Trying to Conceive with IUI #3

Op - you are such a wealth of knowledge!

Funny how you have also been plagued with colds. Ttc must wear our system down a bit so we are more suseptable (spelling?) to them. I think I am very worn down this cycle...Unfortunately yes I do work, but only 4 days a week. I get tomorrow off to rest up.

I understand what you are saying about the prog now. Funny that the IVF clinic has not mentioned this at my last hcg test. I shall remember to ask for these results next time. I suppose it helps to have all your lab results in your hands also.

Im sorry to hear they put you through the lecture this morning - you are right to block those sorts of things out. I agree that age is not a primary issue with fertility. A close friend of mine has a 8 wk old healthy baby boy, and she is 41. You need to block that negativity and focus on the positive. I think the clinics are far more obsessed with statistics and this causes generalisations, it is the nature of their business.

You too take care, remember Im hear if you need a chat.

dont know what that angry face is above my last post...dont know how I put it there... sorry about that

I was just looking at a photo of Tom Cruise and his baby, Suri. You know, he was hopelessly infertile, and he's got a baby!

Then there's the story of the couple who tried for four years, with 7 cycles of IVF. They resorted to surrogacy, and had one last transfer themselves and got: two sets of twins!!!

Mircles, miracles, miracles! They do happen. I honestly wish there was some treatment to help my darling husband. We did some good work with the naturopath - we increased his count from 9mill to 28mill. But they were still slow swimmers and malformed. Our chances of conceiving naturally with his sperm are 0.0124%. This crappy little statistic will never stop me hoping.

Sigh!
P.

PS - I think the stress/excitement of treatment is what makes us ill right when it counts. Then again, a colleague told me she fell pregnant when she was bedridden with denghi fever!!!

how right you are OP. Miracles happen all the time. Did you see the article on Jessica Rowe yesterday? After going through IVF hell (dont know her story though), she has now concieved naturally. An incredible story - I am over the moon for her and over the moon to hear things like this can and do happen. And of course there is the old anecdote: 'as soon as you stop trying it will happen'! How many million times have i heard that. But how do you stop trying? How can you stop doing what comes natural now after trying for so very long?

My odds are 5% chance of concieving naturally, not as low as yours but still fairly bleak. This is based on the number of cycles passed with no success (i think). Again, a statistics and numbers game. Who knows how accurate they are. Surely Jessica Rowe would have had a low chance of concieving naturally....I wonder what her odds were...

What about Nicole Kidman? 40 years old, only one tube: miracle.

A friend of mine - 3 IVF cycles, one tube. She gave up and voila: miracle.

Another friend - tried for 8 years, gave up, adopted and voila: a miracle.

I have heard stories of many many miracles. They DO happen. I told my husband there were many times I thought I wasn't getting married. And right when I gave up, he came along. So, miracles HAVE happened to me. They can happen again.

I think I've said it before: its a numbers game. We have tried 36 times and failed. We have 7 or 8 more tries with our current program before we have to switch strategies again. I have faith.

Thanks for listening today. It's really helped me come out of a nose dive!

:-)
P.

sure OP - happy to be here. Im glad you feel better and you sound more positive too. Miracles can and do happen so dont forget that you are always in the game.

I am at home today, trying to recover from this head cold flu thing. Have no got even 1 sympton, which is starting to bother me cause I should be dpo 9 and last month I had almost every sympton under the sun. Oh well, time will only tell hey. Got my third and final pregnl shot tonight also .... yuk....

Good luck for tomorrow - I hope it all goes well and you come back with big hcg numbers. Am thinking of you

Hi Diamond,

There are good cycles and not so good ones. So it's okay if what's happening now isn't the same as last time - that doesn't have to mean that nothing is happening! Your head cold might be totally blocking out perception of all other stuff.

