I am already on may D36 and no period yet. So I called up Dr Sheila Loh's clinic in Raffles Hospital who is quite popular in some SG forums. She is fully booked the whole month and my appointment will yet be on the 3rd of July. O, bummer! So many infertile couples in the house!!!
Since I'd be waiting for a month I'm thinking of trying out TCM. I made an appointment with Goh Seck Choon of Ubi Ave 1 and advised to be early on Monday, May 2. Guess there'll be a long queue here, too.
If you want to try TCM, these two sites have comprehensive lists:
http://www.tcm-esearch.com/
http://singaporetcm.wordpress.com/
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
The Journey Continues in SG
Hubby and I decided to seek the help of a specialist once again due to the excruciating abdominal pain I had on the 26th of this month and last night I was also feeling the pain again but this time it's more tolerable. I'm afraid it's the endemetriosis, the initial diagnosis of the last endo-repro doctor I visited in the Philippines weeks before I came here in Singapore.
So I searched the net for possible infertility doctors. My eyes almost popped out when I found out the consultation fees! Dr Wong Peng Cheang is a fellow of PSREI or Philippine Society of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Incorporated. I was thinking if he's a fellow in a Philippine organization maybe he would be easier to consult. His fee is around SGD168 for the first consultation and SGD88++ for succeeding visits. These excludes all tests that he'll be doing. S$168 = Php5.5k++!!! Gosh! It was soooo expensive!! That's why I checked on Dr Ann Tan which I read in some forums. She seemed to be popular and can be compared to the likes of Dr. Eileen Manalo in the Phil. It said that the queue is quite long and would take you hours before you get your turn and sometimes she doesn't encourage questions from patients. I shoot an inquiry about her fees and I almost fell from where I'm sitting! S$170 consultation fee and S$130 ultrasound test! Whhuuuuaaaatttt???? Is this for real? And if you're a private patient you're still charged with GST tax of 7%. So the total would be more that Php6k?!
Now, I'm angry and hated the situation I am in. Why is it so expensive? I should have completed all my tests in the Philippines so that I don't have to do this here. And in the first place, why am I having this infertility problems? Why??? Urgh!
So I searched the net for possible infertility doctors. My eyes almost popped out when I found out the consultation fees! Dr Wong Peng Cheang is a fellow of PSREI or Philippine Society of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Incorporated. I was thinking if he's a fellow in a Philippine organization maybe he would be easier to consult. His fee is around SGD168 for the first consultation and SGD88++ for succeeding visits. These excludes all tests that he'll be doing. S$168 = Php5.5k++!!! Gosh! It was soooo expensive!! That's why I checked on Dr Ann Tan which I read in some forums. She seemed to be popular and can be compared to the likes of Dr. Eileen Manalo in the Phil. It said that the queue is quite long and would take you hours before you get your turn and sometimes she doesn't encourage questions from patients. I shoot an inquiry about her fees and I almost fell from where I'm sitting! S$170 consultation fee and S$130 ultrasound test! Whhuuuuaaaatttt???? Is this for real? And if you're a private patient you're still charged with GST tax of 7%. So the total would be more that Php6k?!
Now, I'm angry and hated the situation I am in. Why is it so expensive? I should have completed all my tests in the Philippines so that I don't have to do this here. And in the first place, why am I having this infertility problems? Why??? Urgh!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Preseed
Part of the itinerary of that November trip was to visit all Watsons and Guardian stores we could find. As in everytime we see one I wouldn't miss checking out if Preseed is sold in that store. And it was only yesterday that I was finally able to buy one. There were two stocks of Preseed. I already got hold of one box and been thinking if I should buy both of them since stores selling them is a dime a dozen. I would pick up the other box, ask myself if I should buy it, then put it back. I was going to the counter but went back to the shelf, hold the other box again, ask myself if I should buy it, then put it back, long pause and I finally decided that I won't be buying it, for now. Oh, women! Haha!
Actually, we were still not able to use all of the first Preseed that I bought in the Philippines. So why I bought again? I am saving it when I think we'd be able to conceive (when would that be I wonder?) or when we finally start to do a work up again.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
What's Wrong With Us, Doc? Part 1
When I got married in 2007 in the Philippines, I wanted to have a honeymoon baby but since it did not happen I thought what the heck we just got married. Then weeks came into months then into a year. Question of 'Am I barren?' popped out. Infertility wasn't the word I used then until I visited an OB/GYNE in 2008 wrote on her RX paper subinfertile. Huh? Subinfertile? Meaning not really infertile? I didn't bother anymore to ask because the succeeding words that came out from her mouth were a little bit inaudible and Greek for me. She did an ultrasound on me and it came out I have PCOS, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, and that I don't ovulate on my own. She instructed my husband to undergo a comprehensive seminalysis at a very reputable and very expensive hospital. We got the result after two hours and got the shock of our lives.
