What's Happened To Me?

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Hi there fellow TTCs! Thanks for still reading my blog and waiting when I'll publish my next post. I appreciate your patience. I'll try and answer those who left questions in my posts.

First Meeting with the Reproductive Immunologist

Dr. Caroline T. Gloria

I set up an appointment for the reproductive immunologist, Dr. Caroline Gloria, at Asian Hospital. Via text, her secretary informed me of my appointment.

I arrived an hour before my appointment and luckily, the patient who was scheduled before me didn't arrive. I filled out a form and waited a few minutes.

Interpretation of Blood Tests and SIS

I had a Saline Infusion Sonohysterosalpingogram (SIS) which you could read here at St. Luke's Global. The result would be available after 1-2 hours. Since Dr. Guinto had a clinic in the afternoon, I decided to consult with her after getting the SIS result.

Saline Infusion Sonohysterography (SIS)

Photo credit: www.pogu.com.au

On my Cycle Day 9 (CD9), I was scheduled to have a Saline Infusion Sonohysterography (SIS) at St. Luke's - Global. My ultrasound was at 10:30 a.m at the Women's Healthcare, 2nd floor. I brought Inay with me for emotional, and probably physical, support. Dr. Leovigildo Comia was my OB-GYN Sonologist, as referred by Dr. Guinto.

Lipid Profile and FBS

Photo credit: www.acam.org

With seven blood tests done which you could read here, I now needed to have the two tests -- Lipid Profile and Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS) -- done at a hospital near where I live in the province. My cousin-in-law, T, suggested that I ask a doctor to give me a request for those two blood tests, since Manila Endocrine Laboratory got my prescription after I got my blood extracted.

First Round of Blood Tests in Manila Endocrine Laboratory

After my first consultation with Dra. Valerie Guinto which I wrote about here, she requested a list of nine blood tests for me to have. She recommended that I do them in Manila Endocrine Laboratory, which was located near her clinic at Joshua Center.

First Consultation with Dra. Valerie Guinto

Photo credit: www.linkedin.com

Dra. Valerie T. Guinto is a perinatologist. She's an expert in maternal and fetal medicine. She's the doctor of my cousin-in-law, whom I wrote about here.

Last Saturday, together with my cousin's family, I went for my first consultation with Dra. Guinto in her clinic in Manila. Her clinic hours are from 9:00 am to 11:00 am. We arrived around 10:30 am and, the worrier in me thought that I might be in the queue for a loooong time. You know how it is with specialists and from what I've experienced with my previous Reproductive Endocrinologists, you need patience as you wait for your turn. Amazingly, when I asked the secretary to list me, I was patient #6 and Dra. Guinto was already with patient #3. Wow!

100 Happy Days

I've signed up for the 100 Happy Days Challenge. For 100 days, I will post a photo of something or someone which/who made me happy that day. I can use any social media platform to post the photos. I chose Facebook since that is my personal social media page.

Why challenge myself to be happy?

Lately, I've realized that I've changed. I've become a person who was always sad, irritable, and negative to myself and other people. I've often snap at people, and my dialogues reflect a disgruntled woman. Even my photos look unhappy even if I'm smiling at the camera.

A few days ago, I consulted an EENT doctor to check my sore tongue. She's a relative so we've got to talking about our lives after my consultation. She asked me about my TTC journey and what medicine I took. I said, "Clomid." She beamed at me and said that women taking Clomid have a higher chance of having multiple babies. She asked if my OB told me that. My reply in a sarcastic tone: Yeah, but here I am, nothing happened. As I recall my conversation with her, I realized that my statements were said in a way where there's a slight hint of an angry tone. Years ago, I would have given a positive response to questions like that, like, "Yeah, I hope we will be successful this time," or "Yes, even one child and we'll be grateful." But, I've changed.

Hubby also noticed that I've become grumpy, even the littlest things will tick me off. When it comes to talks about infertility treatments, I've become distant and indifferent. I guess years of treatments took its toll on my positivity and hopefulness. In my mind, we've done all there is to done medically to help me conceive but nada. I've even done acupuncture, healthy living, novenas, etc. ZIlch. Kaput.

