
# 888.8999 loc 3500, 3501, 3503 
7am to 5pm 
Needs appointment for follicular monitoring 

New World Diagnostics, Inc. 
Campos Rueda Bldg. 101 Urban Ave. San Lorenzo
# 887.5498 
Accepts Walk-in only

Victory Art Laboratory Phil. Inc.
Unit D-1 Medical Plaza, Legaspi Village
#884.2290
Accepts walk-in 

34 comments:

  1. Wow, I cannot imagine what you went through mommy. Your baby is such a blessing because you really prayed for her! I hope many moms who are TTC will get to read your post and feel inspired. God bless!

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    1. Awww, thank you for your kind words. It's really my husband's dream to give retreats to couples and share these kinds of stories. :) Thank you for visiting. :)

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  2. Your baby is beautiful. I have witnessed firsthand the difficulty that couples go through when they can't easily conceive so I understand what you're saying. I have friends who went through all that. It's not just the money and the time you spend in the process kasi, it's the emotional investment as well. I'm glad that in your case, it really was just the need for rest.

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    1. I really thought it was just east to conceive. Hindi pala talaga. I also have friends who had/have difficulty conceiving, and I'm still praying for them. :) I agree, TTC is such a huge investment - money, time, emotions, and patience. It will really test your relationship with your husband. We're blessed we conceived immediately after the treatment. :) Thank you for visiting. :)

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  3. Such a cute angel you had there.. i suddenly missed my kids when they were that young... i had difficulty in conceiving too after we got married. It took us 10 months before we had our first baby and then just a year after i was pregnant again! Now they're big and schooling already, we are planning to have another one but its been a year already and i haven't conceived yet.. i think i need to note down your referrals. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. You're welcome. I'm glad my infertility issues were a big help. Yes, you may see Dra Sto Domingo. She's love!! Beauty and brains talaga. Even her secretary, Ate Bless, is very friendly, too. :) Tell Dra Marinette I referred her to you. :) Good luck on your third. :) Thank you for visiting. :)

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  4. Enjoy your blessings. Such a great testimony. Sometimes, the stress in the family can really put our babies to instability, Stay happy!! =)

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    1. True much! :) Thank you very much for your advice. Thanks for visiting. :)

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  5. Must have been a difficult journey - clinic visits, medicines, bills and all but by Grace, here you are with this lovely blessing. God Bless you now and always.

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    1. Thank you very much. :) All the handwork and the stresses really paid off, because here we are with our cute bundle of joy already.:) Thanks for visiting. :)

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  6. I couldn't imagine what you sent through, but one thing is clear: you and your husband are most certainly blessed. Praise God!

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    1. Praise God indeed. Praise God. We really asked for prayers from our community. :) Thanks for visiting. :)

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  7. Your baby is truly a blessing after all that you've been through. What a cutie too! :)

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    1. thank you very much. She is such a blessing. a very malikot blessing. She brings joy to our family. :) Thanks for visiting. :)

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  8. I'm sure a lot of TTC couples can relate to you story. I hope this will inspire them to keep their faith and the positive attitude. :) What a cute baby you have there, Mommy! :)

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    1. Thank you so much. Yes, I would like my experience to really inspire couples not to lose hope to conceive. :) Thanks for visiting. :)

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  9. I have hyperthyroidism and was told that I might have a hard time conceiving as well. It took us a couple of months of trying, but after stopping ourselves from overthinking conception and by living healthy, we were able to conceive our first child! And the second one came after two years. Girl and boy na so we're super happy! :)

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    1. Yes, sometimes stopping to overthink could help. Thanks for visiting!

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  10. I had the same fear before, as I wasn't really leading a healthy lifestyle before getting married. Add to that the pressure of relatives asking if we were expecting na every time we see them. You're right, just be relaxed and lift everything to The One. So happy for you and your family!

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    1. ugh! we have experienced those questions from the relatives, too! :D Thanks for visiting!

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  11. I also had miscarriage before but after 6 months I got pregnant again. Siguro God has its own perfect timing for everything.

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    1. Oh yes, God's perfect timing talaga. Thanks for visiting!

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  12. I have a pcos which will be hard for me to get pregnant but after 4 months of trying to conceive with the help of clomid I got pregnant and now I have a five years old kid. For me I believe that God gave me this blessing prayers is more powerful than all the medicines. I really pray hard for my baby

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    1. Oh, that's beautiful! God bless you and your little one, too. Thanks for visiting!

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  13. it must've been a very stressful time to have a miscarriage and find out you are having a hard time conceiving, but i am sure all the stress were worth it after finally giving birth + holding this little angel in your arms!

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    1. yes, it was really stressful thinking why we were having a hard time conceiving. I'm glad we finally have one! <3 Thanks for visiting!

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  14. I had a blighted ovum last year too when we were trying to conceive our second baby. I know how you felt. I'm glad to know that you now have your little cutie right there.

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  15. I have some friends who are having problem to conceive and I can't imagine how hard it is. You are very lucky and strong. Congratulations on your baby.

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  16. Hi sis, aside from makati med, would u know what other hospitals is dra marinette affiliated? Thank u

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    1. Hi, Sis! I think she's also in St. Lukes Global City. I would totally recommend her. <3

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  17. How much did you spent for her PF?

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  18. Hello everyone
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