TERATOZOOSPERMIA. Teratozoospermia was the initial findings written in the result. There are percentages on the quality of his sperm and we somehow able to get the meaning of that medical term. We got restless, especially hubby since it's his sperm, so we looked for the nearest internet shop and rented a PC to check the exact meaning and possible cure for it. We were really down trodden when we left the internet shop. His sperm morphology is very low about 9% normal so meaning the rest are abnormal and like monsters in the semen. We even actually added up all those percentages just to make sure the total would be 100%. We were shock! We never knew those things existed. But, based on what we've initially read it can be reversed. (I'll be detailing this in my coming blogs. Promise.)
So we went back to the doctor and showed her the results. It's only now that I realized that she shouldn't have gave us false hope by working us up knowing my hubby's sperm quality is quite low. So even if I take a blister pack of clomid there'll be no way I could get pregnant. That money-making-b***h! Anyway, so by now you know that we started our fertility work-ups. I had only i think 2 cycles and I stopped. This started my jump from one OB/GYNE to another in the hopes of getting pregnant.
TERATOZOOSPERMIA. Teratozoospermia was the initial findings written in the result. There are percentages on the quality of his sperm and we somehow able to get the meaning of that medical term. We got restless, especially hubby since it's his sperm, so we looked for the nearest internet shop and rented a PC to check the exact meaning and possible cure for it. We were really down trodden when we left the internet shop. His sperm morphology is very low about 9% normal so meaning the rest are abnormal and like monsters in the semen. We even actually added up all those percentages just to make sure the total would be 100%. We were shock! We never knew those things existed. But, based on what we've initially read it can be reversed. (I'll be detailing this in my coming blogs. Promise.)
So we went back to the doctor and showed her the results. It's only now that I realized that she shouldn't have gave us false hope by working us up knowing my hubby's sperm quality is quite low. So even if I take a blister pack of clomid there'll be no way I could get pregnant. That money-making-b***h! Anyway, so by now you know that we started our fertility work-ups. I had only i think 2 cycles and I stopped. This started my jump from one OB/GYNE to another in the hopes of getting pregnant.
Another Early Morning Pain
I woke up at around 230am wanting to pee and having that nagging feeling of lower abdominal cramps. A sign that red flag is about to be raised up. I went back to sleep only to wake up again at around 4am because the pain is getting intense. I woke up hubby to help me out with the increasing pain in my lower abdomen. As he is the person who gets panic easily I have to instruct him what to do. Talking while in such pain was a real struggle. He went to the kitchen to boil some water for the hot compress as this is the only thing that can relieve the cramping. Before I could even wait for him mother nature called out! I hurriedly went to the toilet for a BM. Boy, was I having cold sweat and I'm starting to feel a little numb?! It was scary but I had this before so I know after this It'll be alright.
It was about a 10-15minutes ordeal. But, it felt so long for me. We were not able to talk about it anymore as the adrenaline died down, we're tired and fell asleep.
When I woke up he was already preparing to leave for work. I couldn't get myself up as I still feel a bit week and my knees feel wobbly. He caught me looking from afar and asked me what's on my head. I just said nothing.
Nothing in my head is comprehensible and all are questions. How come this thing happened again? I thought irregular period (I'm already 2 days delayed) and severe abdominal cramps are caused by stress. But, I haven't been working since I came here to Singapore about a month now. I've been taking lots of supplements like fertility blend, glutathione, vit-C and green barley. Almost removing dairy in my diet, less bad fats, incorporating organic foods and even doing yoga at least twice a week.
I had this pain November last year and I decided to improve my lifestyle as far as resigning from work thinking my reproductive system won't go further berserk if I chose the road less traveled.Duh? And yet, here I am feeling that pain again and what's making things worse is that I'm not pregnant - again!
Oh, crap! What do I need to do?
And Oh, btw, when I had this last November it was also on the early morning of 26th about 4am. What's with the 26th of 4am? Oh please, don't make this a routine? Pretty please?
