Share your experience.....

MommaGMommaG Posts: 6
in Single Mothers by Choice
I am just curious if folks would be willing to share their IUI experiences.....

I am 39 and single....and never tried to conceive naturally so it is not known it I have any fertility issues.

I did undergo my 1st IUI procedure last month (unsuccessful). I am undergoing my 2nd IUI later this week.

My Dr advised that I will undergo 3 totally unassisted IUI procedures before any other measures are taken. Is this other people's experience?

I was hoping at a minimum during the 2nd or 3rd unassissted attempt that at least an ultrasound could be done to count and measure follicles. Is that common?

What else should I be asking for?

It appears the common practice it to monitor ovulation via at home urine test kits in the early morning and go in the following day for IUI once an postive is obtained? Does anyone test later in the day (afternoon or night) and do you still go in the following day or 2 days later? I am being advised to monitor ONCE in the morning (8-9am). So even if I on my own monitor later in the day and test positive, I should discount it, as I would not normally know until the following morning, if I only test ONCE a day.....Thoughts?

For those of you who have been successful in conceiving, what was your timing? Any luck unassisted?

Thanks for any info for this newbie!!!

Comments

  • kndertchrkndertchr Posts: 33
    I was exactly where you are 2 years ago. I was 39 and single and just beginning. When I went to the fertility clinic, they did an ultrasound at the first visit. They also did lots of bloodwork and had me do an HSG test. I decided to do 3 unmedicated IUIs before trying medicated or IVF. My doctor wanted me to do IVF right away.

    I used the ovulation test at home. They told me to just do morning urine, but on day 14 I got a negative and I knew it was the day. So I did four tests that day and got a happy face at 8pm on day 14. I called first thing in the morning and they had me come in at 11:30 a.m. that day. I did one IUI (not back to back). The doctor used an ultrasound during the IUI to make sure she got the right spot. I got lucky and it worked on the first try!

    My advice is keep doing research and reading people's stories. If you are not getting what you want at your fertility clinic, try being more demanding or switch doctors or clinics. Do the HSG test if you have not already. I did the HSG test three days before I was inseminated.

    I have an amazing son that is 14 months. Keep trying and THINK POSITIVE because it is so worth it.
  • BanditBandit Posts: 348
    I am 43 and basically got pregnant on my first IUI try in Feb. I went to a fertility clinic and didn't like the idea that it was so Sterile and business like. I ended up with a doc that just did insemination and was well known about doing them. I peed on a stick several times a day, only because you do not necessarily surge first thing in the AM, I was inseminated back to back and actually had an acupuncture appt the day of the insemination. I am now 30 weeks pregnant expecting my first child in Nov. Good luck.
  • austingurlaustingurl Posts: 202
    My dr is beyong amazing. We started by tracking ovulation using home kits. We learned after 2 months that I don't ovulate on my own. I have PCOS though so that was not unexpected. So, we started me on Femara, the lowest dose. I had a sonogram on day 12 so measure my follicles and time ovualation. On day 14, we did the IUI. It was unsuccessful. The next 3 months, we upped my dose of Femara, sono day 12, IUI days 14 or 15 depending on follicle measurement. After 4 tries, I approached my dr about adding shots. He was all for it. He suggested only a "boost" though. So, I took Femara days 5-8 and Menopur shots days 9-12. I still had my 12 day scan and IUI about 36 hours later. I got pregnant but lost the baby at 8 weeks. I struggled with trying again so soon, but decided to try the first chance I got. We kept with the same plan, Femara, Menopur, scan, IUI 36 hours later based on the size of my follicles. It worked again, and I am 9 weeks pregnant with twins. Basically, my dr was open to me making treatment decisions with his guidance, but I did have to ask for the meds and explain why I wanted them. He went over risks with me and we made the decisions together. But the main thing I learned is that drs will try to go the route with the least intervention. I was the impatient person pushing for more drugs. My dr allowed me to up the meds because I was informed and had good reasons (my age, so many failed attempts, no side effects from the meds I had already tried). Basically, I could articulate why I wanted more intervention, he educated me, and we made the decisions. So, my best advice...find a dr you trust, educate yourself, and advocate for yourself. It's your body, and your dr should listen to you. He might not agree with you, but at least you know why and can have a conversation about it. But push for what you want.
  • austingurlaustingurl Posts: 202
    Also, I had some tests done before my dr started this process. I have been diagnosed with PCOS since my early 20s. So, I knew that might be a problem. But he did a bunch of labs on me to check for hormone levels and such.
  • eeh876eeh876 Posts: 168
    My doc was also pretty conservative. At 35, he said that I was young enough to take that tack, so I was also advised to do 3 unmedicated cycles. After a bit of trial and error, I found that my best ovulation testing time was mid morning, so I tested at recess at 10:30 everyday. When I got the smiley face, I called for an appt the next day for IUI. From what I know, you can test at any time, so I'd let the doc know whenever you get the result.