That's why I took the challenge. That's why I'm consciously looking for something to be happy about on a daily basis. I want to change my perspective and become a more cheery and hopeful person. I hope I'll have a more positive outlook in life after this challenge. 

2014 is a new year and I hope to be a better person this year.

#100happydays

Human Heart Nature Membership

I'm an avid consumer of products from Human Heart Nature and after months of contemplation, I've decided to finally apply to become a Member. An HHN Member is the lowest in terms of membership ranking and cheapest membership available (P799). 

I went to the nearest HHN store and I informed them that I would like to become a Member. A friendly staff accommodated me. She let me fill out a form and she photocopied my ID as proof. She gave a small orientation for me, explaining the history of HHN and the vision of the company. She also informed me of the harmful chemicals such as SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate), mineral oil, and petroleum by-products, commonly used in toiletries, cosmetics, and household cleaning supplies. Petroleum-based ingredients (found in petroleum jelly, isopropyl alcohol, etc.) pose risks of infertility. Oh my! 

Our skin is the largest organ of the body and it absorbs most of the chemicals in whatever we applied onto our skin. That's why we must be conscious and we must read the labels of what we use and apply on our skin on a daily basis. When I went home, I immediately checked the label of a baby oil I'm using and its ingredient is Mineral Oil, the #2 cause of skin-ageing (#1 is the sun).

The Starter Kit of an HHN Member includes the following:

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As an HHN Member, I need to have a minimum monthly purchase of P800. With my personal purchases, I can probably reach that amount for the first 2 months, but I asked my sister to order HHN products from me, if I'm not able to reach P800/month.

Human Heart Nature

www.humanheartnature.com

Novenas I Inherited

My cousin's wife, T, recently visited our home after the baptismal of their son. Since it took them many years to conceive, our aunts hoped that I would be the next to get pregnant. They told me to carry the baby and spend time with him so I could get the "baby energy" and hopefully, get pregnant soon. I was touched when my aunts gave me positive affirmations and revealed that they were praying for me because they were excited to have babies around. For a TTC wife like me, I thirst hearing other people tell me that everything will be alright, that I'll get pregnant soon, and that they're praying for me.

T gave me the novenas she used for all those years, and a rosary. She told me to pray with my heart everyday. As I pray the rosary, I should think about offering a rose to Mama Mary for each Hail Mary. She also said I shouldn't be hesitant about asking people for prayers.

I was happy as she gave me those novenas. I heard that a prayer book is more powerful if someone gives it to you. I wanted someone to give a novena book to me, without me asking for it. Inay gave me a Padre Pio novena in 2011, but that was after I asked for it. :) So, T giving me her personal novenas touched me. The novenas have a rich history from a strong woman who battled all odds just to have a baby. As you will notice, they show signs of frequent use and age.

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The Our Lady of La Leche novena is new for me. I've never heard about her and I was instantly drawn to the breastfeeding Mary. 

Years ago when I was still single, I've vowed that when I get to be blessed with a baby, I would breastfeed him/her. A former officemate, who was also a lactation consultant, told me that mothers should breastfeed since God gave women breasts for a reason. Every woman has milk in her breasts to nourish a little one. Breast milk is pure, nutritious, and perfect for a baby.

At the end of the novena book, is a list of churches where an image of Our Lady is located. I plan to visit one of those sites soon. The feast day of Our Lady of La Leche is October 11.

I was introduced to the novena to St. Raymund Nonato by my cousin. She advised me to get one since St. Raymund is the patron saint of pregnant women, children, childbirth, and midwives. I've bought one but only prayed the novena for a few days. I'll start praying this novena again.

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God always answers prayers. Sometimes, He answers "YES" and sometimes, "NO." There are moments when I feel discouraged when my prayer for a baby isn't answered with a YES. Sometimes, I need someone to remind me that prayers are always answered at the right time, in His own beautiful and magical way.

