IUI with clomid/ovidrel or injectibles?

Novanancy80Novanancy80 Posts: 26
in Single Mothers by Choice
I'm 31, single, no known fertility issues, about to undergo donor IUI using clomid and ovidrel trigger with U/S monitoring day 12 and bloodwork. I was curious to see what method others are using? Natural (no meds) with ovulation kits? Clomid/Ovidrel and U/S monitoring? Injectibles?

I asked the doctor to go straight to injectibles since I'm paying out of pocket for everything, insurance doesn't cover anything :( and want "the most bang for my buck" so to speak as injectibles increase the chances, but he opted to use clomid/ovidrel first. Was wondering what method other ladies are going with?

Comments

  • Ang3210Ang3210 Posts: 21
    Hi there!
    I am 35,divorced, no known fertility issues, going at it alone and also paying for everything myself as my insurance doesn't it. My doctor does the same for everyone I think, based on the high success rate. The protocol goes: US at day 3, Femara day 3 tru 7, US day 9, based on US decides when to do Ovidrel trigger then 24-36 hours later IUI.

    It looks like i will be having the IUI next saturday 9/17, and I am fully expecting it to be succesful the first time!!! :)

    What donor are you using?
  • Novanancy80Novanancy80 Posts: 26
    Hi Ang!
    I'm using 12600. How about you?

    Wow we will be having our IUIs at around the same time! I think mine will be a few days after yours though.
    I see that alot, its a mixed bag between docs using Clomid and Femara. I'm a nurse AND on top of that have been doing too much of my own research about IUIs that it's just making me sooo nervous like am I doing it the best way w the right meds, etc. Are you just doing one insemination per cycle?

    Since you are paying out of pocket too im sure you feel the same way about wanting it timed perfectly. I read that thawed sperm don't live nearly as long so the timing must be impecable.
    Doc didn't want to go straight to injectibles even though the success rates are considerably higher bc he said it's too risky with multiples, also VERY expensive for all the meds and monitoring.

    This process is so stressful...LOL
  • Ang3210Ang3210 Posts: 21
    Weird, I know someone else (on facebook) who is also about to use 12600, is isn't you, is it?? that would be funny! I am using 12061.
    There are a couple of secret groups of facebook for ladies using CCB that provide not only great information but support so if you are interested let me know and I will tell you how to join us.
    I am going at this assuming that its gonna work the first time, so I am trying not to overload myself with information or overly scare myself with the million things that could go wrong. I am very lucky to have an RE that is highly qualified and has received lots of accolades for his work, so I am trusting him 100% on everything which is not easy for me to do since I am type A control freak. LOL.
    Anyway, best of luck on your IUI. Keeping fingers crossed for both of us!
  • GracasGracas Posts: 96
    Hey Novanancy,

    I'm also using 12600 and I think Ang was talking about me from facebook. Please let me know how things go with this donor if you don't mind. I had one IUI in June with this donor but it didn't take. (I have a blocked fallopian). Just bought a few more vials and am trying again, I believe, this week depending on how everything goes tomorrow on my US. I initially did clomid/ovidrel but my dr. just switched me to follistim and ovidrel..Wishing you (and me..lol) lots of luck. This guys sperm count was pretty good last time..hoping for the same. You should try to join the CCB site on facebook.
  • Novanancy80Novanancy80 Posts: 26
    Hey girls! Wow -I hadn't met anyone yet who is using 12600! I guess if it weren't for these boards we would never have known others using same donors! Its great.
    Honestly I was a little hesitant at first bc he doesnt have any reported pregnancies yet but when i called CCB they said he just started the program in June so that's why. I would be very interested in joining the facebook group! My email address is Novanancy80@gmail.com

    Im very confident in my RE, he has great recs and tons of experience, I'm just nervous and like you Ang, VERY type A haha ..

    Ill start clomid this Thurs and then U/S and labs day 12 then IUI prob day 14 or 15 im thinking. I'm very happy to hear he had good #s last time. Very reassuring. Good luck to you both too!! :)
  • Ang3210Ang3210 Posts: 21
    yes Grace! I was talking about you!!! i am glad you found this posting.

