Beta hCG Test

Credit: Pixabay

After my third IUI in St.Luke's Global City, Dr. Guinto gave me a lab request for a Beta hCG to be done a 2 weeks later.

When Hubby and I got home, I rested and didn't do much at home. My family visited me that night to check up on me. Them visiting me felt like I just came out of a major surgery. :)

After one week, we went again to St. Luke's to have the Beta hCG test.

Third IUI

Credit: Pixabay

I had my third IUI in St.Luke's Global City in Taguig in 2016. My OB-GYNE was Dr. Valerie Guinto.

We came to the hospital in the morning of my IUI schedule. Dr. Guinto instructed us to have Hubby's sperm prepared and washed in the Center for Advanced Reproductive Medicine and Infertility (CARMI) in St. Luke's. In my previous IUIs, it was my OB-GYNE who washed the sperms in preparation for the procedure.

CARMI had two rooms for privacy where Hubby did his share for the IUI. The room had a comfy couch, tissue, sanitizer, sensual magazines and videos to "set the mood." Hubby said he wasn't *in the zone* despite the helpful paraphernalia in the room. But, having a room was better compared to the last IUI where Hubby got his swimmers in the men's bathroom. The cost of the sperm procedure at CARMI was P9,629.76.

After that, we waited for Dr. Guinto. My IUI was scheduled at 1pm.

Dr. Guinto arrived and we were the first patient she met since we were having an IUI. Her secretary, Mimi, already got the sperm sample from CARMI.

I laid down at the clinic's cot as Dr. Guinto prepared her stuff for the IUI. She checked and double-checked Hubby's name on the vial containing the sperm sample. She wanted to make sure that she inseminate me with the right sperm.

She had difficulty locating the opening of my cervix. Mimi put some pressure in my tummy area to help Dr. Guinto find my cervix. Once she found it, she used a catheter to insert the sperm to my retroverted uterus. 

After that, Mimi adjusted the clinic's cot so the lower half was elevated at an angle. She and Dr. Guinto helped me put my legs up to give the sperm time to swim inside my uterus. I was embarrassed when Dr. Guinto held my calves and moved my legs on top of the raised cot. She then left us and reminded Mimi to leave me in that position for 30 minutes.

Hubby then came into the procedure area. He could've been inside the room during my IUI--Dr. Guinto even asked him to--but he was uncomfortable. 

After 30 minutes, it felt like all my blood was going into my brain! I was getting dizzy and my neck hurt because of that awkward position.

We paid Mimi for Dr. Guinto's fee (sorry, I forgot the amount!)and left St. Luke's.

Waiting for an Open Window Part 1

Photo credit: http://wallpaperswide.com

In 2013, my husband and I stopped having fertility treatments. Not only was it expensive, it was emotionally exhausting. After taking several rounds of Clomid, follicle monitoring sessions, taking an HSG, two IUIs, a year of acupuncture, tons of Chinese herbal tea, we decided that it was enough for us now. Whew!

We put our plans on hold to have a baby. I resigned from a stable employment to stay at home and start doing freelance work. Most of our income was put into doctors' fees, laboratory fees, medicines, and transportation costs. We're thankful that God gave us the resources to pursue treatments which we thought would help us conceive.

After the IUI

For my IUI experience, check out here.

After 30 minutes laying on the exam table, the secretary told me that I could get home. I could not get up! Don't know if it was because of the pain in my mid section or my nerves slept since I was not moving on the table for a long time. Hubby assisted me to get up and I carefully changed to my clothes.

The secretary gave me my IUI report. She told me to do a pregnancy test on cd30. With or without period, I should text Dra. Aguilar on that day.

We left the office and sat outside to get composure. There was still pain and I felt that I should rest more. We walked again but I felt nauseous. We sat on one of the benches and I tried to eat crackers and drink water. I felt I would pass out anytime soon. There was cold sweat and my ears rang. I felt queasy and I wanted to lay down. The pain of the procedure and empty stomach did me. I was able to get back my strength after a few minutes and we hailed a taxi to get home.

I rested the whole the day after the procedure.

Hopefully, the IUI will be successful.

My Intrauterine insemination (IUI) Experience

This is a delayed post.


I didn't think that we would reach the stafe of IUI. But we did.

After five cycles of Clomiphene citrate (Clomid and Ova-mit brands) and no pregnancy, we decided that we should now do an IUI.

Cycle day 3-7. I took 50mg of Ova-mit for five consecutive days.

Cycle day 7. I went to Dra. Aguilar for follicle monitoring. The TVS showed a maturing follicles (size: 11mm) in my left ovary.

Cycle day 11. My maturing follicle was 18mm. Dra. Aguilar prescribed Ovidrel, a drug that "stimulates the release of the egg during ovulation," to be injected between 7-9 that night. Good thing my Hubby has a cousin who is a nurse at a the town's hospital. We went there and had my injection of Ovidrel at the left side of my tummy.

IUI Experience
Cycle day 13. IUI day. Hubby and I said our little prayer at the EDSA Shrine before we went to Cardinal Santos Hospital. We arrived at the hospital at 6:45 am. After 30 minutes, the secretary told Hubby to collect semen sample. Good thing the comfort room was beside Dra. Aguilar's room. Hubby was able to produce 2.6ml. The secretary placed the specimen bottle in Dra.'s room.

Around 8 am, Dra. Aguilar arrived. She let us see the sperms under a microscope. Under the microscope, was a grid and inside, we saw miniscule transparent-looking sperms. The sperms were actively moving, flicking under the microscope.

image here

As per Dra. Aguilar's count, Hubby was able to produce a good amount of sperms. We were told to wait after 40 minutes before the IUI procedure. I prayed the rosary to calm my nerves. We haven't eaten breakfast yet so I asked Hubby to buy food at the canteen. Tip: Bring your own food. Hospital food is expensive. A small bottle of mineral water costs P50.

The time came for the IUI. Dra. Aguilar called me back in her room. After "washing" the sperms, she showed me the post-washed sperms under the microscope. I changed into a hospital gown and Dra. advised me not to pee in the comfort room.

I laid down the exam table and put my feet in the stirrups, just like when having a pap smear test. She put some gel on my tummy and using an ultrasound, Dra. showed me my uterus in the small monitor. Sadly, I wasn't able to distinguish it in the black and white display in the monitor. She let me hold the hand-held device (transducer) the she started with the IUI procedure.

I felt pelvic pain and discomfort during and after the IUI. Dra. positioned the transducer at the left side of my tummy and pointed at the ultrasound monitor. She said the white spot (less than an inch in size) in the monitor represents the injected sperms. She removed the IUI apparatus and told me to lay down and not move for 30 minutes.

My pelvic area felt like there was a big and heavy rock inside me. My body jerked as response to the pain I was experiencing. I tried to meditate and prayed Hail Marys to take my mind off the pain. I kept thinking that the pain was way less and cannot be compared to the pangs in giving birth. I believed in mind over matter. I was able to feel minimal pain during my HSG, I could do it again for my IUI. As I was praying, the pain ebbed. But when I though about what I went through, I felt intense pain. Seriously. The mind is a very powerful tool.

IUI video

Now that we are pushing through with IUI, I want to learn more about the procedure. I saw a 3D animation on YouTube. We decided to have IUI in PGH where the cost is cheaper.

I hope to be prepared in all aspects when "The" day comes. We hope that we will be successful now.

Thank you for your prayers.