Not Quite IVF… but Not Quite the Good Ol’ Fashioned Way

After finding out that my husband had a low sperm count of 10 million as well as low motility, doctors recommended that we try Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) to increase our chances of being able to conceive.  I really didn’t know much about it, but I was excited to feel like we were at least taking a step in the right direction! 

As my doctor explained, the IUI is a procedure that places the semen directly into the uterus so they get a head start.  It is typically done when there is low sperm counts and motility so the little swimmers have a better chance of making it to nd attaching itself to the egg.  As it turns out, I was in the perfect place during my cycle to begin treatment right away. That, to me, was a blessing because it was one of the first times in a while that it didn’t feel like our future was on hold!       

As soon as my period started, I called up my doctor and the process began.  I took clomid on days three through seven, waited for the mid-cycle ultrasound on day 11 to find out I had THREE good-sized follicles around 18 mm.  The mid-cycle ultrasound is a transvaginal ultrasound that you become very accustomed to during infertility treatments.  Not the most comfortable thing, but definitely not the worst either! After the ultrasound, the nurse called to talk with me about deciding whether to continue with this cycle as there was an increased chance for multiples.  The idea of twins was pretty fun to think about… triplets was a little scary.  However, either way, I felt good about continuing and was pretty excited.  Three times the chance of it working, right? Around this time, I also began using the Clearblue ovulation kit I had purchased from Walgreens, waiting for that smiley face to show up and give the go ahead for the procedure.

Thirty-four hours later the smiley face came and we arrived at the doctor’s office.  Clinics usually give you the option to collect the semen sample at home, or in a private room at the office.  There are positives and negatives to both.  Collecting at the office is just a little awkward… actually really awkward, to say the least, but collecting at home doesn’t always give enough time to get back to the lab within the limited 30-45 minute window you have.  We chose to do the collection at the office because we were not about to take any chances!  My husband is a trooper.   It was then washed and evaluated, and the numbers came back looking great (can’t remember the exact numbers now, but the doctors were thrilled and so were we!). 

As soon as everything was ready, they directed us back to the room and instructed me to undress from the waist down, giving me a “disposable blanket” to cover up with (as I’m sure you can tell, there is not a whole lot that’s comfortable or invulnerable about tests and treatments with infertility).  The technician then gave another quick overview of the procedure.   The speculum was then inserted, followed by the catheter during which I felt mild cramping, then millions of sperm were injected into my uterus. This caused a little more quick, mild cramping. Then the procedure was done!  They recommend that I lay flat for the next 10-15 minutes. I, of course, chose to stay there for the full 15 minutes in hopes of increasing our chances for success as much as possible. 

After, we were sent home with a paper that literally prescribed sex.  Least expensive part of the whole process, and the best by far.  Different clinics give different reasons for this, but I for one loved having intimacy brought back into the process of trying to conceive, rather than just making conception a purely medical procedure. 

And so began the progesterone suppositories every night and the much dreaded two-week wait.  Unfortunately, at the end of the two weeks, we did not get the positive result we were hoping for.

We repeated the IUI two more times, the next two times we included letrozole, gonal-f (a follicle stimulating hormone that’s injected), and Ovidrel (an ovulation trigger shot).  I was pretty darn nervous for the shots (yes, the whole two of them), but luckily for me, Shauni (the President of Bundled Blessings) had already gone through IVF and was a pro! My husband was also kind enough to do the shots for me, because there was no way I was sticking a needle through my own stomach. 

In the end, the whole process was pretty simple, not too complicated, very little pain, and we had wonderful doctors to support us through the whole thing! 

-Rachel