Catching up on Medical Advances

For the past months, there has been rumours spreading in the IVF community that government hospitals could be allowing PGS (pre-implantation genetic screening) for more patients. Singapore tends to be rather lacking behind in offering newer technology because of the really long approval process, which is often due to the need to have enough evidences to proof its benefits and, in this case, due to the fear of abuse.

One thing for sure, this addition procedure will bring up the total cost of each fresh IVF cycle quite significantly, in the range of thousands. Would government provide more co-funding? Can the patient make payment using Medisave? If there's no co-funding and Medisave can be used, would there be a need to revise the current lifetime withdrawal limit of $15,000? Also, having PGS would mean that the embryo(s) will only be transfer in a subsequent frozen cycle, which again, is additional cost.

IVF Frozen #3 Day 35

HPT result on 16dp2dt: BFN
BT result on 19dp2dt: BFN

Back to square one.

IVF Frozen #3 Day 16

Here we go again.



One of my embryos got upgraded from grade 3 to grade 4 because it is growing well after the thaw. So, now they are both grade 4. Babies hang on tight to mummy!

My 3rd frozen cycle timeline:

CD1	Call KKIVF
CD4	4 mg progynova daily for 5 days
CD9	6 mg progynova daily for 7 days
CD13	Visit KKIVF for scan. Uterine lining 8.6 mm
CD14	Crinone gel inserts twice daily until BT
CD16 / 0dp2dt	ET. 2 embryos transferred. TWW begins! 4 mg progynova daily until BT.
CD34 / 18dp2dt	BT

Wish me luck!

News - First Time Mum at 63

Not as crazy as the Indian woman who gave birth at 70 years old. But still shocking enough to be features in newspaper.


(Click picture to go to website.)

Funny English

Impregnable doesn't mean (a woman) cannot be made pregnant.

Impregnable /ɪmˈprɛɡnəbəl/ adjective

1.	strong enough to resist or withstand attack; not to be taken by force, unconquerable: an impregnable fort.
2.	not to be overcome or overthrown: an impregnable argument.

Inconceivable doesn't mean (a woman) cannot conceive.

Inconceivable /ˌɪnkənˈsiːvəbəl/ adjective

1.	unimaginable; unthinkable.
2.	unbelievable; incredible.

Unbearable doesn't mean (a woman) cannot bear children.

Unbearable /ʌnˈbɛərəbəl/ adjective

1.	not able to be borne or endured

{ Definitions taken from http://www.dictionary.com }

A Heart of Syringes

(Click on image to go to article.)

Remembrance Tattoo

Found this article online and thought that the tattoo is really beautiful.


~ Joan Bremer's miscarriage remembrance tattoo ~

“Even though it was devastating to us, I wanted to be able to remember it in some way, while still healing and moving on.”

Happy and Sad

Earlier this month, I scrolled through FB (while lying on the bed just before bedtime) and found out that an ex-colleague is expecting her number 3. Viewing FB right before bedtime is really not a wise choice, but I just cannot resist being a busybody. For the longest time, I've been telling myself that I really shouldn't be going into FB too often, because I get a little upset whenever I see another pregnancy or birth announcement.

Yesterday, one of the girls in the IVF WhatsApp chat group shared her good news when we met for lunch. Then, today, DH's friends are at our house for a gathering and one of them announced her good news. Two BFP news one day after another. Haiz... sad... happy and excited for them... but sad...

When will it be my turn? If not for the miscarriage, I would be in my 2nd trimester by now.

Embryo Under the Microscope

Chanced upon this photo by zeiss_microscopy in Instagram:


This is how intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is done by the embryologists in the lab.

IVF Frozen #2 Day 37

BT result: BFN. Devastated.