..~:: IUI & Clomid ::~.. anyone?

[Lucinda7981]

Here's and update and its 7:46 Am and I just had to cancel my IUI; DH couldn't produce a sample! I'm so upset right now that I'm lost for words....I can't beleive that I had such a good chance and not it's gone! The nurse is suppose to call me back but I don't even want to talk right now

 

[Oculi83]

Omg!! I'm so so sorry to hear that!!

Is there any chance he'd be able to produce a sample any other time today? If he could, then I'm sure you can still go for your IUI today or even tomorrow morning! IUIs can be done 24-48h after the trigger shot. So, don't lose hope just yet!

 

[Lucinda7981]

In this city office you have to schedule them so they said intercourse today and tommorrow and going forward I should freeze a sample. Freezing a sample involves my husband having to do bloodwork and having a consent notarized and then paying to have it frozen....I don't even know how much this costs. I told them to send me the paperwork and so I'm considering it but worried about costs.
As for intercourse that won't work too well as DH had the nerve to masterbate a couple of min ago....so if we have intercourse today his count us going to be low. I just feel so defeated at this point I could cry....I'm really going to have to consider IVF because I can't keep hoping for a 20% chance every month....I need to be as aggressive as possible!

 

[Oculi83]

They won't even make an exception for someone like your dh? If they know he has this problem then they should also know that there's a chance that he might not be able to produce a sample on command! The sperm wash is not that much work and neither is the IUI.

Hmm.. I'm not sure about the costs involved when freezing a sample but I don't think it'll be very expensive.

What?? Why did he masturbate?? Oh man! If anything, he should have used a condom or a container and then passed you the sperm in a syringe so you can still use it for self-insemination instead of letting it go to waste. But do ask him for another sample tomorrow as his sperm count should be sufficient again by then. If intercourse doesn't work, try the condom (or clean container if you have one) and the syringe!

I'm so terribly sorry all of this happened and I completely understand your frustration!! I don't know if this helps to make you feel better but rest assured that you still stand a chance this month if your dh can produce a sample for you tomorrow!!

Did you RE say anything about frozen sperm and IUIs?

 

[Lucinda7981]

Hey there so we tried intercourse last night but he wasn't able to produce any sperm :/ so I'm hoping he can produce a sample....I have sterile cups handy! At this point I don't even want to have intercourse bc I want to punch him instead. The clinic was suppose to send me a prescription via fax so he can get bloodwork completed for freezing of sample, but I didn't get anything. I'm going to call then in a few minutes and schedule his bloodwork at the unix for sat and this way we can have that out of the way!

 

[Lucinda7981]

I'm still feeling very defeated and I don't even want to celebrate anything...just want to stay in bed.
My RE said they could do IUI's with the frozen sample just means I would have to go to the city office for it.

 

[Lucinda7981]

Update...I'm out this month as his dumb ass is sleeping and I'm running out if time; at this point we are going to end up with IUI with frozen sperm....it's a shame I spent money on the Ovidrel and clomid. I'm bummed cause I had actually produced a good amount of follies

 

[Babywhisperer]

Hi Ladies, I was hoping to join you. I just turned 37 and dh turns 35 in late Jan. We have been ttc for 6 mos but ntnp for over a year, We got our blood results and SA back last week. My fsh id 7.9, estradiol 68, and ahm .47. Dh's count was 90million, but his morphology was 5%. He has been taking Propecia for several years since he is paranoid about losing his hair. I guess it's thinned out, but he has no bald spots or crazy hair line. I have read a lot of research and it does say the drug can affect fertility in men. Dh won't stop taking it unless our RE says it's affecting our chances. She is on a 2 week vacay so we will have to wait. She said with out #s we only have a 10% chance with Clomid/IUI and due to my age she only recommends 3 cycles of trying that protocol. She thinks our only shot is IVF. I don't know how I feel about this. She said they look for a count of 20million with 30% morphology which is 6million good shaped sperm. Dh is 5% but of 90million which is 4.5million good shaped sperm. I know I am 37, and she was hoping my ahm would be at least 1.0, but is .47 that bad that our only chance is IVF?

I don't want to be cynical and think she is pushing us towards the more expensive IVF, especially since our insurance doesn't cover any part of IVF. But I think we want to try clomid/IUI in case it's my cervix that's preventing us from getting our bfp. She thinks our issue might be fertilization. I ovu every month, I chart, and use opks.

Any advice, wisdom and suggestions would be much appreciated. I hope the RE tells dh to stop propecia as I think he low morphology % is due to it. He is an attorney and has read what it says and said it's all anecdotal evidence and not enough proof. Ugh!

