Read the previous entries:
2012: The Year of the Diet | Oneal’s checkups
2013-2014
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Eventually, I mustered enough willpower to contact my OB. In March 2014, I told Dr. Jayjay that we had gone to the urologist that Dr. Martinez recommended, but we wanted a second opinion, another male fertility specialist. So she referred us to Dr. Nikko Magsanoc.
It was in September 2014 when we made the appointment to visit Dr. Magsanoc. His clinic was in St. Luke’s BGC, already a much more pleasant experience than UST Hospital or Chinese General.
Dr. Nikko himself was a much nicer person than our previous urologist. It was so pleasant to talk to him, and it felt like he was really listening to us. He reviewed all the test results we brought with us, and patiently explained the different numbers and terms that appeared on the tests, and how these things were affecting our ability to conceive.
Of course, we told him our medical history, how long we had been trying, and our consultations with other doctors. As expected, he ordered a seminalysis again, this time recommending that we have it done at St. Luke’s BGC’s Center for Advanced Reproductive Medicine and Infertility. He said it was important to get a baseline before he recommended any interventions.
Oneal went to CARMI, and we went back to Dr. Nikko with the results. Again he explained to us every number and term on the test. Then he talked about what he was thinking of doing.
The problem was that Oneal’s sperm count was low, and the sperm themselves were not very strong. (I’m sure there was a more detailed explanation, but I really can’t remember.) Dr. Nikko explained that Oneal could use a boost of testosterone to address these issues, so his suggestion was this: he wanted to put Oneal on hormone treatment. He explained that we couldn’t just make Oneal take testosterone, because that wouldn’t increase his testosterone levels. Instead, Oneal would take a different hormone, Clomifene, and his body would respond by increasing testosterone production (or something like that). That strategy would hopefully increase Oneal’s sperm count and improve their other attributes.
It seemed like a less invasive, less stressful solution, compared to the surgery that the other urologist was recommending. Dr. Nikko warned us that Oneal would need to take the hormones for at least three months before we would see any effects.
So we gave it a shot. We got the prescription and went to the drugstore, and we found out that the pills weren’t cheap! So we bought ten pieces, in the hopes of buying it at a lower price elsewhere.
We tried Generika, The Generics Pharmacy, other branches of Mercury, Watson’s. We asked for different brands. Alas, we couldn’t find anything with a significantly lower price. Or if we did, the pharmacy rarely stocked it.
So we bought the pills ten at a time, and every day I would remind Oneal to take his meds. “Have you taken your pill today?” I would joke over SMS or chat. I told him about the years I was on the pill, and how women had to take the pill at approximately the same time every day, and the different ways my friends would remind themselves it was time.
Then we waited.
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