Celebration of Life and Faith

Over the weekend, my cousin (K), and his wife (T) went to the Shrine of Padre Pio for the baptismal of their 4-month old son.

Their TTC journey is an inspiring one, and makes you believe that there are indeed miracles in life. I know I'm not the one to tell about their story since many details may be missed and I couldn't relay the same depth of emotions which they've been through, but I just want to inspire other women like me who's finding it hard to start a family, and for those who want a boost of positive energy.

K and T were trying to have a baby for more than 7 years. T was able to conceive three times, but after several months, she always miscarried. The hardest was when one pregnancy reached 5 months but when she went for an ultrasound, there was no heartbeat and she had to have a C-section and a D&C (dilation and curettage or "raspa"). So heartbreaking!

At first, we thought that they were having a fertility workup to conceive. Our aunts advised K to forgo the treatments that were emotionally and financially draining but he clarified that they had no problem conceiving. It was easy for T to get pregnant, she even got pregnant twice in a year, but the problem was carrying it to full term.

They consulted with an OB/Perinatologist, a specialist in high-risk pregnancies, Dr. Valerie Guinto, MD. After several tests, the OB found that T has Antiphospholipid syndrome (or usually called "APAS"). Aside from the OB, she had to consult with an immunologist, as well. T was supposed to start treatments for her APAS when she discovered that she was already pregnant. From what I understood in her story, the APAS treatment should be done before you get pregnant, but since she was already having a baby, they had to take another approach in treatment to keep the baby. And, as we in the TTC community know, treatments don't come cheap. She needed daily injections of medicine costing P1,200 for several weeks plus other expensive medicines. She also needed to take complete bed rest. My cousin said T's belly looked like a beaten eggplant due to the numerous injections she had to endure for several months. Everything -- from injections, eating, to taking a bath-- was done while she was lying on the bed. Such sacrifice!

Since T was in bed all day long, she prayed several novenas, specially to Padre Pio. She prayed the rosary and asked Mama Mary to give them their baby. Whenever there was some problem, she would have a text brigade asking for prayers from family and friends. Since many people knew about their situation, the couple would be surprised to see money in their bank account. Whenever there was medical payment to be made, amazingly, money would be available. Many deposited money to their account to aid them in their journey, while praying that this baby would be healthy.

At 36 weeks, T had some bleeding which alarmed and saddened the couple; they have reached that far in the pregnancy and they didn't want it to end with another possible miscarriage. They went to the hospital and T was admitted for an emergency C-section. The OB advised them that T had to give birth right then since the baby's heartbeat was getting slower.

K started praying Padre Pio's novena as he waited. He told me, right after finishing the novena, the nurse asked him to come to the delivery room. Just after 15 or 20 minutes in the waiting room. That quick. He was scared that something horrible happened to his family.

The funny thing was, because of his heightened emotions, he didn't see his baby immediately. He asked the nurse how was his baby and the latter pointed in front of my cousin. He wasn't able to grasp what the nurse was telling him until he realized that his baby was right in front of him.

They named him John Pio, and uses Pio as a monicker.

A Nice Fertility Article

I was browsing through daily tweets when I saw Mind Body Green's tweet about natural fertility. I read the article "Why I'm Choosing To Treat My Fertility Problems Naturally" and I'm so happy the author's experience and decision resonate mine. 

Before I was diagnosed with PCOS, I rarely take medicines. I believed that if I'm sick, my body was telling me that something was wrong and I have to take a rest and be mindful of what I intake. Taking drugs was my last resort. But after the diagnosis, I had no choice but to follow the doctors' prescriptions of fertility drugs and more to ensure that my body is doing what it's supposed to do. At times, I don't like it since I feel that the drugs were not fixing the problem in a holistic way. And the risk of having ovarian cancer because of the drugs looms in my mind every now and then. Read our TTC journey here.

