If you have read the "About the Author" post which essentially the first post in this blog, you will know that I sort of have the idea that someday I will have difficulties when it comes to having a baby due to my irregular menstrual.
Once I got married, my husband and I have decided to plan on getting a baby. As usual, we just tried and let it be since we are not in a hurry. As we approached 6 months since our marriage and I realized that my menstrual did not happened for a long time, I was worried. At first, I went to the ParkCity Medical Centre to check on my menstrual condition as I am afraid that I have early menopause. The doctor "suspected" that I have PCOS but he dare not conclude for sure since he said that he can only assume based on what he can see from the scan. Also, he mentioned that I do not looks like a person that has PCOS - there were no symptoms such as diabetes, weight gain, acne, and etc. He prescribed me with Metformin at that time and said that I should continue taking it till I have a baby since usually this drugs/supplement can help to regulate menstrual and control PCOS. I took it religiously for 1 months but nothing much happened.
So, we decided to reach out to a fertility specialist just to get a second opinion and to confirm on whether I do really have PCOS. By referring to various friend's recommendations, we were convinced to go with Alpha Fertility Centre located in Kota Damansara. It was not the usual hospital or big building to be, but they are highly acclaimed as it is always overwhelmed with humans. Hence, we made the appointment and settled with the appointed doctor - Dr. Tan. We were told Dr. Collin is the prime doctor that people go for but his schedule is usually full. P/S: Probably, you will need 3 months in advance to book for his consultation. When you make the appointment, the administrator will ask some questions in regards to your last menstrual or last intercourse, etc. This is important for them to provide you the timeline to clear the sperms to ensure that when they run the test on that day, the results are accurate.
On 13 April 2018, we had our first consultation with Dr. Tan. Although we had our appointment set in advanced, the typical waiting time was 1-2 hours. The misery of waiting was real. I suggest that you choose weekdays rather than weekends if you are impatient. However, I find that weekdays can sometimes make no different. The best thing is, get yourself equipped with some entertainments and snacks while waiting for your turn.
During the consultation, we provided every details of information to the doctor and really make use of the time to ask anything that we needed. Then, he performed pap smear on me to analyze my ovary to confirm on whether I have PCOS. As a result, the doctor explained to me on how to interpret the screen and why he concluded that I have PCOS. The next step was to decide what to do with it and typically, below are the options available similar to what you may find in Google:
1) Medication to trigger ovulation
2) Ovarian Drilling
3) In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
4) Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)
Dr.Tan explained each and every treatment to help us better understand what are the side effects (if any), the cost of the procedure and his opinion based on our situation. Indubitably, we decided to start with medication. He prescribed us a medicine called Clomid and a medicine to induce my menstrual. There will be a timeline on when to take the medication, estimated date that the period will come, and when is the next appointment for follicle checks to see the respond. The next appointment should technically be around 5-7 days after your last day of period to ensure conducive consultation. P/S: In case the admin mentioned that any day will be fine for a consultation while you are on this medication, please ask her politely to check with the doctor and to confirm. This happened to us once and we ended up getting there too early to even see anything. It was complete waste of time and money!
I would prefer to try medication first if you have not and if you have the patient to wait for the possibility of getting pregnant. This is because it is more economical, is a 50/50 chance and if it works, you will just need to focus on timing. However, it is completely up to you based on your condition, not just PCOS but your financial, health condition, age and etc. I do know someone who has PCOS and taken only Metformin and Clomid, and within few months, they got a son. I have heard that some women ended up giving up on medication because it is too time consuming and they change their mind to go right into IVF. So, you have to decide what treatment you are deemed to be more comfortable with. In my case, I would prefer a "natural" pregnancy in the sense that I do not need to extract or combining anything to create a life. Also, IVF and other options leaning to more expensive procedure.
To be continued ...
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- k a t e -
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