Home ICI Advice

karynlisababykarynlisababy Posts: 15
in LGBTQ+ Couples
We're thinking of going "old school" TTC #2 by doing it at home after 3 failed IUIs and 2 failed IVFs. There is nothing medically wrong, and this is the closest my wife and I could get to the oft-repeated advise of "just not thinking about it." What's the best way to do a home insemination? We'd be grateful for any advice we could get.

I know my age is against me...it's six years since we conceived our son with a natural cycle IUI. But I have "unexplained secondary infertility" and with each failed attempt at the doctor's office, the stress level and the... grief increased. We started trying for our second three years ago, but due to finances we couldn't try consistently, so it ended up being three IUIs and two IVFs. We know the odds are against us, but we can't let go of the hope and deep down belief we're supposed to have another one.

This time, I definitely think some fun on a date night and some sex would be great! :-) Everything got so clinical during those other attempts. I do have a question, though. How did you time it? We've never done an ICI, and I know that... the timing of everything is important. The egg lives roughly 12 hours post ovulation, and the frozen ICI lives about the same. Did you time it to coincide with the OPK positive? A little later? All I can find online is how IUI is preferred, which isn't helpful.

Comments

  • karynlisababykarynlisababy Posts: 15
    Oh, and we'll also be using a different donor this time as the one we used for our first son is no longer available.
  • windycitywindycity Posts: 8
    Most women ovulate 30-36 hours after the start of the LH surge and it takes the sperm roughly 10 hours to travel into the tube (6 if you do IUI). That would put you at 20-26 hours after the surge so they have a good ETA! I would test often with a digital OPK kit so you catch the start of the surge. Even if you test every 4 hours when you know you're close, it takes a few hours for the LH to register in your urine, so I would time it 20-22 hours after you catch the surge. Good luck!
  • karynlisababykarynlisababy Posts: 15
    THANK YOU SO MUCH! That's the most explicit information I've been able to find. I really appreciate it.
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