Monday, February 21, 2011

First Clomid Cycle

We have begun our First Cycle of Clomid. It was not an easy decision to make. I called my Mom and she spoke to one our Family Friends who is a Gynecologist in India. This doctor is a Catholic and she is 80 years old. She is close to my family and is a very sweet person. She told it was perfectly ok to start Clomid since I had already undergone HSG and my only remaining tube was clear. She recommended to take Clomid for upto 6 months but not more than that.

I took 50 mg of Clomid CD3 to CD7. I was worried & scared about the possible side-effects but nothing significant thus far. Yes, I have been feeling emotional and angry but it is manageable. I am scheduled for an Ultrasound on CD 13. Somehow, I don't feel anxious or frustrated. I don't know if Clomid is going to make any difference. But we need to do something. Since my insurance doesn't cover Clomid, we had to pay $5 for each 50 mg Generic Clomiphene Citrate tablet or $25 for 1 cycle which isn't bad. The Clomid brand would cost more without insurance like around $100 for five 50mg tablets.

I have started taking Tussin hoping that it will help with Cervical Mucus which often dries up with Clomid. I also read Marilyn Shannon's book "Fertility, Cycles & Nutrition". I have started taking Professional Pre-natal Vitamins as recommended in the book. I haven't felt any major difference but it is too early to tell.
I don't know if I can be labeled as infertile. I was able to conceive so does that make me less infertile? I wish I had answers.
Oh my dear Jesus, please strengthen me on this journey. I need your guidance in everything I do. Oh my dear Mother, please pray for us always.

Friday, February 4, 2011

San Thome Basilica

San Thome Basilica (Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Thomas) is a Roman Catholic minor basilica in the city of Chennai (Madras), India. It was built in the 16th century by Portuguese explorers, and rebuilt again with the status of a cathedral by the British in 1893. It is the resting place of St. Thomas the Apostle of Jesus. The present National Shrine of St.Thomas is built over the tomb of Saint Thomas the Apostle.



My hubby grew up going to this Holy Shrine. How blessed !!! I have been to Santhome a few times and  consider myself lucky. In the whole world, there are only three churches built over the tomb of an Apostle of Jesus Christ - the Basilica of Saint Peter built over the tomb of St.Peter in Rome, Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela built over the tomb of St. James in Spain and Basilica of the National Shrine of St.Thomas built over the tomb of St.Thomas.

Glory to you Lord!

Where do I begin this Wonderful Story

I am a Cradle Catholic hailing from a beautiful country (India) with less than 2% Catholics (17 million). I come from one of the Southern most States of India - the state where St. Thomas the Apostle introduced Christianity in the 1st Century, the state where St. Alphonsa (the First Woman Saint of India) grew up.

I met my wonderful husband in the Summer of 2005 and we got married in May 2008. My hubby had the gift of going to a Catholic School and he is a devoted Catholic in every way. We came to US soon after our Wedding as part of hubby's work.

We were introduced to NFP for the first time while attending our Pre-Marriage Classes. The NFP Instructor wasn't impressive and she mentioned "something" about Cervical Fluid. The class was the least informative but we were convinced that Contraception is a sin. Nevertheless, with our limited knowledge, we decided to follow NFP to postpone pregnancy. :-) Low and behold, I fell pregnant 2 months after our wedding. I never knew I was Pregnant until I went to the Emergency Room with severe Bleeding and unbearable pain. I had a ruptured Fallopian Tube and had to undergo a Laparascopic Surgery in August 2008 to remove my right tube. The doc suggested that we take a TTC break for atleast 6 months to allow my body to heal. He was "kind enough" to prescribe Birth Control Pills & we refused. BCP is relatively uncommon in India and I wondered why the doc had suggested BCP. Now I know how common BCP is in US !!! :)

We decided to wait for a while before starting a family. After all, we were just married! On our 1st Wedding Anniversary, I suggested TTC to hubby but he wasn't ready yet. Deep down I was worried and I prayed to God. Six months later, my dear hubby agreed. We began our TTC journey, hoping to be pregnant the very first month. It didn't work and I started learning more about Ovulation, Cervical Mucus, BBT and everything possible. In April 2010, I got my first positive test. It was faint and hubby asked me to wait until the line was really dark. After 2 days of Positive HPTs, it became negative and my period started. I still don't know if those were False Positives or True Positives but I strongly believe that I was pregnant. Meanwhile, my Ob/Gyn was least helpful and introduced me to the term "Chemical Pregnancy". He suggested HSG and Clomid. We weren't keen about Clomid but decided to undergo HSG to know if my remaining tube was in good condition. The HSG was done on the day of our Second Wedding Anniversary & revealed a "Perfect Tube"!!!

We continued our TTC Journey and I again fell pregnant in Nov 2010 but this time I was spotting. I went to my Ob/Gyn and after a series of Blood Works, he labeled it as an "Early Spontaneous Abortion". Again he suggested BCP and we decided it was time to find a new doc.

It's 2011 and I find a new Ob/Gyn who again suggests Clomid and a SA for hubby. We are still wondering if we should start seeing an RE. Clomid somehow scares me. Meanwhile, I discovered a few Catholic blogs and it was so comforting to know there are so many others struggling with IF. I am still trying to find out if there's anything wrong with my body. My Periods were fairly regular (30-32 days) until my ectopic pregnancy. Now my cycles can be anywhere between 22 - 50 days and I had a couple of Anovulatory Cycles. I don't have Painful Periods and have never been diagnosed with Thyroid Issues, PCOS or Endo. Probably it's time to see an RE who can help me!

We pray to our Lord to strengthen us on this journey and we are confident that he would bless us one day....

Love & Prayers
Blessed Be Lord