The author is brave in telling the world of her decision which is uncommon in the TTC world. I do similar things she's doing to help nurture the body and be ready for conception. I eat healthy, use organic products, have no vice, and I try to become active. I have yet to become a vegetarian, though I think it would become unlikely since I love eating meat products.

No Excuses

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It's July 1st, the first day when I must start on my Fertility Plan. Maybe it sounds absurd to have such a plan but I'm a worrier type of person and unless I have a plan which I can follow, it's hard for me to remain calm. My mind races on things to do, things to avoid, etc. I'm planning for things which I have control over -- such as diet and exercise. This plan may work (hopefully!) this time.

Now is the time to get serious. I've given myself several months binging on junk food and preserved goods, staying up and waking up late, and being sedentary. I told myself July 1 is the day when these unhealthy habits have to end. It's now time to get moving, keep fit and healthy, stay sane in preparing myself for conception. No more excuses. No more bargaining.

For women with PCOS, doing exercise such as walking for 30 minutes a day is ideal in preparing the body for conception. I planned on waking up early and start on my morning walk today. I envisioned myself having walking as a daily exercise wherein I cannot begin the day without walking first. I wanted it to become a daily habit. But, I wasn't able to get out of bed on my target waking time today. Boo. Not to start the first day of my Plan with an epic fail, I turned on the TV and watched an exercise program. I followed the woman's cardio exercises for 30 minutes before preparing for work. Yes!

The day has not yet ended and I was able to do 6 out of the 10 items in my Plan. I hope I can have the determination and discipline to keep this up.

Using Natural Products

As part of my Fertility Plan, I'm now switching to natural cosmetics. I use many products on my body. I think I have an elaborate ritual of cleaning and moisturizing my skin, especially at night. Whenever I think about all the chemicals in those beauty products that I slather on my skin, I can't help but shudder. The pains of beauty. 

One shop that sells natural products is Human Heart Nature. Human Heart Nature is a company in the Philippines that produces and sells products which are pro-Philippines, pro-poor, and pro-environment. I've used its products years ago and I believe in using natural products and supporting Pinoy companies. When I was still working in the city, I've been ordering online for HHN products since I didn't know any dealers and there was no shop near my place or office. 

Image from the HHN Facebook Page

After procrastinating for several months, I finally went  to the HHN shop to buy my first batch of products. The shop was a 15-minute jeepney ride away from home. The shop was quaint and all of their products were neatly displayed on the shelves with their prices written on a small slip of paper. Most products have their testers so I was able to smell them. Since their products were pricey compared to commercial ones, I decided to first buy products which stay longer on my body. I bought the Natural Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner (Lush Vanilla), 100% Natural Healthy Lotion (Vanilla Delight), and the Day & Night Moisturizer Bundle. 

The HHN staff encouraged me to become a dealer so I could get great discounts and have extra income. Since I'm a user of their products, I could save a lot if I become a dealer. I'm thinking about it but if I become a dealer, it would be just for my benefit. I work from home so it limits my capacity to sell their products to other people.

My Plan to Help My Fertility

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In just a few months, Hubby will be arriving to the country. Yes! After nine months, we'll be finally together again. In this contract, we're only able to text frequently, sometimes on a daily basis, call and Skype for a couple of hours twice a month. Imagine not seeing your spouse daily and communicating only at limited times? It's tough but it will be over soon. Wee!

I promised myself that three months before his arrival, I will prepare myself physically. I want to have my body at its optimum health and to be fertile, hopefully, by the time Hubby comes home.

Here's the plan I've devised:

• Be active. I can do walking early in the morning before I go to work or yoga after work. Most probably I'll do yoga since I can't seem to get out of bed early in the morning now that I'm working from home. But, I'll try walking to get fresh, probinsya air.
• Eat healthy foods, especially those which are called fertility foods.
• Drink green tea daily. Green tea is said to be an antioxidant and helps get rid of free radicals in the body.
• Take supplements that promote fertility (Royal Jelly and Usana Essentials).
• Ban these foods from my diet: canned goods, junk foods, soft drinks, sweet juice, candies, and chocolates (*fingers-crossed*). This one, I may have to be firm and determined to see this through. When Hubby arrives, he brings lots of chocolates since they're my favorite. How can I not eat something I love when it's just there within my reach? Can I have a cheat day? Haha.
• Use natural, organic toiletries.
• Buy organic food whenever possible, even if its more expensive.
• Do a self-fertility massage.
• Meditate before going to bed.
• Sleep early and wake up early.

