I'm sorry.
^^^ That is my pre-apology if this post is TMI for you. My intent isn't to gross anyone out, but one thing I noticed, from the beginning, is how hard it was to find fertility blogs that went into detail about the ins and outs (no pun intended) of infertility treatments. I walk a fine line of informative and offensive sometimes, so if it becomes too much, just remember, no one is making you read this ;)
Backing up a bit... last time I blogged it was less about this month’s course of action and more about the mental hardships of infertility, so allow me to catch you up on where we are this month. I completed another cycle of Letrozol this month, after a clean cyst check. Praise God! After that, we waited for the medicine to do its job and last Tuesday I went in for a follicle check. I had one "lead follicle", which is ideal, measuring at about 13mm. Perfect for where I was in the cycle. They had me come back on Friday for hormone testing and another follicle scan. This time I was measuring at about 19mm - steadily growing! They want the follicle (egg) to be right in the 20-23mm range before you ovulate, so Saturday they checked to confirm one more time and gave us the go ahead to do the HCG shot.
Mike was out of town Friday night and Saturday so I was waiting for him to get home and play nurse. We did a different brand of HCG this month - last month was Nuvarel (spelling?) this month was Ovidrel. I don't know what it was exactly, but this month's shot was a cake walk compared to last month. The needle was smaller, the medicine was pre-loaded, and best of all it didn't burn like the other did. I was a MUCH better patient this time too!
When I spoke to the nurse on Saturday, she encouraged me to try IUI, or Intrauterine Insemination, this month. So I tentatively made the appointment. She said if we decided we didn't want to do it, I could just call and cancel with no problems. The main benefit to IUI is that the specimen is placed directly into the uterus, whereas with intercourse it has to travel up through the cervix. Many sperm die off in the journey and other factors can play a role as well, decreasing the chances so it's just a more guaranteed way of getting them where they are supposed to go. We were back and forth, unsure of if we wanted to take that next step or not. Some of the big factors for us were cost. With my doctor, the IUI procedure costs $450. That's a lot of money to us, so that was one issue. Next, we just weren't sure if we needed to do it. Our issue has always been getting me to drop an egg, and an IUI won’t fix that. However, it WILL increase the chances of fertilization if my egg cooperates. The
more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea of IUI. It takes some stress off of me, in that, I don't have to make sure we are timing intercourse constantly. There is no wondering if we did it enough, or on the right day.
That's all in the doctor's hands now. That being said, we are still trying naturally as advised by the doctor, but for now, it can go back to being about us instead of the focus being on... uhh... mating. ;)
So... our appointments were today! After confirming with my insurance company, the procedure was fully covered - I just had my $25 copay. Mike had to go in at 9 and me at 1. He gave a sample, they tested and washed it and the IUI commenced at my 1 o'clock. I hadn't done this before, so I didn't know what to expect...
Here's how it went... The nurse called me back, she made me answer some questions to verify she did in fact have MY husband’s specimen, and we went into the exam room. She then went over the results of his deposit and told me how strong his swimmers were. Not to brag on his behalf but she said she rarely sees them come back that healthy, which is of course good news. Anything we can check off of the worry list is a bonus. Although, if you asked him, he was never worried. Ha! So after that the doctor came in, inserted a uterine catheter, and bam. We were done. I had some funny questions of my own as well as from a few
friends so here are my answers:
Did it hurt? No - it was just like a pap.
Did they use a turkey baster? - No, they used a syringe and a long tube.
How long did it take? - 2 minutes, not that different from intercourse. HAHAHA just kidding. I couldn't resist.
Did I have to lay there? - Yes, they told me at least 15 minutes, I did for 20, with my legs elevated.
Everyone I talk to about this procedure is really intrigued, and I don't blame them. I was too. I
still can't put into words how amazing all of this is to me. How precious life is, how complex our bodies are, how brilliant the doctors are, and of course, God's hand in all of it. Things have gone really well for us this month, and I continue to thank Him every time a new door opens. It's all just amazing, and I feel very lucky to be in a place where we can continue to move forward in our journey to have another baby.
The real issue now will be getting my egg to cooperate. In the past, it has proven difficult. I pray that my ovary
released it properly and that it was able to travel through the tube and enter into the uterus. We are so close. I just know it.
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