    Novanancy80- go to facebook and search for Aurora May and send her a friend request. She will then automatically add you to the group. Aurora works for CCB. See you on facebook soon!
  • Novanancy80Novanancy80 Posts: 26
    Awesome i just sent Aurora a friend request. Is facebook where u do most of the communicating, thru private messages?
    Are you ladies both also doing this single?
  • Novanancy80Novanancy80 Posts: 26
    I'm in the facebook group! :)
  • GracasGracas Posts: 96
    Cool Nancy! Yes, I'm doing this single...sometimes it's empowering and sometimes it just suxxxxx!!! lol..
    Initially I did all my communicating on the boards here but I also use the facebook page though it's a little confusing at times (at least for me). Both offer something different. Here I think there's more info and the facebook is more encouragement and news on how people are doing. Welcome!
  • rileyriley Posts: 44
    I am starting a clomid cycle in a couple of weeks. First IUI. My doctor wouldn't go straight to IVF and actually wanted to do unmedicated IUI first - but I begged for something slightly more aggressive so he ok'd clomid.

    35 / divorced
  • mi_campanillami_campanilla Posts: 16
    We're not single, but I caught the reference to 12600 and wanted to post here, as well. We did our first IUI today with this donor. (This is #8 for us overall.) The doc was happy with the numbers, so we'll just have to grin and bear it for the TWW. Oh yeah, no injectibles - just clomid d3-d7.
  • Novanancy80Novanancy80 Posts: 26
    Yes I agree Gracas its a mixed bag of emotions for me too. I'm amazed at all the single girls doing this! At first I thought I was the only one in the world as most of my friends still think I'm nuts but I've decided I can't listen to other people, have to do what's best for me :)
    Riley are you doing Ovidrel trigger too or monitoring with OPKs? To be honest OPKs didn't work for me very well, sometimes the line changed sometimes it didnt. It was frustrating. If you are using them I hope you have better luck!!
    Mi campanilla, I met another girl using donor 12600 on here too. She said he had good #s too so hopefully we all have good results, fingers crossed!! I haven't had my first IUI yet with this donor. Same here with the clomid day 3-7. Have you done Clomid all 8 tries? Same donor too?
  • rileyriley Posts: 44
    Novanancy, good for you!!! You are not crazy - you know what you want and you are going for it! And at 31! WTG!!!! I know a lot of people who did it at 39/40, so I feel ahead of the game at 35, but behind you at 31! And the thing is, I knew at 30 that I wanted to do it - I purchased the sperm and had appointments .... got talked out of it. Then at 32 went through a round of egg freezing. Then at 34 got engaged in a really stupid attempt to get pregnant within a marriage. Now finally doing at 35 what I KNEW I should have done at 30. So good for you. Don't look back.

    I am doing an HCG trigger - yes. Here's my protocol - Clomid 100 days 5-9. Come in on day 12 for monitoring and bring my trigger med (I have two prescriptions - 1 for clomid, 1 for the trigger). Then they will monitor and tell me to come in again, etc etc until they think I should trigger at which point they will administer the trigger. Then I come back at an exactly timed appointment for a single insemination. They said since they are triggering, they don't need to do two inseminations because they already know the very exact timing. So no OPK for me. Sounds like you and I are on the same protocal - except my cycle is naturally 32 days, so I don't think insemination is more likely on CD 15/16/17 rather than 14/15. Oh, good luck to you!!!

    Btw - I am expecting my period Sept 20. So my first "monitoring" appointment should be Oct 2-ish, and I assume a trigger Oct 4 or 5? So this all happens first week in October. I am FLYING!!! I am so excited. PLEASE LET THIS WORK! I want to believe my odds are higher than 10-20%. Novanancy, did your doc give you a sense of your odds?
  • tj1004tj1004 Posts: 7
    I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to send a friend request to Aurora May to join the FB group.

    I'm getting ready to have my first IUI next month & am very interested in using fertility drugs &/or a trigger to help me out.

    Riley, I'm in kind of the same boat you are in. I made a deal w/myself when I turned 30 that if I wasn't married or in a serious relationship by the time I was 35, I was going to do this. Well, I turn 36 next month, so it's definitely time. Most of my friends are super supportive & think what I'm doing is great. I have one friend who's completely anti-having kids who thinks I'm nuts, but oh well.

    Good luck to everyone.
    Tarina
  • Novanancy80Novanancy80 Posts: 26
    Riley,
    You know, when I started this process a year ago ( 3 failed IUIs with 2 unmedicated, 1 clomid) I really thought it was going to not take very long at all. But after doing alot of my own research and talking about probability to my new doc, the odds are about 10-15% tops each cycle with clomid/ovidrel, he said a little higher w injectibles but risk of multiples goes up with those. He also said that most normal couples take 3-6 months to get pregnant when they are actively trying and that IUI is along those same lines, except we only get 1 shot each month as single people whereas those trying to get pregnant the "normal way" have lots more chances. Soooo, I am trying to keep all that in mind and not overthinking it this time. Trying anyway, haha.
    I think we are doing the same thing pretty much except i am doing 50mg clomid instead of 100, u/s day 12, Ovidrel trigger, labs and 1 insemination. He said after this first round if it doesn't work he will check a progesterone and determine if i need higher dose of clomid but i responded pretty well last time to clomid. Did you start at 50 then go to 100 or are they starting you at 100 right off the bat? Did you pick an open or anonymous donor? Was that a big factor in your decision? Good luck to you too!!!!!!!
  • rileyriley Posts: 44
    you know actually, I'm not certain it's 100 clomid. Maybe that makes me sound clueless - but I just got the prescriptions yesterday and haven't filled them yet. This is going to be my first IUI. I just know it's 2 pills in the morning, so I assumed that probably meant 100 given people talking about 50, 100, 150 etc - but maybe it's not - maybe a pill is 25 - I'll check when I get home.