I really hope that this plan would be successful in helping me conceive. For all those trying to conceive, you can also create a plan which suits your situation. Whatever you think will help you increase your fertility, do it.

Royal Jelly from Manuka Health

Part of my Fertility Plan this year is taking fertility supplements. Since I've done Clomid, acupuncture, Chinese herbal tea, eating brown rice and muesli, and using organic toiletries, I think it's time I try these supplements. Trying to conceive seems like a trial and error project for me. I can't do the same thing and expect a different result.

First on my fertility supplement list is Royal Jelly. It is said that royal jelly is the superfood for fertility. Many women claimed its effectiveness in getting pregnant so I have to try it. Royal Jelly is available in different forms: fresh, capsules/tablets, or powdered. They say fresh royal jelly is the best form. The nearest seller of fresh royal jelly to my home is Ilog Maria in Tagaytay. I may have to visit the honeybee farm and buy some.

I searched online and ordered a bottle of Royal Jelly Capsules at Manuka Health. A bottle has 180 capsules, good for 6 months, and costs P1,700. A cap costs about P9.44. My order arrived after three days.

The cap is a bit large but good thing I can easily ingest medicines. I have no difficulty swallowing the capsule. Hope this royal jelly improves my health and hormonal balance in the near future.

Fertility Cleanse

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According to Natural Fertility Info, a fertility cleanse focuses on three major areas:

• liver health
• uterine health
• increase circulation to the uterus

Liver health

The Natural Fertility Info recommends whole herbs in the liver cleanse but since those herbs may not be available here, I searched an alternative to promote liver cleanse. We can naturally cleanse the liver by including these foods in our diets:

• avocado
• garlic
• grapefruit
• green tea
• green vegetables (bitter gourd, arugula, and spinach)
• turmeric
• walnuts

Uterine health

These herbs are used for uterine cleansing:

• Goldenseal root
• Damiana leaf
• Dong Quai Root
• Peony root
• Raspberry Leaf - I tried drinking red raspberry Leaf tea in 2011. You can get it at Healthy Options.

I'm still searching the net if there are foods that promote uterine cleansing and health.

Natural Fertility Plan

I saw a sample plan in the Natural Fertility Info website to help in natural conception and improve fertility. The plan is just a sample and it seems workable.


Month 1
1. Natural Fertility Diet- be sure to include your 8 glasses of water
2. Exercise: Walk at least 5 times a week for 30 minutes, do Fertility Yoga at least 2-3 times a week.
3. Fertility Cleanse
4. Self Fertility Massage, at least 4-5 times a week
5. Castor Oil Pack, before Self Fertility Massage

Month 2
1. Natural Fertility Diet- be sure to include your 8 glasses of water
2. Exercise/Walk/Fertility Yoga
3. Raspberry leaf infusion
4. Self Fertility Massage
5. Castor Oil Packs
6. L-Arginine

Month 3
1. Natural Fertility Diet- be sure to include your 8 glasses of water
2. Exercise/Walk/Fertility Yoga
3. Raspberry leaf infusion
4. Self Fertility Massage
5. Castor Oil Packs
6. L-Arginine

If I'm to follow this plan, I should start it by June or July, in time for Hubby's return in October/November. 

Fertility Supplements

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Try as I might to forget about conceiving, I can't. Sometimes I'm just at a loss on what to do next. I've tried healthy living. I religiously consulted my OB. I had acupuncture sessions and herbal teas. Nothing worked. I wanted to just let go of the reins and see what happens next.

