Just spent the last hour or so reading all the past posts, it is so good to know there are other people out there that are experiencing the same feelings.
OrginalP- you are an amazing source of information thank you! I actually have low thyroid function, but have been repeatedly told that is not an issue, I am on thyroxine and because my blood is in the normal range it shouldn't be a problem.
I was wondering if anyone knows what the correct Basal Body Temperature should be during the luteal phase. Mine is between 36.5 and 36.6. I have read that it is very low. Overall I have a lower temp cause of thyroid issue. My Chinese doctor said that it needs to be higher for the fetus to survive. I have been on herbs for 6 monts but my temps haven't increased.
Just spent the last hour or so reading all the past posts, it is so good to know there are other people out there that are experiencing the same feelings.
OrginalP- you are an amazing source of information thank you! I actually have low thyroid function, but have been repeatedly told that is not an issue, I am on thyroxine and because my blood is in the normal range it shouldn't be a problem.
I was wondering if anyone knows what the correct Basal Body Temperature should be during the luteal phase. Mine is between 36.5 and 36.6. I have read that it is very low. Overall I have a lower temp cause of thyroid issue. My Chinese doctor said that it needs to be higher for the fetus to survive. I have been on herbs for 6 monts but my temps haven't increased.
The thyroid function certainly is very interesting business indeed! I would normally clock a thyroid reading of 0.22 - 0.4 and while my GP thinks this is fine, my naturopath thought it needed addressing, hence the Kelp supplement. I never saw any dramatic change in the readings through our two years of treatment BUT - I do think there was an impact on my immune system. I had lots of headaches all the time and two to three cases of infected sinus per year - I would say I was in a state of general malady and didn't not fight off illness very well at all.
Since the BFP, my thyroid function has tripled and I have not been sick once. My husband came down with a shocking chest infection recently and I managed to escape it. I have been able to eat anything I want and have actually been losing a little weight behind the "normal" expected weight gain. This leads me to believe that a better performing thyroid has an awful lot to do with good health and there'll be a time in the future when I ask my GP to help me improve my normal thyroid function.
For now, my recommendation to you would be to find a good naturopath that can address the thyroid issue. The Chinese Herbalist is right to give you herbs, but if they haven't improved things for you so far, some extra help never goes astray.
Re your luteal phase temps, everyone is different and you just need to know what's right for you. I don't think your temps are too low at all! And honestly, when you get a fertilisation, the embryo will do everything it needs itself. It's amazing how that works out.
Just thought I'd pop in and introduce myself.... DH and I have been ttc for about 7-8 months all up and found out recently DH's sperm has a high viscosity. Our gp has referred us to a FS and says they will recommend iui for us. I'm quite confused about it all but have spent the entire afternoon trying to read the threads related to this issue. I can see there are only a few people posting recently, so I hope all is going well for you all. Does anyone know if I will have to take drugs if the problem is with DH? I don't quite understand it all!
GOOD LUCK SONYA!!!! I don't know anything about the pregnyl sorry but i wish you all the best....
Loupy welcome.... I can't be 100% sure if you would have to take anything but it is a high possibility, most likely be clomid or something similar (again can't be sure) it would ensure you ovulate around day 14 of your cycle and they can track it better, and ensure that they inject the sperm at the right time... I had irregular periods and tried clomid and timed intercourse with no luck, i then took clomid and we did IUI and fell pg 1st try unfortunately i had a ectopic pg and lost my baby and right tube. Im one of the lucky ones because 6.5 weeks after my operation for the ectopic i found out i was 6 weeks pg we did it naturally miracles do happen.... GOOD LUCK with everything and i hope you have all the answers really soon..
Hi Loupy, it is likely they will put you on a low dose of clomid, which is 5 tablets taken day 3 to day 7 of your normal cycle (this can vary slightly). This is to ensure ovulation, they monitor with ultrasounds. Sometimes they give you a HCG trigger shot so they get timing right. The trigger shot is given 24 hours before the IUI. It really depends on your FS. A friend of mine used this protocol.
When I used clomid it was only timed intercourse, no iui, because there were no male fertility issues. My FS generally uses purgeon (an injection taken from about day 2 to day 16) with IUI's. He said it is because it is more scientific and controlled than trying to time IUI's with Clomid.
I have also heard that some FS do IUI's by monitoring a natural cycle (no drugs) when the issues are male and not female. I imagine this would be a bit more difficult to get the timing right though.
