Pregnancy test result!

Baby's first photo

Almost 5 months ago, October 15th, I was in my hotel room while my husband was sound asleep beside me. I tossed and I turned, trying to get at least a couple hours’ sleep. I don’t know if it was the feeling of excitement or anxiousness that kept me up that night. The previous day, I already bought a home pregnancy test so I could test early in the morning before I had to do it in the hospital. I guess I just wanted to be ready, whatever the result would be. With only 1-2 hours worth of sleep, that morning, I wait for the pregnancy test to tell me my fate. I was ready whatever it was. If it turns out to be negative, I already told my husband that we’d come back in January/February for another round. Of course, I was trying to still be positive. I take a deep breath and look at the result. Positive. We were pregnant! 

Positive!

I was also pregnant 2 years before this pregnancy and it ended in a blighted ovum so I was praying that this time around, it would be different. I prayed that this would really be it. Having to go through a blighted ovum or a miscarriage was just so hard. I didn’t want to go through anything like that again. We went to the hospital that morning and they had me take 2 more pregnancy tests. Both were positive. We took photos with Dr. Lee and said our thank you’s and goodbyes as we were scheduled to go home the next working day. We took home boxes and boxes of Crinone , which was supposed to help baby stick. I also had to continue taking Duphaston and Estradiol until my 10th week. 

I guess one of the happiest days of my life was seeing my baby and being able to hear his heartbeat for the first time. I just couldn’t believe I was pregnant and my baby had a heartbeat! It was just a lot to process. It seems weird because we had been waiting to get pregnant for 8 long years and once it really happened, it still took a while to sink in. It reminded me how amazing God is. We had egg retrieval twice, had 25 eggs, only 1 survived to Day 5, that embryo turned out to be normal, I had just 1 embryo transferred to me and now, 1 baby in my tummy. I remember Dr. Lee telling us that our embryo was only of average quality and there was a 30-40% chance of pregnancy. But you know what, God had an amazing plan for us. He truly wanted us to be parents. 

I’m now on my 24th week of pregnancy. 16 weeks to go until we meet our baby boy. Just a couple of months to go before we become a family. :)

My eggs and some detours

I haven't updated my blog in a while because admittedly, I was a little reluctant to share my progress in my IVF journey. It hasn't been an easy ride, after all. And I was terrified of failing again. Ok, let me start from my ovum pickup.

Before the ovum pickup, I was thinking that there would be around 4 mature eggs that could make it. I know, that's not much, but I thought to myself that it only takes 1 good egg to make a baby. I thought the ovum pickup would be scary. As I lay on the bed in the OR, I remember calming myself down, and just trying to relax. I didn't even realize that I had passed out already. I woke up in the recovery room around 2 hours later. They let my aunt and mom in and let me change into my clothes. I went to the IVF room on the 6th floor after and asked how many eggs were retrieved. They told me that Dr. Lee was able to retrieve 8 eggs, but that only 1 was mature. My heart sank. 1 mature egg. I tried to be optimistic but it was hard.

The following day, I called the IVF lab to check on the eggs and how many had been fertilized. I was told that there were 2 more eggs that were fertilized. I had a total of 3 eggs now. My mom was there to cheer me up. Again, I just needed 1 good egg, but God was gracious enough to give me 3 fertilized eggs, and that was enough. :)

2 days after the ovum pickup, I called the IVF lab and was told that I had to come in the following day for my embryo transfer. They were doing a 3 day transfer, which meant that the quality of the embryos were not very good. I came in at 10am the following day for my embryo transfer. They explained to me that my embryos were a little out of sync in terms of their growth and that 2 embryos divided very early and the other one had about 50% fragmentation while the other ones had 40%. 2 were Grade 5 and 1 was Grade 6 so they were transferring all 3 embryos. I asked Dr. Lee if there was still a possibility of pregnancy and he assured me that although the chance of getting pregnant is decreased, it was still possible.

The next few days, I took it easy. I watched TV all day and just walked out of the apartment to eat or buy food. The wait was nerve-wracking. I was leaving Taipei on November 27, and was asked to drop by Mackay to get a letter that Dr. Lee has prepared for my doctor in Manila before my flight. I was going to do my HCG test in Manila on November 30. I was tempted to buy a home pregnancy test before November 30 but I knew that God wanted me to wait. So wait, I did.

IVF COST

The table below shows the cost we incurred during our stay. This doesn't include food and transportation. Since we didn't actually go through with the IVF, this is only until Day 17 of my last menstrual period. Please take note also that I was under Protocol 4 and only had 1 dose of Pergoveris a day.

