Considering at-home insemination with donor sperm...?

[Nimyra]

I hope you'll seek out a support group... online is great but sometimes in person is needed too. This is challenging for all of us, regardless of our particular circumstances or where we are in our process.

No decisions are forever. Keep talking to your DH about your feelings - hopefully you can comfort each other. Maybe IVF will work out, maybe DH will change his mind, or maybe something else will work out - miracle babies are born sometimes from men with low sperm count and low motility.

 

[momof4girls]

thanks for the advice most likely we well stop TTC . my DH really is not wanting a child bad enough to go through infertility treatments. and now that im in my 40's I really need to start focusing more on getting to a healthy weight.

 

[snagglepat]

Hi folks,

I haven't posted on here for months. I went back to the doctor because the metformin didn't seem to be getting my ovulating this time (I have PCOS) and he basically told that it was because I was too overweight and it wouldn't work effectively until I'd dropped my BMI. So I went onto a weight loss kick and I did have one or two cycles where I seemed to ovulate, but not regularly and my cycles were all different lengths, so we weren't there yet.

Then a couple of weeks ago I started to get quite a bit of ewcm so we rang our donor. He could only come to see us once as he was about to go away so we thought 'what the hell' and gave it a go. I then went on to get no signs that I'd ovulated for another 5 days so we figured I my body was still being all erratic and confused.

But then I started getting cramps (which I only normally get when I'm bleeding) and my boobs started getting really full. Our daughter who still nursed for comfort once or twice a day suddenly turned round and said 'I don't like it any more'. I then had a very rough night's sleep and woke from a dream in which I was pregnant. I did a test and it was positive! I did another one today and it still is - and now the other symptoms have started kicking in too - ravenous hunger, implantation spotting and very sore boobs.

It's very early days (I'm guessing I'm about 4 weeks today) but my goodness, it's worked! This little one has already overcome some pretty impressive odds to make it this far so I'm feeling pretty hopeful.

It just goes to show, fresh sperm really can live inside you for a very long time. It must have been five days for me. So if you're ever unsure about your timing go early rather than late!

Good luck to all of you. I hope some of our good luck can rub off on you.

Gina. x

 

[LunaBean]

OMG!! CONGRATS! Wondered where you'd been!! Thats brilliant news, gives me some hope, cus I always worry about doing it too soon, but I guess too soon really is better than too later! Hope everything goes well for you

 

[Nimyra]

Gina that is fantastic!!!!! I am so happy for you! You give us hope that persistence really can pay off!

 

[RubyRainbows]

Yaaayyy Gina!! Congrats -- that is wonderful news!!!!!!!! Please keep us updated! Can't wait to hear more!!!

My OH has actually agreed to try the insemination our next attempt! Lol... i am shocked! I am worried about conceiving right now due to my weight... and the fact that my blood work showed my insulin level is high... and my blood pressure has been running a bit high! So she agreed to try one month with frozen sperm! Now we will have to track her ovulation & try to figure out her timing! Luckily, she is very regular! My only concern is that she is on medication for high blood pressure -- not sure how that affects things??

I'm still stunned tho -- she is butchy & looks like a boy -- and always said "no way!" Lol. I need to inject her with some spermies quick, before she changes her mind!!!!!!

 

[Nimyra]

Lol! MommyTammy, that's fantastic. I hope the idea just keeps getting better and better to her. You know once she starts it will get addictive. All that tracking and peeing on a stick. Best of luck!

 

[LunaBean]

Thats great news tammy!! My OH wud never agree lol. Hope it works first time!!!!

 

[TntArs06]

Hey ladies,

My partner and I are doing in home insem with our donor. We use the instead softcups....he does his thing in the cup and then we insert it. Would it be possible to use a sryinge to put the stuff into the cervix and then put the softcup in afterwards?

I am also taking Maca, Clomid 100mg, folic acid, prenats, vit B12, vit b6, vit C, baby aspirin 81mg, and robitussin and estrogen. (sounds like alot...lol)

We are thinking of buying pre-seed or pre-conceive plus....??? Anyone think either one is better?
Thank you ladies

 

[RubyRainbows]

TntArs -- Best of luck! Sounds like you are well prepared & should be successful very soon! How long have you been trying? I don't have any experience with pre-seed or pre-conceive... but i think some of the girls on here have used them... I think you'll get some responses soon.