Pregnyl approaches for you and I are so different. My clinic makes me have them from day of IUI, then every second day until PG test. And if that were positive, they'd make me continue until week 10 when the body takes over. I've had about seven shots this month. :-(

I feel flat this morning - hardly slept last night. And my dreams are full of issues my subconscious is clearly trying to work out. Talked to my Mum this morning - she told me she didn't hit menopause until 52. That's made me feel a little bit more relaxed. I thought it was going to be game over at 46. She reminded me my Nana had her last baby at 40. And Mum was actually pregnant at 38 - when she was a heavy smoking contraceptive pill user. So... :dance:

My husband and I are planning a road trip at Xmas. We're just going to get in the car and drive north. I can't wait to do this: I need a break so badly!

Have lots of lovely warm tea today, and get well soon!

P.

Hi Diamond!

How are you today? My latest results are in: as expected, my progesterone has dropped. This time it's 1.8. I'm not surprised by this but I'm annoyed that I was made to have that extra Pregnyl shot when I didn't need it.

In any case, metallic taste is totally gone today. Breast soreness is gone too. With such a big progesterone drop, I expect a period any day. It takes 5 days for the Pregnyl to wear off, so I'd say I should see something by Sunday.

Thank God. I am so hang-dog I can hardly stand myself.

P.

Hi Op,

Im sorry your results have dropped. What a bummer - and a bummer now to have to wait for your period. How frustrating.. At least you get some time off the drugs now until you are ready to go ahead with a fresh cycle. My thoughts are with you know...

Me? this cold just seems to be getting worse. Spent most of the day in bed. The worst thing is I cant take anything for it except panadol. I rang the IVF clinic to ask if there was something to help me other than panadol, she advised panadiene is ok and to check with the chemist. But when I went to the chemist, they said no to panadeiene so I thought it wasnt worth the risk. I dont know how I can get pregnant with this awful flu thing in my system. Again, or still, no symptons. Had last pregnl shot last night, so one the home stretch until preg test on wednesday.

Again OP Im sorry you didnt get the results today that you wanted....

Hi Diamond,

Don't worry about me! I'm alright. Yes I'm bummed I'm not pregnant but I knew this days ago. Anyway! Restart button was hit today and I feel so much better. It's amazing how hormones can switch from one day to the next.

Re your health, I'd recommend getting yourself a bottle of Cenovis 1000mg Vitamin C tablets, and I'd take one in the morning and one at night. It will help your immune system. Nothing wrong with Panadol - just take it every four hours. And really, all those other cold and flu rememdies out there on the market - they do nothing but lighten your hip pocket, so I wouldn't worry too much about not being able to take them. Just let your body repair itself.

And remember: my friend got pregnant with denghi fever, so there could be something going on that is causing your immune system NOT to fight back! :-)

Next step for me is on Nov 10 - bloods and ultrasound. I'll get the trigger shot this month, but nothing else... so it's just about natural, which I'm happy with. We see the specialist on Dec 4, and I've been told to expect the IVF push. I am going to be a stand for my full 12mths treatment at the hospital. They expect us to go to IVF with the donor. We'll be doing ICSI if we do IVF. And we're not going until we have the money.

Sure wish this baby that's coming would hurry up! I know we're meant to be parents. It's just a matter of time.

Get well soon!
P.

Thanks for your kind words OP, I sure hope this sickness is a good sign.

I went to me GP who prescribed some preg safe antiboitics and suggested a safe cough syrup. $30 bucks later Im still here feeling sicker than ever! Honestly my immune system is so freaking low its not funny, I feel sick all over!!! So I hope you are right about it all being for another reason...

Thanks for the tip on the VitC - I have been drinking plenty of fresh juices which is basically all I can stomach right now. Still taking my normal vitamins, and panadols. God I hope this ends soon, at least it is filling the time in until my preg test on wed...

Congrats on hitting the refresh button, a new cycle brings a new round of fresh hope. Drug free this time will be better for you, one month on one month off sounds good. When will you plan for the ISCI cycle? I havent given much more thought to moving toIVF, but I think we will stay with IUI for one more cycle this year, have Dec off, and then re-assess in the new year.

It looks like our clinic won't be around when we need then at Christmas, so we'll probably get December off too.

But we are not going to IVF until we are ready. My husband was retrenched last week. So until he gets a job and we have $8K in the bank, I won't even entertain the idea of IVF.