 

[Oculi83]

Update...I'm out this month as his dumb ass is sleeping and I'm running out if time; at this point we are going to end up with IUI with frozen sperm....it's a shame I spent money on the Ovidrel and clomid. I'm bummed cause I had actually produced a good amount of follies

Oh man! I'm so sorry, Lucinda!!!!
Sometimes I think men don't understand what we're going through and what an emotional rollercoaster all of this is for us!
My dh is kinda like that, too. I mean, I've had so many scans and tests done, I take the Clomid, trigger shot in my butt and the risk of infection every time they do the IUI and even exposed myself to x-rays just to make sure I've done everything possible to have a baby! And he wouldn't even take his meds (which are basically just vitamins and have no side effects) if I wouldn't constantly remind him and force him to take it. Arrgghh! And he doesn't care about being punctual either. Last month our appointment for the sperm wash was at 9am. I was ready to leave the house well before that but he purposely dragged his feet, saying that they'll be late anyway etc. and we ended up being 40min late!!

I think freezing a sample would be the best option for you. That way, at least you don't have to rely on your dh for the next IUI!!

I know you probably don't feel like celebrating but I still wish you a merry Christmas!! May it be the last one without a baby in our arms!!

 

[Oculi83]

Hi Ladies, I was hoping to join you. I just turned 37 and dh turns 35 in late Jan. We have been ttc for 6 mos but ntnp for over a year, We got our blood results and SA back last week. My fsh id 7.9, estradiol 68, and ahm .47. Dh's count was 90million, but his morphology was 5%. He has been taking Propecia for several years since he is paranoid about losing his hair. I guess it's thinned out, but he has no bald spots or crazy hair line. I have read a lot of research and it does say the drug can affect fertility in men. Dh won't stop taking it unless our RE says it's affecting our chances. She is on a 2 week vacay so we will have to wait. She said with out #s we only have a 10% chance with Clomid/IUI and due to my age she only recommends 3 cycles of trying that protocol. She thinks our only shot is IVF. I don't know how I feel about this. She said they look for a count of 20million with 30% morphology which is 6million good shaped sperm. Dh is 5% but of 90million which is 4.5million good shaped sperm. I know I am 37, and she was hoping my ahm would be at least 1.0, but is .47 that bad that our only chance is IVF?

I don't want to be cynical and think she is pushing us towards the more expensive IVF, especially since our insurance doesn't cover any part of IVF. But I think we want to try clomid/IUI in case it's my cervix that's preventing us from getting our bfp. She thinks our issue might be fertilization. I ovu every month, I chart, and use opks.

Any advice, wisdom and suggestions would be much appreciated. I hope the RE tells dh to stop propecia as I think he low morphology % is due to it. He is an attorney and has read what it says and said it's all anecdotal evidence and not enough proof. Ugh!

Hi there!

I don't know much about IVF except that it's much more expensive and has a better success rate than IUI.

But if you think that an IUI might still result in a pregnancy, then I guess it's worth a try since It's considerably cheaper. I did read though that depending on the age and result of bloodworks they prefer doing IVF straight away as It's more promising than IUI. But that doesn't mean that you cannot get pregnant through an IUI. So, I guess It's really up to you whether you wanna try IUI or go directly for IVF.

And your dh's SA is not great but It's not that bad either. My dh's was worse and they still went ahead with the IUI.

Good luck to you for whatever you decide to do!!

 

[Pussycat1]

Babywhisperer, it's a tough decision, especially when you're self funded. IUI does clearly work for some people but the success rates are lower than IVF. I'm 42 (just!), my tests were all good and like those of a much younger lady (yeah!), other halfs sample was all good, high % of well formed and mobile swimmers so we tried IUI. Unfortunately 3 attempts have failed and we're trying IVF in Jan. however because it didn't work for us doesn't mean it's worth trying, there are lots of success stories. For me I think they missed my ovulation on at least one of the occasions, timing for IUI is so critical. It's a lot of money but I keep thinking if it all works it will be worth it, trying not to think of the alternative ...
Good luck with whatever you decide, keeping everything crossed for you.
x

 

[Lucinda7981]

Thanks Oculi.....merry Xmas to u as well. I'm feeling a little better today and I made an apt to have bloodwork for DH on Saturday and after results are in he can submit consent and freeze.
Yest he felt so bad that he produced a sample in a cup for me to use but I'm really feeling like its too late and the chances are so slim. So now I'm focusing on freezing a sample by my next IUI. I am due for AF on 1/7 so I'm looking forward to starting that cycle and having a frozen sample so I won't have to rely on DH

 

[Oculi83]

Lucinda, don't give up hope yet. There's still a chance!
Just got my cd12 scan done but there are no mature follicles. There are a few 13 ones got opks and have to go in for the IUI the day after the LH surge. Knowing my luck I'll probably get the surge on sat (on Sundays they're closed)!

 

[Lucinda7981]

I guess your right and there is a small chance but I'm feeling like its so remote that I'm just focusing on the next cycle Don't get me wrong I'm hoping the remote chance worked...
I'm really sorry that the follies were not mature but they should be in another 4 to 5 days as they grow about 2 each day...when I went in on cd10 last cycle I had a 12 and went back 5 days later and it was mature. How come they are not having you come in for another sono and giving you trigger?