I would definately recommend using a syringe to get those spermies up in there & then inserting the cup to keep 'em in there!

 

[Nimyra]

Hi TntArs,

I used preseed, others have used conceive plus. I imagine they both work equally well, so just get whatever is easiest/most accessible. Some of us have also had success using egg whites so that's another option.

I have used the soft cup / instead cup alone as well as after inseminating with a syringe, and honestly, I found it easiest not to bother with the syringe and just put the sperm in the cup and insert it - being sure that the sperm in the cup was in contact with my cervix. I just found this method less messy than using the syringe first. Using he syringe a lot fell out when I inserted the cup afterward. If you are doing more than one insemination for the cycle you could always try it both ways.

Best of luck - and sorry for the slow response.

 

[mjspyt]

Hi ladies,

I have just read this thread from start to finish and now joined. I am single and will be doing home insemination using donor sperm. We are going to begin in July and I am soo excited.Reading this thread has given me a lot of good advice and tips, I look forward to sharing my experiences here with you all

Congratulations to those of you who have your BFP!!

Louise

 

[LunaBean]

Welcome newbies!!

Well I had the donor up last night, only one try this month tho, so fingers crossed!!!!!

 

[TntArs06]

MommyTammy- We have been TTC for just two months now. I have Endo and was on Lupron after my lap surgery. So last month was my first AF in 9 months. Thinking last month didn't work because I just came off of all that stuff. So now I am taking/doing anything possible. I did end up buying preseed and hoping I get it today or tomorrow. Sense we will be inseminating on Sunday...depending what my OPKs say. Best wishes to you as well!

EM- Our first time inseminating we did only softcup with the swimmers in it. Thinking I will try that again this month now that im on all these Vits and soon will have preseed. We shall see. I look forward to sharing my experiences so hopefully I can pay if forward and help other ladies. Good luck to you too.

Mj- Welcome and I hope you get a BFP very soon!!!

Lizzy- My fingers are crossed for you! All the luck and baby dust in the world to you!

 

[LunaBean]

TntArs06, was wondering why your doctor prescribed clomid if you've only been ttc for 2 months? I have endo, had a lap last July, and have been told I still need to be trying over 12 months before I'll even be offered any tests, seems strange to just put you on clomid straight away when you havnt been trying long, 100mg too! usually they start you on a low dose and increase it every 3rd cycle!

 

[TntArs06]

Lizzie- I started at 50mg with clomid and just got bumped up this cycle. I am not sure why my dr prescribed it so soon. He did tell me that if i dont get BFP first two cycles then he is going to do another Lap to clean everything out. Last time they didn't really clean much out and put me on lupron. So I think he may have gave the clomid to me soon because of the Lupron. Not too sure really.

 

[Trippymama]

Hey All! I've been keeping up with the strand. I finished inseminating yesterday, so now I'm just waiting. It's so weird with my OPK this month. The last two months I've had two bars (I have the Clearblue Fertility Monitor) and then my egg. This month I went from one bar to egg two days later than normal. So, I dunno... either I ovulated this month and didn't the last two or vice versa. I'm trying to really chill out about this. I have to wait two more months before being able to get meds, so we'll see. Hope everything is going well for the rest of you!

Hugs, Trippy

 

[RubyRainbows]

Hi Louise -- welcome!!

Lizzie -- seems clomid is much easier to get in the US. When i went to see the fertility doctor she put me on metformin right off the bat and then said she would give me clomid the month we scheduled the insemination just as an added boost!

 

[Trippymama]

So AF arrived today... four months and no BFP. Frustrating. I have to wait one more before I can get some help from the doc. Oh well. Wanted to post, because I like our strand to be on the first page of recent posts. How is everyone else doing? I know that there's a lot of ladies out there waiting...

 

[Nimyra]

Gina, how is that bean of yours doing? I miss hearing from everyone.

All is well here, nothing new to report.