You have a fab weekend and rest up. It's awful feeling poorly right when it counts. Lets hope the virus receeds and reveals a little miracle, quietly settling in and growing.

:-)
P.

How are you going Diamond?

Are you feeling any better after the weekend?

:-)
P.

Hi OP,

I am much better. Still got the flu thing hanging around, but I feel 1000 times better than last week. I am thankful to be up and back with the land of the living!!

I am sorry to hear your husband got retrenched. What a crappy thing to happen, and especially now when you have so much going on with this IUI/IVF stuff. I hope it is not stressing you guys out too much, and I hope you get the problem resolved soon. In the meantime, at least he gets some time off work and can unwind a little....(and do all the housework for you ;))

Not much else going on with me. Period is due tomorrow and I keep looking for signs of PMS, or not, hoping my body will tell me something. But alas no...I know pregnancy signs can be the same as period ones so I am trying to stop over analysing. My blood test is not till wednesday - AF please stay away!!!

Hello ladies - I hope you don't mind if I join this thread? I'm straddling a few at the moment as I'm not a LTTTCer (trying since July this year) but I am having IUI instead of BDing so there are things I'm going through that are somewhat foreign to most of the women in my TTC 1-6 Months thread!

I'm 2 DPO after my 2nd IUI today - US donor sperm - I was on FSH for a while to support ovulation as my ovaries are apparently 'shy' when monitored - and I also had an HCG trigger the day before my IUI (Fri).

I'm feeling more hopeful with this cycle so far - the timing on the first one seemed a little rushed and haphazard, whereas this one seemed spot on... Now I'm just trying to do all the right things - and resisting doing any early HPTs - I'm told the trigger can cause a false positive for up to two weeks after??

Anyway - hello... And I'm :crossfingers: for you ladies on the TWW.

Hey Ladies, I am hoping to join this thread as well.
I am in practically the exact same boat as Shades.
My partner and I are going through IUI with an unknown Aussie donor.
I ha my HCG trigger on Friday and went in for the Insemination today.
I am now on my 2WW.
Fingers crossed.
Goodluck Shades, I didn't know that the triggger would give a false positive. Thanks for the info. I will keep that in mind.
Well goodluck to everyone else.
Lets spread the :bluedust::pink-babydust::stickyvibesboy::stickyvibesgirl:

Okay so I know of someone who had their IUI on Fri, me on Sat, and now you today Gizzmo - wouldn't it be cool if we ended up all belly buddies!?!

:leap:

Hey Shades,
That would be freekin awesome lol.
Is there a thingy on Belly Belly for us 2 week waiters??????
I couldn't find the thread :)

Gizzmo - the best support I've found in the TWW is the TTC 1-6 months thread you just joined... Asides from that I'm really not sure.

welcome gizmo and shades!

OP and I have been kicking it in here on our own for a while. But of course the more the merrier so welcome. Good luck to both of you in you TWW. You must stay away from those HPT as yes, left over medication in your system can should a positive hcg result. You are best to wait it out until you get your blood test at the clinic to avoid any unnecessary heartache.

OP - how are you travelling? Have you hit Day 1 yet? Do you feel better off the drugs so far? I have also been meaning to ask you your thoughts on acupuncture? Have you tried this in tune with an IUI cycle? And if so did it help?

Me? AF is due today. I kind of feel it coming, but also kind of dont... Just waiting waiting waiting....preg test tomorrow morning....

Welcome Gizzmo & Shades,

I can confirm those HPTs are not for you if you've had any kind of hormone treatment. You can always get a false positive. Never a false negative. Stick to your blood test - you need a progesterone reading of between 37-203 and an HCG reading of 40+. However, 400 HCG is a definite yes for you.

Diamond, my fingers and toes are crossed for you!!! We got really anxious on the day of our test last week. Couldn't work, couldn't think straight, and reacted very badly to the inconclusive results. If you feel like that, just go for a walk, take some deep breaths, and vent on here! :-)

We are back to the clinic on Nov 10 for an ovulation check. Should be day 12 by then.

Shades & Gizzmo - vitamin check: make sure you're taking your folate, B6 and iron supplements. These are immensely helpful.