    I picked an open donor. Did not even look at anonymous, so I have no idea whether an even-more-perfect donor was out there. Open was just a huge deal to me. There were 43 of them, and there was one clear winner with no one even a close runner up. A bunch of us using him (12434 - and he's fairly new too) have been chatting, and a few people are already pregnant with him and he just sold completely out yesterday.
  • Novanancy80Novanancy80 Posts: 26
    You're prob right 100mg bc from last time I remember mine were in 50mg tabs. There's so much to remember, you def. don't sound clueless!! LOL ;)
  • rileyriley Posts: 44
    Thanks Novanancy :)

    What's bugging me .... if the odds are really only 10-15%, I'm bothered why my doc wouldn't let me go straight to IVF. I am 35 anyway - so already over that threshold where more aggressive treatment is warranted). And I was an excellent responder to the first half of IVF (my egg retrieval was all of IVF - all the shots etc - but then just stopped short of fertilization and implantation) and I had no bad issues with the shots/process.

    If IUI is only 10-15% odds, and costs a few thousand dollars each try (with monitoring appointments, sperm, insemination, etc), and IVF is $10k but has a 50-60% success rate AND often makes extra embryos for later which can be implanted for the same price as an IUI cycle, why wouldn't you jump straight to IVF? It seems like it's more economical and "faster". If I spend 6 months and $18,000+ on 6 failed IUI tries, I'm going to be really annoyed that he didn't let me start with IVF.

    Sorry ... I'm working myself up. When I objected to IUI, my doctor really tried to tell me that the 10-15% odds I heard were for people who already had fertility issues. That fertile people trying naturally have a 25% chance per month if they get the timing right (which IUI will because it's monitored) but additionally, IUI also gets the sperm exactly where it needs to be (past the cervix and all the other things that can go wrong) AND clomid gives you more follicles. The way he was speaking, he was strongly suggesting the odds were north of 25% and/or a "natura" attempt. FYI - I'm working with NYU - one of the top places in the country. So I trust him ... I just ... it's hard to know what to think. I really would have "fought" harder if the odds are only 10-15%.
  • Novanancy80Novanancy80 Posts: 26
    Riley,
    I TOTALLY understand your frustration!! I feel like we think the exact same about this process, it's crazy...
    I feel the same way like since insurance isn't covering any of this anyway, why not do it the most efficient way in the first place!? I went to UPENN in Philly for my first time (they also told me roughly 10-15% chance each cycle) and of course they were all board certified and experts and everything so I knew it was a great place. The place I'm going to now has an awesome rep too but seriously, if we are paying this kind of money, why not make the odds as good as possible and with IVF too you are more in control of the # of embryos etc. With injectibles and even clomid I personally think it can be more risky bc you aren't able to control as well the # of follicles etc. UGHHH... seriously it's nice to vent I guess and its nice to know that someone else feels the exact same way about this process.
    My email is NovaNancy80@gmail.com
    We should talk further lol.
    I am trying so hard to stay positive, as are you, which I guess is all we can do. I def. don't have the $$ to shell out 10k right now (I'm a nurse) but at the same time I don't want to have to repeat these IUIs every month either...
  • mi_campanillami_campanilla Posts: 16
    @Novanancy - we didn't use any drugs on IUI #1-6, wanted to go au natural... (I guess we were naive and thought it would be easier than it has been.) Our first IUI gave us a chemical pregnancy that didn't implant. That didn't happen again until #4. (And can I just say that I HATE the TWW!!) For #7 we used clomid but no luck. This (#8) is our first try with this donor. I'm really encouraged. Our doctor walked into the room and asked, "Is this a new guy? The motility is amazing!" I understand the frustration - life seems to be nothing but two week cycles, but we're really lucky to live in the LA area, near enough to CCB to pick our vials up and go to our doctor whenever we need. And I can't say enough good things about our doctor - we LOVE him!! I still have faith that it will happen and it will all be worth it in the end.
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