It was about a 10-15minutes ordeal. But, it felt so long for me. We were not able to talk about it anymore as the adrenaline died down, we're tired and fell asleep.
When I woke up he was already preparing to leave for work. I couldn't get myself up as I still feel a bit week and my knees feel wobbly. He caught me looking from afar and asked me what's on my head. I just said nothing.
Nothing in my head is comprehensible and all are questions. How come this thing happened again? I thought irregular period (I'm already 2 days delayed) and severe abdominal cramps are caused by stress. But, I haven't been working since I came here to Singapore about a month now. I've been taking lots of supplements like fertility blend, glutathione, vit-C and green barley. Almost removing dairy in my diet, less bad fats, incorporating organic foods and even doing yoga at least twice a week.
I had this pain November last year and I decided to improve my lifestyle as far as resigning from work thinking my reproductive system won't go further berserk if I chose the road less traveled.Duh? And yet, here I am feeling that pain again and what's making things worse is that I'm not pregnant - again!
Oh, crap! What do I need to do?
And Oh, btw, when I had this last November it was also on the early morning of 26th about 4am. What's with the 26th of 4am? Oh please, don't make this a routine? Pretty please?
Monday, April 25, 2011
Hear Me Out
Just a trivia this is my 2nd blogger account in 3hours! I forgot my password for my 1st account. O bummer!
Ok. So here I am one of those couples who have been chasing that thought-so-easy-but-realized-it's-damn-hard pregnancy. I really never thought it's going to be this hard! I came from a big family so fertility issue is not an issue until I got married.
Hubby and I married in our early 30-ish. On our first year we took things in stride until those irritating questions, insensitive jokes and pressure on my ticking biological clock took the wits out of me. Actively trying for me is an understatement. When I started wondering why I couldn't get pregnant I began the painful but still funny TTC journey (just in case you're not 'one of those' I'm talking about TTC is an acronym for Trying To Conceive). I did so many research, through the web of course, I came across with so many informations that gave me hope and at the same time scared me. Hope, because I know that there are so many options and ways for me to boost my fertility. Scared, because what if those informations won't be enough for me or my husband to finally conceive?
With all the infos in the net I have a little white notebook where I jot down all that get my attention; the supposed great fertility specialists, vitamins and minerals we have to take, herbals and organics that need to be included in our supplements, TCM, yoga, best sexual positions (mind you!), healing priests and some Filipino beliefs and traditions. I tediously wrote them down just to ensure I won't miss a thing.
From what I've gotten from the web and forums I have visited to several OB/GYNE, endo-repro and infertility specialists. We had several cycles of clomid, femara, 2 failed IUIs, tons of supplements that's supposed to enhance our reproductive health, scheduled BD (Baby Dancing or SEX), 3 hilot (abdominal massage), acupuncture, kilometers of travel to healing priests and several nights of novena prayers to almost all saints related to children or pregnancy: the likes of St Gerald of Mejilla, St Ann Mother of Mary, St Pio, St Anthony and even St Jude for Hopeless cases. (That's how hopeless we came to be!) Went also to the feasts of St. Claire and St. Pio. We're hoping that faith could somehow help us through with science. But, alas! After more than three years here I am even a false positive I haven't got any.
So why I'm still not pregnant? I don't know! Had I known I would be pregnant by now and you wouldn't be asking me that, right?
With all the infos in the net I have a little white notebook where I jot down all that get my attention; the supposed great fertility specialists, vitamins and minerals we have to take, herbals and organics that need to be included in our supplements, TCM, yoga, best sexual positions (mind you!), healing priests and some Filipino beliefs and traditions. I tediously wrote them down just to ensure I won't miss a thing.
From what I've gotten from the web and forums I have visited to several OB/GYNE, endo-repro and infertility specialists. We had several cycles of clomid, femara, 2 failed IUIs, tons of supplements that's supposed to enhance our reproductive health, scheduled BD (Baby Dancing or SEX), 3 hilot (abdominal massage), acupuncture, kilometers of travel to healing priests and several nights of novena prayers to almost all saints related to children or pregnancy: the likes of St Gerald of Mejilla, St Ann Mother of Mary, St Pio, St Anthony and even St Jude for Hopeless cases. (That's how hopeless we came to be!) Went also to the feasts of St. Claire and St. Pio. We're hoping that faith could somehow help us through with science. But, alas! After more than three years here I am even a false positive I haven't got any.
So why I'm still not pregnant? I don't know! Had I known I would be pregnant by now and you wouldn't be asking me that, right?
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