 

[Oculi83]

Well, I'll be crossing my fingers for you and hope it worked! You never know! Sometimes the best things happen when you least expect it.

Yeah, I hope they'll grow. Don't really like using OKPs as I feel like I might actually miss the surge if I test too early or too late.
They said I gotta test for 5 days starting from tomorrow and once I get a positive test, I gotta call them and go in for the IUI the next morning. Should I not get a positive after 5 days I have to give them a call and then my doc will decide what to do next.

Also, I don't know when to BD as I don't want my dh's sperm count to be too low for the IUI.

 

[Lucinda7981]

I've used okp's and find it so confusing so I hope that's not the case with u n that u don't miss the surge n of course that its not a Sunday. As for the bding I have no idea how that works..my RE wants at least 2 days of abstinence

 

[Babywhisperer]

Babywhisperer, it's a tough decision, especially when you're self funded. IUI does clearly work for some people but the success rates are lower than IVF. I'm 42 (just!), my tests were all good and like those of a much younger lady (yeah!), other halfs sample was all good, high % of well formed and mobile swimmers so we tried IUI. Unfortunately 3 attempts have failed and we're trying IVF in Jan. however because it didn't work for us doesn't mean it's worth trying, there are lots of success stories. For me I think they missed my ovulation on at least one of the occasions, timing for IUI is so critical. It's a lot of money but I keep thinking if it all works it will be worth it, trying not to think of the alternative ...
Good luck with whatever you decide, keeping everything crossed for you.
x

Thank you for the reply. I have decided to wait and seek out a acupuncturist first to see if that helps. I think it's best for me to not be on medications to help me get pregnant while dh is on meds that don't help. I will have another appt with the RE so she can explain the effect of propecia on sperm to my dh and exactly what clomid/iui and IVF entails...hopefully that makes him stop the medication for a few months. In the meantime I had my fist appt with an acupuncturist at Yinova in NYC. They ask for 3 months before ART, so while dh's sperm rejuvenates I will see them once a week and follow a strict diet of no gluten, dairy, or eggs as I have been having bad reactions. Even if the acupuncture doesn't work, it will make the ART more effective. I just hope 3 mos isn't too long to wait. She said AMH is too new of a number to rely on and they have been successful getting women pregnant with a number as low as .16 so it is worth a try. She treated me for almost an hr and I went into such a deep sleep I twitched myself awake 4 times.

I was ref to this center by a friend that practices Traditional Chinese Medicine and had 42 day cycles, had a colleague do acupuncture on her and she went down to 31 days, got pregnant, had an ectopic and then got pregnant 2 mos after the d&c...and she's 38. https://yinovacenter.com/

 

[Oculi83]

I've used okp's and find it so confusing so I hope that's not the case with u n that u don't miss the surge n of course that its not a Sunday. As for the bding I have no idea how that works..my RE wants at least 2 days of abstinence

Yeah, I find it very confusing, too! I'm not even sure what's considered a positive. I saw two lines this morning but the test line was a little bit more faint than the control line so, I wasn't sure if that counts or not.

I took some pictures and emailed it to my clinic. The nurse told me to test again tomorrow as it's only considered a positive if the line is just as dark or darker than the control line. I was a bit confused coz after the doc told me my follicles only measure 13mm I really didn't expect to see any line there. Especially not such a clear line!

I only used OPKs during one cycle a few months ago but since my cycles vary length wise between 28 - 36 days I didn't test on the right days (only got 5 tests) and never even got a faint line. So, I stopped using OPKs coz they're simply too expensive here!

So, don't know how long it usually takes for the line to get darker.

 

[Lucinda7981]

I've used okp's and find it so confusing so I hope that's not the case with u n that u don't miss the surge n of course that its not a Sunday. As for the bding I have no idea how that works..my RE wants at least 2 days of abstinence

Yeah, I find it very confusing, too! I'm not even sure what's considered a positive. I saw two lines this morning but the test line was a little bit more faint than the control line so, I wasn't sure if that counts or not.

I took some pictures and emailed it to my clinic. The nurse told me to test again tomorrow as it's only considered a positive if the line is just as dark or darker than the control line. I was a bit confused coz after the doc told me my follicles only measure 13mm I really didn't expect to see any line there. Especially not such a clear line!

I only used OPKs during one cycle a few months ago but since my cycles vary length wise between 28 - 36 days I didn't test on the right days (only got 5 tests) and never even got a faint line. So, I stopped using OPKs coz they're simply too expensive here!

So, don't know how long it usually takes for the line to get darker.

Well i hope you can figure it out soon and that you dont miss it. I agree those things are expensive Keep me posted!

 

[Oculi83]

Thanks! I hope I'll get a dark line either tomorrow or on Sunday. Just not on Saturday! :/

Yup, I'll keep you posted.

Did you receive the papers for the freezing of your dh's sperm yet?