:-)
P.

OP - I'm taking Blackmores Pg and Bf supplement, plus an extra folate tablet... I was told that should be fine...

Diamond :crossfingers: for your test!

Thanks OP & Shades,

I am starting to get anxious.... though I think the Melb Cup will be a welcome distraction today. I know what you mean, last preg test was the same for me. Waited all day for the call from the clinic, came at 510, after I had a cry that they wouldnt ring and I would have to wait through the night. Then they told me it was a positive but not... i was totally thrown off and an emotional wreck!! Hopefully tomorrow I will know better. Thankfully i have the day off work so I can relax at home.

Will keep you posted though...and of course I will jump online to ease my nerves :lol:

Diamond,

Are you with IVFA at Maroubra? Or which rooms do you go to? They usually have the results back at Maroubra by about midday. Then they review the results with your doctor. I would be ringing them myself by 3.00pm if they hadn't called. And just tell them that waiting is making you sick with anxiety. It's not fair to make you wait.

Make sure you ask them for both the Progesterone and beta hCG levels. Knowledge is power!

I sure have my fingers crossed for you!

P.

Hi OP,

I am with IVFA Westmead/Castle Hill. They think after about 2PM today the results will be available, but I think you are right, I should call by 3PM. I agree knowledge is power so I will ask for both readings (of course hoping that they register something at all).

Just back from my bloods now, still no period so i think I am officially 1 day late. I think AF is on its way though....hopefully I am wrong.

I will let you know my results this afternoon. Thanks for thinking of me :D

Hi Diamond,

Don't place any importance on latestness. Girls like you and I have far too much information to use the old "late period" as a gauge.

Also don't forget Pregnyl can cause a delay too. It takes 5-7 days to leave your system so count from your last shot, and that's when you can probably expect a period - if there's going to be one! For me, my last shot was the Tuesday and the period kicked in at 4am on the Friday - period was due on the Sunday to it was five days late.

In any case: good luck, good luck, good luck!!!!! I'm very excited for you and I'll be checking from 3.00pm today to read your news.

Something to think about: my husband and I talked last week about how we are so used to failure, the possibility of success is very hard to grasp. We have had something like 36 failures on this journey. Yet success IS a possibility for all of us. Did you know that Col Sanders of KFC fame tried to sell his fried chicken recipe to 1009 shops before he gave up and started his own business?

I've been saying this is a numbers game. Sure hope this one is your number!

:-)
P.

Well OP,

The results are negative. I am crushed, but trying to stay positive.

I am not sure what to do now. The clinic has given me the option of another IUI cycle or and IVF cycle. And to be honest, to go through all of this with nothing at the end, I am really considering moving onto something else. Something with better odds in this awful numbers game.

Diamond,

I am sending big hugs across the ether to you. I know how you feel. And you know I do.

Try not to make any decisions today. It's far too an emotional day. Just be very kind to yourself and talk, talk, talk it out with your husband.

I want to tell you I have friends who have had successful IUI. One has two beautiful daughters. The other has one. Another has a beautiful son. This process can be successful. It does work.

I will try to do some research to see if I can find success figures. And we can mull over them together.

But for now, eat your favourite food, drink your favourite drink. Watch your favourite movie. Snuggle up with your favourite guy. Everything will be alright.

:-)
P.

Diamond,

Here are some stats. They are old, but informative.

IUI-donor cycles
In 2004, in Australia and New Zealand, there were 3,170 cycles in which IUI using donated sperm (IUI-donor) was undertaken at fertility centres.
Of IUI-donor cycles, 12.5% (396) resulted in a pregnancy and 9.7% (307) resulted in a live delivery.
There were 24 (7.7%) IUI-donor cycles that resulted in a multiple gestation delivery.
Of babies born to women who had an IUI-donor cycle, 15.5% were preterm (<37 weeks gestation).
The average birthweight for babies born to women who had an IUI-donor cycle was 3,207 grams.
The perinatal death rate for babies born to women who had an IUI-donor cycle was 11.7 deaths per 1,000 births.