OriginalP That is very interesting about your thyroid issue. I am currently on a higher dose of thyroxine than usual because my dose was increased as soon as I got pregnant the second time. So I actually have a slightly overactive thyroid at the moment. The reason for this is because my endocrinoligist said that 90% of women who have an underactive thyroid need to increase the medication because the little one uses it all. He decided to leave me on the higher dose because of my pregnancy plans. Although I usually lose weight when I am overactive, maybe the fertility drugs are counteracting that. I am not sure how much research you have done on thyroid but it basically controls your metabolism and basal body temp. When I am overactive, I dont sleep very well (due to higher pulse I think) but have heaps more energy, so I was quite happy to be left on the higher dose.
I tried a natropath about a year ago, I was on supplements, herbs, flaxseed oil and goji juice. I had to go on a detox and my body went into a bit of a meltdown and I missed two AF. So I gave up on it. I think my natropath was a bit over the top. Though I may try a different one if this doesn't work.
Sorry about the length of this girls, but at least it fills a little of the time while I wait.
I think I had some implantation bleeding today, I am 12DPO, and it was mostly brownish mucus. Fingers crossed it doesn't turn into anything more.
Fingers crossed the bleed is implantation sounds promising ...... Thanks for the congrats i dont like talking about my pg on here too much i know how hard it is TTC after 3 yrs of TTC with 2.4 active yrs of trying i know hearing about other peoples pg can be hard....
Loupy welcome. Make sure your clinic gives you lots of information about the protocol they'll be using with your treatment. When you first read the info it will be hard to understand, but as you begin to go through the process, it will all make sense.
For my treatment I was prescribed Puregon which is an FSH injection. It's also commonly used in IVF. Ask your doctor to explain the difference between Puregon and Clomid as they do work in very different ways. That way if you have a choice you can make an informed decision.
Sonya, on the naturopath front, you really need to find one that specialises in fertility issues. There's no way anything they prescribe you should disrupt your cycle for two months. If you live in Sydney and want a couple of names, send me a private message.
On the thryoid issue, my mother has suffered hypothyroidism since 2006, and I have seen her struggle to understand how to help herself. She sleeps less, gains weight easily, and finds it hard to stay on an even keel emotionally. The thyroid seems to be a very tricky thing to deal with when there are problems. In fertility treatment, the main thing is to get it working in balance with the pituitary and ovaries. That's why I like the naturopathic approach - balance and harmony seems to be the key. And with modern life the way it is, we women seem to lose their grip on both these things without even knowing it.
Thanks janeo, OP and sonyalouise. Good luck sonya... hopefully you have yourself an implantation bleed! I'm going to go research clomid and puregon
DH and I couldn't get in to the FS until August, so I'm going out of my head trying to understand what happens. Do you girls know if there is something I can read somewhere that explains the entire process (or maybe the earlier iui threads explain it?). Or can you tell me how the actual insemination happens? ie, is it similar to a pap smear or different? I'm quite clueless
Do a search for the White Protocol on the internet - it's the process my clinic used to support IUI.
The procedure is quite simple - it's no more complicated that a Pap smear. You'll attend the clinic and DH will head off and provide a sample (my DH never did this as we used a donor). The scientist will "wash" the sample. This is to remove any dead or less than ideal sperm (the majority of the sample contains rubbish so there's nothing unsual about this). They do this by putting the sample into a culture medium and allowing the best guys to swim to the top into a gelatinous substance which will be transferred into the uterus along with the good sperm. Think of it as lube if you like.
The actual insemination involves getting you onto the examination table and setting you up with a speculum. DH can be with you the whole time (but obviously not at the business end!). The doctor or midwife will draw the sperm into a catheter which is basically a long skinny wire-like tube. This is then passed through the opening of the cervix and positioned at the top of the uterus. The sperm is released with a little injector and the catheter is removed. All this should take about five minutes if you have a healthy cervix.
Many clinics then ask you to remain lying down for 20-30 minutes, but plenty tell you to get up immediately. My clinic liked me to stay lying down. The IVF clinic I went to liked me to get up and get out pronto. Time is money!
Then you wait. IUI day is counted as ovulation day aka Day 14. Most clinics ask you to come back on Day 21 for a progesterone test (this is industry best practice and if it's not offered to you, you should request it). The primary purpose for this is to confirm ovulation took place. I am of the opinion this can also indicate fertilisation MAY have occured (but only if the figure is abnormally elevated). The more follicles that popped, the higher the progesterone reading will be.
