Wednesday, October 15, 2014

IUI, Round 1

So much to write about, so little time. I have a wedding, a vacation, and a GIVEAWAY to post about (how fun!) But first I thought I would provide a little update on our fertility treatment.

We made the decision a couple months back to start out with IUI (Intrauterine Insemination). This seemed like a relatively "easy" first step in the process. We opted to wait a few months due to events and celebrations already on our calendar.

In short, this is the sequence of a typical IUI cycle.

1- start your period
2- go see the fertility specialist for a baseline vaginal ultrasound
3- start taking oral meds (in my case it was Femara)
4- a few days later, start injections of FSH (follicle stimulating hormone)
5- see the doctor again and again to monitor progress of follicle growth
6- administer trigger shot to cause eggs to drop
7- see doctor again for the insemination
8- wait, and wait some more (while inserting vaginal Progesterone suppositories- good times!)
9- pregnancy test


Last week, literally right before we were leaving on a trip to Nashville, I started my period with enough time to get in to see the fertility doctor for my initial exam. Everything looked great, and we mapped out the schedule for my cycle. The only bad thing to come out of this process so far is that my doctor will be at a conference in Hawaii on the exact days that my insemination should occur. So instead of doing that, we will be having "timed intercourse" within a specific time frame of the trigger shot being administered. If that isn't sexy, I don't know what is.

I won't lie and say that I didn't have a complete meltdown on Thursday night after picking up my meds. Ugly crying was totally involved. When we made the decision months ago to do this, it didn't seem all that real. In fact, I kind of hoped that the thought of it all would scare my uterus into getting pregnant. Obviously, that didn't happen. So I had myself a little pity party.

I cried and complained and was kind of a bitch to Hank on Thursday night. But when I woke up on Friday, I had a new attitude. It was one of gratitude. We're so thankful that we have the resources and good health to be able to attempt this route. Not everyone is so lucky.

Flying with my meds was a little bit of an adventure, but ended up being a non issue. The injectables have to be kept cool, so I packed my cute little Vera Bradley lunch bag with an ice pack, meds, and my prescription. TSA didn't even glance at it (which is actually a little alarming considering there were about 8 needles in there). So for anyone who might have to fly with their meds- it's really no big deal.

The main reason why I'm writing all of this is because everything that I read on line had me terrified that all of these horrible things would happen to my body during treatment. Yes, I still have a few days to go. But as of this  moment, I have yet to have any negative physical symptoms. No bloating, no headaches, no cramps, and certainly no weight gain (minus all of the crap that I ate while in Nashville). I have felt perfectly fine for the past week. I almost wish that I had not read anything at all, because I had such a high level of anxiety going into it all. Even giving myself a shot in my belly is no big deal. The needle is so thin- other than a really small prick, I don't feel a thing.

I met with the doctor yesterday, and the follicles in my left ovary appear to be the winners. I have 3 that are larger than the others, and are good candidates for reaching the 17-23 mm required size. I go back to see the doctor again tomorrow, and that should determine when the trigger shot gets administered. The shot basically tells my ovaries to release any mature eggs. Then 1 1/2 days later we have timed intercourse in order to guarantee best timing for sperm to meet eggs (but hopefully not too many eggs!!!)

There has been so much information that I have learned about my cycle throughout this process, and it's really pretty fascinating. It's still amazes me that some people can get pregnant by accident, when so many things have to fall into place for it to happen. Again- we're totally lucky because there are no big issues causing it to not happen for us. We're hoping that it's just a matter of needing a little help with timing. We'll see.

So say a few prayers and/or send positive thoughts our way. This next week or two will be an exciting time for us. I'm doing my best to find the right balance of hope and realism, but you know I have my fingers crossed that it works out for us. If not, we still have a chance to try another procedure, so regardless of what happens I know we'll be just fine.


3 comments:

  1. I will be thinking about you and praying! I know people make babies all the time, but realizing everything that goes into making that one particular baby is a lot of hard work! I can only imagine. I love that you are sharing your journey considering I think it's fascinating as well! The resources available to us are just amazing.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Brooke! It's an adventure for sure, but we're excited about the possibilities.

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  2. Praying for Amy! Thanks for sharing what is sometimes a difficult topic. Wishing you and Hank the best!

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