bump #33: iui #2

This post might fall under the category of TMI. Or it might be just plain boring.

You have been forewarned :)

With that said, however this whole procedure ends up working out {we won't know for a couple weeks} I want to remember what went well and what didn't for future reference. And if you happen to find yourself considering the intrauterine insemination (IUI) route to pregnancy, perhaps there will be a few helpful pointers.

Here are the logistics, the medications, the costs, and the schedule that we followed:

*All of our procedures were performed at the Fertility Center of San Antonio*

At this point, IUI seems like the best option for us.

I have a fairly predictable 28 day monthly cycle with ovulation usually falling on day 14.

 Andrew has low semen volume (0.6 ml where 1 ml is the beginning of the normal range)

But his sperm count (32 million per milliliter) and motility (80%) are healthy.

The logistics

Everything with fertility treatments is directly related to what cycle day you are on with cycle day 1 being the first day of your period. {Mine was 10.11.12}

Cycle day 5:

Baseline ultrasound revealing a 13 mm follicle on my right ovary

and a 10 mm + two 9 mm follicles on the left ovary

{the follicle holds the egg and at least one of those follicles will grow to be big enough to release their egg for fertilization - this may be general knowledge, but I didn't know anything about follicles until this crash course with infertility. I guess I missed that day in sex-ed!}

Cycle Days 5-9:

Take 2 femara pills at the same time once a day (prescription filled at Costco for generic brand name Letrizole)  This medication helps the follicles mature and ensures that at least one egg will be released at ovulation.

Cycle Days 11-13:

Use ovulation predictors to make sure you don't ovulate early and are able to time the IUI accordingly. 

Cycle Day 12:

Follow up ultrasound revealing healthy uterine lining (not too thick or too thin) and a 26 mm as well as a 13 mm follicle on my right ovary and a 15 mm follicle on my left ovary. There were a few others that were smaller and inconsequential.  A good sized follicle for ovulation is anything above 18 mm so it looks like the right ovary is the winner this month with a fatty follicle.

Cycle Day 12:

After a successful ultrasound showing at least one mature follicle, inject ovidrel shot in stomach (to bring on ovulation in the next 24-48 hours) approximately 40 hours before scheduled IUI procedure. We did this at 6 pm for a 10 am IUI 2 days later.  After the ovidrel shot you no longer need to use ovulation predictors because they will be inaccurate.

Cycle Day 14:

Husband gets up bright and early to perform his "contribution cup" and drops it off immediately (like within 30 minutes) at the fertility center so that they can prepare for the insemination a couple hours later. 10 AM doctor explains that after the sperm-washing {this is another one of those things I was blissfully unaware of, but in my defense, I know they didn't cover this in sex-ed!} there are approximately 15 million healthy, fully motile, usable sperm ready to meet up with my egg. The range that they are looking for is at least 6-10 million, and we were hoping for around 20 million, but 15 million still sounds like a good shot, so we'll take it.

Then the IUI is performed {read about the whole procedure here}. It is really quick, like less than a minute, and then you get to lay down for 20 minutes or so to ensure the sperm stay where they need to be, and think about baby names and what you want to eat for lunch. Really you just want to think about anything other than the 15 million squirmy spermies running amuck in your biznazz!

And then take the rest of the day off to lounge on the couch and catch up on mindless television. If you play your cards right you just might get a foot massage and a fancy dinner out of it too ;)

This is where we're at today. Day 14, post IUI lounging.  But here is what's coming up in the next couple weeks...

Cycle Day 21:

One week post IUI go back to the fertility center for a progesterone/estradiol test. Depending on the results the doctor may prescribe progesterone supplements to help the uterus house the fertilized egg.

Cycle Day 28:

Blood test to {hopefully} confirm pregnancy.

The Costs

Unfortunately mostly not covered by insurance

Procedures

IUI Cycle $975

(including ultrasounds, sperm-washing, and insemination)

Progesterone/estradiol labwork $160

Pregnancy test $80

Medications

We did the lowest dose and least amount of medications involved with iui

femara (letrizole) 2.5 mg  10 pills {the only thing covered by insurance}  $5

Ovidrel shot  $95

So there you have it: the good, the bad, and the spermy of our 2nd IUI.

And now some pictures...

There is absolutely nothing fun or glamorous about fertility treatments,

but that didn't stop me from making it my goal to make un-fertility fun-fertility.

Here's the good luck fertility uniform I wore.

The only adage I could think of was "something old, something new" so I went with it.

And here's my "prizes."

Congratulations if you made it this far! You are my bff =)