You'll then do a PG blood test on day 28-32 depending on your clinic's individual approach. If it's BFN they'll ask you to start the process all over again on day four after AF arrives. Even if AF has arrived before you do you BT, you should do it anyway. It gives them a chance to see if anything DID actually happen (they'll be looking for elevated levels of beta hCG) and adds to data on how to help you better next time.
It's gorey detail I know - sorry to those that didn't want to hear any of that! But that's basically IUI in a nut shell (stim part excluded).
Wow, thank you so much OP. Sorry for all those not wishing to read about the whole procedure but that has just made the entire process alot clearer to me! I really appreciate it. I don't think I've done one thing at work since I've started reading into iui ! Will keep you posted on how we go, and thanks again for everyone's support
Loupy - good luck and be positive! But remember, IUI success rates are comparable to natural ones. In the same way you'd give yourself at least six to 12 goes naturally, so too should you be prepared for at least six goes of IUI. My girlfriend got it on her fourth go, I got it on my fifth.
Just thought I would let you know that AF arrived yesterday
I am not sure I will do another IUI, I know that most people do quite a few, but I think I will just ask to do an ivf cycle. I have read the chances of conceiving are higher, and I dont know if can go through this month after month.
My clinic doesn't time things very well, and I will end up having to wait another month before they set up the next cycle. It will drive me crazy.
OP: Thanks for the advice about the natropath, unfortunately I live in Melbourne, I am going to do some research today.
Oh Sonya im soooooooooo sorry... TBH i would give IUI another couple of tries they say its 1 in 5.. IVF is higher but it is a much higher cost, stress, hormonally, emotionally etc.. See how you feel in a few days getting AF is a very emotional time... Take time out rest and know your dream will come true...
Hey Sonya, what a bummer. :-( AF is always an unwelcome visitor in this thread.
I'm with Janeo on giving this process a good chance for success. You have to look at it as if you were tryiing naturally. That should take 6-12 goes in a normal situation, so in my opinion, unless than six IUI rounds is not giving the process a fair go. It took five for me, but I was willing to go to 12 if need be.
That being said, Diamond did about four goes of IUI and got jack of it. She went to IVF and scored a BFP on the first transfer. While this was a wonderful result, it's important to remember that in IVF a BFP on the first go is RARE.
I like IUI because it's less invasive and low tech. Be prepared for more tests, more invasive procedures (and more money) etc when you make the switch.
Hi all
Well i have had a couple of months off, but am now on my next round of IUI. I went for a HSG (Hysterosalpingogram) on Friday and turns out i have a blockage on my right tube. Im upset with my specialist as she tried to talk me out of getting it done and was sure that i couldnt possibly have anything wrong. Well turns out i was right. Not sure what they can do about a blockage, does anyone know? My clinic said i can still go ahead with the IUI this month which is good coz im already on puregon and have paid for it. Im also having accupuncture next week, is anyone else doing accupuncture?? if so has it made much difference? Is anyone else doing IUI atm? would love chat. Good luck to everyone, im feeling really positive this month! to all
Chellie, at least you have some answers now that you kow there is a blocked tube. My advice would be to only proceed with IUI if your clinic can confirm through internal ultrasound that the primaryt follicle this month is from the left ovary. The last thing you want is an ectopic pregnancy - which is entirely possible if a follicle from the right ovary produce the egg that is fertilised.
My personal experience was that ovaries produce lead follicles alternately each month, although we did have one month where we had two on one side and one on the other.
In Dr Miriam Stoppard's book Pregnancy, Comception and Birth, she describes a proceedure called Tuboplasty, which sends a tiny balloon into the blocked tube. It is inflated, hopefully clearing the blockage and voila, tube is good again. However, with my own tubes somewhat dodgey at the beginning of my journey, nobody offered me this. You might fid a laparoscopy is ordered next - where they send a camera down the tube to look closely at the problem. Ask about the tuboplasty - just to put it out there. Let us know what happens.
Thank you OP.
I am happy i found out about it and hopefully they can do something about it. I go see my specialist on Thursday so hopefully she will have some answeres for me and they can do something. i also see my fertility clinic and i have told them about the blockage so im guessing they would only do it the egg was on the left side, well id hope anyways. Most of the time when i go in there i have follicles on both sides, but the biggest ones have been on my right side. Anyways i will let you know what she wants to do and how we go with it. Thanks for the advise!
to all
Bookmarks