Earlier in this article they talked about IVF success rates. For women aged 23-24, the succes rate is 33%. For women 40-44 the rate is 7.1%.

For me, IUI has a lightly better success rate than IVF. The only reason why we might switch is because we want to try ICSI again. And go into financial distress.


P.

Thanks for your research OP. And you are right, I am feeling very emotional about all of this right now. I am frustrated and impatient, angry cause this month was very hard, and all for nothing! I know you understand what Im going through, despair at how much more is it going to take. Why is it taking so freakin long?

I am starting to wonder if there is a problem with the quality of my eggs... This is something that can not be discovered until egg collection right? I know both hubby and I are leaning towards an IVF cycle, as the chance at a higher success rate is far more attractive than going through another IUI cycle to end in disappointment. But then again, what if the IVF cycle fails.... I dont think I could handle that...

Oh OP, I need to stop the woe is me story.. How are things going on your end?

PG MENTIONED

Ladies i just want to pop in and give you a little bit of hope. i know how truly devastating every failed attempt (or early) loss can be.

i've noticed a couple of you mention going to IVF, and i want to say it's well worth the effort. we had five IUI attempts last year, then onto IVF. even though both fresh and frozen transfers weren't successful long term (one chemical pregnancy from three transfers), we were able to get confirmation that hubby's swimmers WERE able to get into the egg and fertilise them, so it gave us confidence that we could do this.

while waiting for the IVF clinic to be "local" again (it's only here every few months seeing we live in the sticks) we jumped on the IUI bandwagon again this year, resulting in one chemical pregnancy in July, and the baby i'm growing now is from that second IUI. it's taken a lot of time, a lot of heartache and pain to get here, and the chances of success with IUI aren't as good as IVF simply because there is more chance - will egg and sperm meet, vs confirmation of a viable embryo being placed back - but it can and DOES work sometimes!

good luck to you all

BG

Diamond,

I have to say that research put me in a serious spin. The odds for us a pretty freakin' bad. But for me the clear choice is IUI - 1.9% better chance.

Re egg quality, the FSH fixes that. If I had the results you had this past month, I would make that mean there was a fertilisation, but no implantation. So I would take this as a major positive. I do think the virus you had wrecked your chances. As much as you have to remain hopeful when you're sick, I do think it tips the balance in the wrong direction for girls like us.

My advice to you, before you go IVF, is to see a naturopath that specialises in fertility (if you haven't done this already). It's not cheap - they load you up with expensive vitamins (as you can see from my list last week) - but it IS cheaper than IVF, and you will learn a lot about your health as a result. If you want me to recommend someone, I will send you a private message.

I think it's also worthwhile reading Francesca Naish's book, Natural Conception. Natural Fertility By Francesca Naish

And you must remember: only 3 in 10 people take a baby home from IVF (and they don't say how many cycles it takes to get that result). Failure will be a characteristic of that treatment too. Imagine what it was like for us to spend $11K at IVF and get nothing. My God we were angry. The worst part was seeing four embryos die. It was hard not to point the finger at IVF for at least two of those deaths, and at ourselves for the other two.

Take your time to recover from this cycle. Vent, vent vent. It reallyl is the only way to cope.

My thoughts are with you.
P.

Diamond,

I think you're onto a process that has good odds for a woman your age. The problem with being LTTTC is all the stuff that happened before starting fertility treatment - it makes every new failure even more poignant.

:-S
P.

BG thank you for your input. You were there for me at the end of my 1st IUI cycle and your advice really got me through. I know you have been through a hard ttc process and your success gives me, and all of us, hope.

OP - thank you for your continued support also. In hindsight now I would tend to agree that my sickness last week ruined my chances, as I had absolutely no symptons whatsoever. I am faced now with making this decision, and quickly as today is Day 1. You have given me much food for thought and now I am definately in two minds. If you could recommend a natropath that would be helpful - and also please advise approx costs.

I am off to weight up my options...

OP - we must have posted at the same time!!

I believe IVFA has an official success rate of 45%. Please do not quote me though as I could be wrong. Previously, when I mentioned the nurse 1st suggested IVF at the beginning of my 2nd IUI cycle, she said with my age and condition (or lack thereof), that this figure of 45% will increase. Comparing this to 15-20% success rate with IUI, you can see why we ware leaning towards IVF.

