On OPKs and Ovulation

Hello everyone!

Today I want to share with you my OPK (ovulation predictor kit) results from my cycle day 14 up to 18 (which is today).

Okay so before I continue, let me give you a brief explanation on what an OPK is. Basically it detects a surge of Luteinizing Hormone (or most commonly referred to as LH) that is present in your urine. So what does that mean if you have a surge? Well, an increase in LH actually triggers ovulation which is when the egg is released for the the sperm to fertilize it. This does not mean though that  when you get the a positive result, you are ovulating right at that instant. Ovulation occurs after 24-48 hours following a positive result therefore it is recommended to baby dance on the following days. This is the reason why it is recommended to do an OPK for atleast 5 consecutive days starting on your cycle day 10 so you could monitor the surge.

Now, this is not 100% guarantee. Based on what I've read here in the magical world of internet, some women would experience a surge in LH but still end up not ovulating. Hopefully that is not my case.

Anyhoo, after my last ultrasound check up (read all about it here), I decided to get me some OPKs. I've used it before but didn't really find it helpful since I didn't get preggers so I decided to stop it. These stuff are expensive, well atleast for me. But since I have been spending so much money on my ultrasounds, then why not get a better chance in getting pregnant by detecting when I ovulate. Luckily that day, Watsons was having a buy 1 get 1 free on their brand so I picked up these...

I was on my cycle day 14 then and I did my test around 5:45 in the afternoon. It is recommended to do the test around the same time for the next 5 days for a more accurate result. Try to prevent from drinking too much liquid as well 2 hours before you take the test as it can dilute the hormone in your urine. Below are the my OPKs for the past 5 days, I noticed that the color faded a little bit but it is still visible.

OPKs are different from pregnancy tests in terms of reading the result. If you would look at it like a PT, you would think that all these are positive results right? Wrong. OPKs are supposed to show two lines (showing only one line would mean the test is invalid) and the difference between a positive and a negative test is how dark the Test band (on the right) is compared to the Control band (on the left). 

This is one thing that I hate about these OPKs. It is so difficult to figure out if it is a positive or negative. Sometimes when you want something really bad, like a positive OPK for example, you will trick your mind into thinking that the Test band is indeed darker than the Control band therefore convincing yourself that it is a positive result. Raise your hand if you agree. LOL!

Looking at my OPKs above, the only day that I got a dark test band was on the 25th. It doesn't look as dark as it used to be when I first tested but you can compare it with the rest of the sticks and it's the only one that has a test band that is still really visible. So I then convinced myself that it was a positive but unfortunately though, we didn't BD that night because of a petty fight (nice timing right?) but we made sure we made up for it the next day and today! Hopefully my hubby's soldiers will be motile enough and fertilize my egg as I ovulate *crossing fingers*.

Now all I have to do is be patient (which I am totally not) as I enter my two week wait (2WW). Hopefully I can fight the urge to do a pregnancy test earlier than when I'm supposed to which I highly doubt.. lol! 

So there you have it ladies. I hope I enlightened you a little bit on how to use and read OPKs. If you have any comments on my OPK results please leave them down below. I would love to know your thoughts on this. Please keep us in your prayers that we may be able to finally complete our family.

Baby dust to all those trying as well!

Till my next update!

Ciao!

It's a Date!

Hello there ladies and gorgeous mommas!

I'm here to update you guys what's up with me :) Today, we paid another visit to NUH to see my doctor, Dr. Anu, and set the date of my surgery. I was scheduled to see her at 1:30PM and we came in on time but we only got to see her around 4-ish. That was a gruesome 2 and a half hour wait! When the nurse finally called my name, it was like hearing the angels in heaven singing! Lol!

Anyhoo, we first agreed on the date of my surgery which will be on the 22nd of February. She then discussed how my laparoscopic surgery will be done. She also informed me of some possible risks and complications during (like excessive bleeding) and after (ie. scar tissue formation) the surgery. After going through several medical terminologies, she then asked me to sign the consent form and was asked to wait outside  for further instructions from the nurse.

Luckily the wait time was shorter this time, probably because it's time to collect payment. The cashier called my name and asked me to pay for the following: 

Consultation Fee........................................$80.25

Full Blood Count.......................................$23.54

Medication (Fleet).......................................$3.07

Total.........................................................$106.86

I honestly do not know what the blood test is for. My doctor did not mention anything about that but since we just want to get it done and over with, I just paid and waited for my name to be called again for the blood test.

After the nurse drew one tube of my blood, we were asked to wait again and this time, to discuss the big moolah involved for the surgery. Another nurse called us in and went inside the room labeled "Financial Counselling". Here she showed us the options categorized per ward services and facilities. I opted for the cheapest one which is a whopping $3,722. Yes, that's three thousand seven hundred and twenty two dollars! I was in a way relieved because I was expecting around $4K - $5K like what the nurse told me the last time I inquired. Funny thing about my insurance is, according to our HR, there is a possibility that not the entire bill will be covered since there is a limit per category (room, doctor's fee, medication, etc.) so just to play it safe, I chose the cheapest one. 

So, it's a date. February 22nd. 

I'm not gonna lie, I am frightened and scared but at the same time excited to go through with the surgery. I am hoping and praying that after this so-called ordeal, we could finally have our own little bundle of joy. I know, I know. I shouldn't be thinking this way. Having this mindset would break me again if in case it still doesn't happen. But I am tired of hoping and I believe that if you focus your mind that IT IS GONNA HAPPEN then IT WILL HAPPEN.