This is *almost* it

Had yet another ultrasound today and Dr. Lee asked me to have a blood test to check my Estradiol level. Upon googling, I found out that the Estradiol blood test is a way to find out if a woman is responding to fertility treatment.

I had to take the blood test before 8:30am because the result doesn't come out until 3 hours later. This means that Dr. Lee can still check the result before giving me the medications I would need for the next few days. Dr. Lee told me that the fertility treatment was working well and that my body was responding to the treatment. I breathe a huge sigh of relief upon hearing this. :) Dr. Lee also told me that since my follicles were growing steadily, I would need to take another shot that prevents my follicles/eggs from bursting, or at least that's what I understood out of the explanation.

Check out how my follicles grew from Day 3. This is a form that is given to you when you start having your IVF treatment. Every time you have a consultation with Dr. Lee and an ultrasound, you have to make sure that you bring this form.

Dr. Lee also told me that my ovum pickup will probably be on Wednesday or Thursday, depending on my ultrasound result when I see him again on Monday, August 4. This is it. I am both excited and really, really nervous. I hope I grow many beautiful eggs. :)

PCOS problems arise

I had my ultrasound on my 8th day and found that most of my follicles have grown bigger. In fact, there's more than 24 follicles in both ovaries. Dr. Lee tells me that this is a problem. He only needs about 8-10 eggs for ovum pickup. That's why he has to closely monitor the growth of my follicles, and I have to see him every other day now.

I thought that having a lot of follicles would be a good thing but I just realized that it really isn't.

Despite the challenges, I still try to be positive about it and not dwell on the terrible things that could possibly happen. I know that God is on my side and that He has a plan for me. :) I know that my husband and I are here in Taipei for the IVF but it helps that I also think of it as a long vacation and a chance for us to bond. :)

Taiwan and Mackay Memorial Hospital

We got to Taipei around 1AM on a Tuesday evening. I had already arranged for hotel transfer since public transportation was no longer an option. We had an appointment scheduled on the same day that we were arriving so we rushed to the hotel and decided to call it a day. It's a good thing Via Loft Hotel had a 24-hour snack bar in case we felt hungry. :)

We had a 2pm appointment with Dr. Robert Lee that day. We went to the International Medical Services and met Annie and Mandy, who assisted us and toured us around the hospital. Soon after, we headed up to the 2nd floor to Dr. Lee's clinic. There was a short interview about my medical history with one of the assistants then I waited for my name to be called. There is a list of names posted near the door and the corresponding numbers. The number and name will be called and you will be permitted to wait inside for Dr. Lee to call your name along with other patients. My husband was not allowed to go into the room with me.

Behind this curtain, you would hear Dr. Lee to talking to patients.

I waited around 30 minutes for my name to be called. I just told him a few things about my infertility history and he did a quick examination on me. My husband was then called in to discuss our options for IVF and the timeline. He also discussed the laboratory exams we would need to take before I leave Taiwan. Some of the tests were Prolactin, AMH, Thyroid and Semen Analysis.

Annie assisted us through everything and I've never felt so relieved to be able to do everything maybe in about 2 hours. This includes the tests and an injection. My husband needed to submit his semen sample the following day as the Fertility Center only accepts samples until 12 in the afternoon.

This was my total bill for my initial consultation in Mackay. I think it's pretty reasonable.

It was a pretty good experience for a first-timer in Taiwan such as myself. Now, I'm just supposed to wait for my period to come until I start taking my pills and leave again for Taiwan before Day 28. Wish me luck! :)

Doing the IVF in Taiwan

Earlier this year, I was determined to have my IVF treatment done in the Philippines. Mainly because I thought it would be more convenient. I wouldn't have to spend a month away from work and stay in a strange place.

But then again, deciding to undergo an IVF treatment means spending a whole lot of money over a treatment that doesn't guarantee a 100% success rate. In fact, in the Philippines, the success rate is a little under 50%. If I'm going to spend that kind of money, I thought that I'd spend it on a hospital/doctor with a much better success rate. That's when I researched and I came across Mackay Memorial Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan. It also helped that a week before I was scheduled to leave for Taipei for my initial consultation, they held an IVF reunion in Makati Shangri-la to meet new patients and catch up on those who've already undergone treatment with them. I must say it was very inspirational to hear the stories first-hand. After attending that talk, I just knew that I had to take the opportunity to do it in Mackay.