But, deep down, I still want to do something to help me conceive. There's a part of me saying that I can do something about the things that I can control -- such as my food intake and activity level. I may be discouraged in the past years, but I shouldn't lose hope. Also, I may just have to bring out of the library my books on natural fertility.

Right now, I'm interested in taking fertility supplements. A friend suggested I take royal jelly. I've searched the net and got encouraging information about royal jelly and I saw a local store selling it. I'm also interested in FertiliAid, Fertility Blend, and USANA.

What fertility supplements are you taking? Any recommendations?

Our TTC Journey

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When we got married, Hubby and I envisioned starting a family right away. The nature of his work and my age were major factors of our decision. Aside from the fact that we love children and having our own would be the icing on our cake.

Summary: We've been trying since 2010. I was diagnosed with PCOS, Hubby had no problem. I had 7 rounds of Clomiphene citrate (Clomid, Ova-mit, and Clomene), 3 rounds of trigger shots (Pregnyl and Ovidrel), about 20 acupuncture sessions, drank numerous cups of herbal tea, and underwent 2 IUIs. Wasn't able to get pregnant.

So, here's our journey:

2010
January 2010 - Hubby and I got married. After a week, he left for overseas work. We weren't able to get pregnant during our honeymoon.

June 2010 - Hubby came home due to an accident in the ship he was working. We tried to conceive naturally but weren't successful.

August 2010 - Went to a Fertility doctor. Found that I had PCOS (I don't ovulate regularly) and I had retroverted uterus. 
- Hubby had Sperm Analysis. His result was off the charts!
- Took Clomid (50mg) once a day for 5 days. My ovaries responded, showed 2 maturing follicles. Didn't conceive.

September 2010 - Took Clomid and had a Pregnyl shot to "pop" the eggs, even one egg would suffice. Didn't conceive.

November 2010 - Tried the natural way since Hubby would be leaving for overseas work.
- Consulted with another Fertility Doctor in the city.

December 2010 - Started acupuncture treatments with Sister Regina Liu.

2011
January 2011 - Started being "organic." I used organic beauty products, ate brown rice and muesli, and stayed away from junk food and sweets (may fave!).
- Visited the acupuncture clinic for my treatment every other week.

April 2011 - Had a TVS to see if my acupuncture treatments helped my ovaries to ovulate naturally. They did!

June 2011 - Started taking Chinese herbal medicines as prescribed by Sister Regina. You can also read here, here, and here. 

September 2011 - Hubby came back at the end of his 9-month contract. We tried to conceive naturally but were not successful.

October 2011 - Took Ova-mit for 5 days. Didn't conceive.

November 2011 - Took Ova-mit again. Didn't conceive.

December 2011 - Tried to conceive naturally. We weren't able to get pregnant. Hubby went abroad again for his contract. I was devastated!

2012
January 2012 - I stopped my acupuncture treatments. I decided to do nothing related to getting pregnant for the meantime. I was drained and frustrated with what I've been through: the treatments, the fertility drugs, injections, numerous TVS, consultations, etc. I decided to just enjoy every moment without thinking about getting pregnant.

August 2012 - Had my HSG and learned I have patent tubes. Information that HSG increases the chances of a woman to get pregnant raised our hopes up. My friend (TTC for 1 year) had HSG in 2011 and she got pregnant after her HSG. These info made us optimistic we'll be lucky this time. We were not.

September 2012 - My OB suggested artificial insemination but Hubby and I decided to wait and see and tried to conceive naturally.

November 2012 - We decided to have an IUI. I took Ova-mit for 5 days and had an Ovidrel shot. Didn't work out.

December 2012 - Went to my first Fertility Doctor in the province and scheduled another round of IUI. She said she recommends taking Clomid or Clomene instead of Ova-mit. I took Clomene and had a Pregnyl shot. Had another IUI in the province. Failed.

2013
January 2013 - Hubby left again for work. We weren't able to get pregnant naturally. We accepted the fact that it wasn't time for us yet.

Whew!

So, that's it. That's our journey so far.