I ask for your prayers for a safe surgery and quick recovery. I shall update you again before my big day!

Thank you ladies for reading and baby dust to all who are also trying!

Ciao bellas!

The Doctor Is In

Hello mommies and mommy-wannabes!

If you read my very first post on this blog, I mentioned that I will be sharing with you the details of my very first doctor's appointment.

To be honest, one reason why I kept delaying to see the doctor because I really don't know who and where to go. Now I realize how hard it is to be away from your family as I don't have my mom or my elder sister to ask for advice. I ended up asking a friend/ex-schoolmate Bing who lives here in Singapore and recently gave birth and she recommended me to Dr. Anupriya of National University Hospital. The day the "red witch" came after our Sydney trip, I immediately conquered my fear to make that call and set an appointment.

October 22, 2012. That was my first time to see an OB-Gyn in my 31 years of existence. Needless to say, I was nervous as hell! Heart pounding. Knees shaking. Cold and sweaty hands and feet. Yes, that's how scared I was. The uber cold, full-blast air-conditioning of the hospital made it a whole lot worst! As soon as we entered the Women's Clinic, I gave the nurse my ID card and registered. I waited in vain for my name to be called, and when they did, I thought I would pass out.

Image Credit to http://texas.811magazines.com

My DH came with me inside the doctor's clinic. Dr. Anu was friendly and I immediately felt comfortable with her. She started asking the standard and personal questions for my husband and I's profile and quickly went through a female reproductive anatomy. After the small chit-chat, she asked me to lie down on the bed behind the curtain and once I heard that, my heart skipped a beat! I wanted to run out of the room but I know I need to get this done and over with so I went ahead and lied down. I warned her and the nurse that I was on my 5th day of the red witch's visit but they said it was fine. That was an awkward moment for me.

With my hands on my face and my eyes slightly peeking through the spaces between my fingers, I watched the doctor as she put this strange-looking gadget inside me and swabbed me using a very long cotton bud. I thought that was it, I was done! Then she uttered "I need to do a gynae scan" and I said "ok" without knowing that involves another strange-looking and looong thingamajig. That was not fun at all especially when she uttered this next phrase -- "there is a small cyst on your left ovary, let's see if this will go away". 

My mind went blank.

We then walked back to her table and gave me a list of lab tests that I will be doing for my coming menstrual cycle.  I passively took it and agreed. My mind is not functioning. I can't think of anything to ask her. She also didn't act as if it's something to be too concerned about so I took the piece of paper and walked off. We went back to the waiting area and nervously waited for the cashier to call my name to give us the low-down on how much the damage was. 

This was the breakdown:

Consultaion Fee..........................$101.65

Liquid Based Pap Smear...............$40.66

Chlamydia Trachomatics..............$69.55

Simple Gynae Scan.......................$90.95

Grand total...................................$302.81

Phew! I wonder how much this would cost if I did it in the Philippines. Anyway, I am sharing this information for those who wants to have an idea how much it would cost to see a doctor for an initial appointment. Prior to our visit, I have been researching high and low on how much the cost would be but didn't find any source. Though I know it differs from one person to another (and doctors as well) as we have different cases but at least with this information, you have a rough gauge on how much you are expected to spend.

If there are gynaes out there reading this post or even those who have the scientific knowledge about what I am going through, I would appreciate your suggestions and recommendations.

For my next post, I will be tackling about my first lab test and hubby's andrology appointment. 

Thank you all for reading! I hope this post have been helpful.

Baby dust to all!

Ciao!

The Birth of This Blog

Hi everyone!

So I created this blog for me to have an outlet to express my feelings and emotions towards our journey to parenthood. This would also help me keep my sanity in check as I have so many things running through my mind in the  past few days.

Anyway, a brief background first -- my dear hubby (or DH in short) and I got married last year - Sept 10, 2011, here in Singapore at the age of 30. Since we have been together for 6 years at that time, we know that we are ready to take the next big step and that is to become mommy and daddy. Right after our wedding, we started trying to make our own little bundle of joy, naive of what it actually takes to have one.

Let me just say we took the "honeymoon-ing" part seriously. We traveled so much this year, from Europe to Korea to the land-down-under Australia, just to have that time off and get away from the busy and hectic life of Singapore and just catch a fresh breath of air. A lot of people would say to me that I have to relax and not stress myself out about it but IT IS EASIER SAID THAN DONE. Though we were not bummed about it for the first few months of trying, after about 8 months or so, I started "questioning" myself and freaking out. I was afraid that there might be something wrong with me but on the other hand, I was dreading to see a doctor! I couldn't bare hearing that I wouldn't be able to conceive so we decided to wait it out until we reach our 1st year anniversary.

I was obsessed on joining TCC (trying to conceive) forums and reading on the success stories of other women who struggled to have their first born. Tried to exercise and diet but both were a failure, lol! After numerous mobile apps, ovulation prediction kits (OPK) , and home pregnancy tests (HPT), we were still unsuccessful.

So we flew to Sydney to celebrate our anniversary and lucky enough that it fell on the dates when I was most "fertile". Needless to say, we baby-danced all the way but still no luck. That is when I finally decided that we HAVE to see a doctor. 

I will be sharing more on that in details in my next post. I hope you continue to join us on this journey as we encounter life's ups and downs. I strongly believe that there is a perfect timing for everything and God has greater plan for us.

If you are on the same page as we are, please leave a comment and share your experience as well. Would love to hear from all of you!

Baby dust to all!

Ciao!