    On my 4th try I switched to trigger shot. I went in 36 hours after trigger normally (one it was 24 hours later). The one that took was the 6th IUI (second medicated with Clomid). So Clomid, trigger shot, and IUI 36 hours later was what worked for me.

    Good luck!
  • shonarb73shonarb73 Posts: 61
    I started the process just shy of 39. My dr ordered basic labs like thyroid, blood counts etc in addition to fertility labs (cycle day 2 fsh, prolactin). I had a hysterosalpingogram (hsg) to check that I didn't have any blocked tubes or fibroids. My dr recommended going straight to meds because of my age and I completely agreed because my insurance only covered $500 wprth of infertility treatment which I used up with dr appt and testing pretty quick, so I knew my number of attempts would be limited to what I could pay for myself.

    With the first cycle I did clomid 50mg cycle day 3-7, then had an ultrasound to check follicle size on day 12 or 13, trigger shot followed by a single IUI with timing based on the follicles. The second cycle was the same. On the third cycle clomid was increased to 100mg but the rest was the same. Third time was the charm. I'm due in December with just one very loved baby.

    Seems everyone's experience is a little different. Some get lucky quickly and others have to keep trying. Trust the experts but if you feel like you should be getting more aggressive, let them know that. Good luck!
  • shonarb73shonarb73 Posts: 61
    Oh, and I never once peed on a stick for LH surge. Just relied on ultrasound to check follicles and then triggered ovulation with the shot. I think it was a bit less stressful that way. Its so easy to get obsessive about this process.
  • hope2bmomsoonhope2bmomsoon Posts: 39
    I am 41 (soon to be 42 in October)and I am concerned about my age and being able to get pregnant. I don't know if I have any fertility issues because I never tried to conceive naturally. My doctor recommended shots for me but have decided to try a few times on my own. It is all so overwhelming. Any words of encouragement will be helpful. Good luck to you !!
  • JulietDTRJulietDTR Posts: 19
    I am 35y.o. and single. I first started this journey in April and everything looked good (HSG...good! follicles...good!hormones....good!), but I didn't have the donor sperm.

    Ironically, once I started and thought I was ready, my body wasn't. I was just about to graduate, interviewing for a new job, and had to find somewhere to live all at the same time. I was really stressed and my menstrual cycles were out of wack despite going for acupuncture. My follicle and size and hormones were not correlating. I never had a chance to IUI, so it was frustrating.

    They put me on clomid 50mg for about five days. I ended up with a large cyst, so I had to stop and do a month of birth control. Well, the next cycle they upped my clomid dose all the way to 150mg for another five days, and trigger a day prior to IUI.

    I got pregnant! Unfortunately, I miscarried within a week afer that, likely due to chromosome abnormality. Don't look at my situation as this would relate to you. I'm not mornful...I'm at least elated that I got pregnant and I can try again. I never thought it would happen on the first try, but it did!

    So....definitely relax and don't focus on it too much! Good Luck!
  • metsfan6413metsfan6413 Posts: 74
    AnissaS, quick question, when you did the back to back how long after the LH surge did you do the first insemination and how many hours after that did you do the 2nd insemination?..I am going to do back to back this time around and wanted to know timing wise which is best :) ..thanks !...Im so glad the boards are back as I was wondering how everyone was doing...Im so glad everything went well with the ammnio for you ! :)
  • BanditBandit Posts: 348
    metsfan - I think I had the surge around 9 am maybe and then went in around 1 or so, and then the next am maybe 930. Not sure any more. The doc office picked when I was coming in, so I just went in when they said. I also relaxed both days afterwards. I think I had a drink on Friday night and that was the last time I drank. I will be having a drink after I deliver.

    The doc should tell you when to come in. Just check several times a day, since surges do not necessarily happen first thing in the AM.
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