New Infertility Specialist

I have a hard time dealing with the term “infertility specialist". It somehow connotes that I'm sterile, which I'm not. Trying to conceive puts a lot of pressure to husbands and wives and saying you are consulting with an “infertility specialist” puts unnecessary pressure. I should look for another diplomatic, more humane term for “infertility specialist”.

I went to Friendly Care to consult with my second infertility specialist, Dra. Angela Aguilar. After reading women forums and searching the Internet for a specialist near where I work, I found Dra. Aguilar.

At Friendly Care, you can get your queue number before the doctor's clinic hours start. The nurses will get primary information of the patient. You can stay and wait in the clinic's waiting area or you can come back at a later time, when the doctor is in.

I was a bit nervous of my consultation. Here, I am meeting the person who might help me get pregnant next year. This is the doctor whom I will expose my self to.

At first, she thought I was her patient before but I corrected her. She got her netbook and got my information on her prepared patient's data template.

She discussed with me the four phases of assisted reproduction technology. After each phase, the patient has to rest. It seems I'm through with Phase 1 which is ovulation through drugs and timed intercourse and is now on Phase 2. She suggested I get hysterosalpingogram (HSG) before Hubby arrives.

HSG is a test which I dread. My previous OB told me about HSG in passing, saying she doesn't recommend it yet at that time. HSG is a test of the fallopian tubes. A catheter-like device will be inserted in the woman's vagina. A colored dye will be released through the device as an X-ray machine will take shots of the dye's journey inside. If the dye spills through the tubes, it means you have patent tubes or clear tubes. The egg and sperm can have a date. If the dye doesn't come out, it means that one or both your tubes are blocked, which means no dating place.

I'm scared of HSG. Maybe because I've read that there are women who faint or scream because of the pain. I deduce these women are those with blocked tubes. If the dye is not spilling out, then the pressure of the dye coming in continues, making it uncomfortable and painful.

Since Hubby is not with me and HSG may be done in July, Dra. prescribed that I get vaccinated with MMR (mumps, measles and rubella) and HPV (human papillomavirus). I'm really getting good with these acronyms. MMR costs P700 in Friendly Care and HPV is P2,000 per dose, I need 3 doses. These vaccines should be administered 3 to 6 months before pregnancy. I told Dra. Aguilar that I will start vaccination on January. This will give me time to save money and the courage to undergo body piercing which I'm not a fan of.