I think I will book an appt with IVFA to clarify this, and other questions raised such as my high prog rate, timing of this cycle etc. You are right though, 45% still leaves a 55% failure rate. This is potentially crushing given the emotional and physical rollarcoaster this stuff puts us through. I really feel for the pain you went through on your failed IVF cycle. You are a really strong person OP.

Well, you would not believe it. After umming and ahhing, the clinic told me I needed another appt with the Dr if i was considering an IVF cycle. They would not give me an appt until another 3 weeks! Which means I have to wait 3 weeks for the appt, then wait for my next period, then for Day 21 of that cycle until i can start! It might not even fall into this year! I cant sit on my hands for that long, doing nothing to help our situation! So, I have decided on another IUI cycle.

What BS hey! I cant believe they would make me wait 3 weeks for an appt!! I do believe that IUI can work, and i think that my sickness last week really knocked me around.

so i am not leaving you yet OP.... Hopefully we can support each other again through another cycle. And hopefully we will get our BFP!!!

Diamond,

Sounds typical to me! :-) You might as well start at the beginning of the calendar year anyway, that way you get the full benefit of the safety net.

We have bloods and ultrasound on Monday for a natural cycle. We suspect we'll get shut out in December because of the two week Xmas break. This drives me NUTS as December is the last chance for me to be holding a baby by my birthday (September) next year. We are formulating a radical plan for that period.

But like you, we see the specialist on December 4. I'll be telling him a thing or two if he starts pedalling the IVF bandwagon.

SO - lets just focus on being healthy, stayiing postive and bringing through some very excellent babies this month. Then IVF will be a moot point!

:-D
P.

I understand your impatience and frustration - i certainly hope they do not shut us out over xmas as well. I will be heartbroken at Xmas time if i am still not pregnant. It will be my 3rd xmas feeling a sense of emptiness and failure. And then the looming fear of how many more xmas' will be this way....I understand where you are coming from, I hope that this new cycle will bring you a baby in your arms before your next birthday.

Thanks for you message, it was very informative. With this IUI cylce and waiting 3-4 wks for medicare to send the money back, I honestly dont know if I can find the cash for it. Isnt that crazy! I am also wondering about the benefits of acup.. this cost is not so damaging at first. Have you ventured down this path? I want to take a different approach this cycle, stay positive and do all that i can to bring me a positive result.

I have heard about the benefits of acupuncture and I upped our health insurance in January to cover this. Then I started looking around for a practitioner and I didn't find one that made feel confident. I asked a few if they treated infertility and they just looked at me blankly.

That being said, there's one or two practitioners advertising themselves as infertility acupuncturists with accompanying crazy prices.

I've heard one report of a friend of a friend doing acupuncture the day before her IVF transfer, and the transfer being successful. The way I understand it, it's about effective blood flow to the uterus. My chiropractor also said chiro helped with this.

In the end, my opinion is: the people spawning kids left right and centre in Mount Druitt don't get acupuncture. They don't get chiro. They don't stop drinking or smoking. They do what they want and sprout babies without giving it a second thought. So, I've chosen not to go for acupuncture. It just seems like one more straw to grasp at and I just don't want to be that depserate (any more).

:-)
P.

Diamond,

I know what you mean about Christmas. It is a particularly difficult time of the year for girls like us. This is also our third Xmas with no baby in our arms, and no hope of having one in our arms for next Xmas either.

It makes the prospect of all Christmases to come seem very bleak. Infertility itself makes the future seem bleak. All the plans we have for the future revolve around having children, being parents, hopefully being Grandparents one day. We bought a car two years ago with four doors to put our kids in. We chose our apartment because the yard was safe for kids. There is a day care centre across the road. There are many schools in walking distance of our house. To think these choices we've made and continue to make are in vain is very painful.

But we know for sure we are not the only people to feel this way. It's a small consolation. Over our bed we have the word "believe" cut out in 2d and fixed to the wall. It's all we can do. Just keep believing.

P.