IUI
Out of celebration of finally being out of my first trimester (actually it depends on who you ask, I've noticed that some people say 13 weeks is the end some say 12) I've decided to write out my IUI experience.
Way back in September, Hiram and I had a really long discussion if we were going to have another child. It turns out that he didn't have a biological need to have another child. But he saw that I did, and he was willing to do anything for us to have one more. Anything to make me happy. And it wasn't in a "oh gotta please the wife" way It was a "I love her so much I'll do anything for her" way. So we decided to do it.
Then we found out that he's leaving for Afghanistan, which pretty much crushed my dreams. Our doctor told us that we could freeze his sperm. Hiram said that he would do it. So, plans back on. He ended up giving enough for 6 vials. Which means I could try 3 times, 2 vials each time because since we were going to use frozen sperm I needed to do 2 IUIs, two days in a row. If we were doing it the old fashioned IUI way I would only have one and then they would tell us to have sex the next day.
So he left. And 5 days later I got my period!
On day 3 of my period they do bloodwork to make sure that I'm not pregnant (lol tbh), and to make sure my levels were good. They were and they called me back to tell me to start Clomid. It basically helps you SUPER OVULATE! Making you make more follicles for the sperms to get attached to. I was on that for about 5 days, it made me drowsy :(
After that I took a one day break. The next day I injected myself with Follistim, which promotes the growth of those follicles that Clomid is helping to create. I didn't do the injection like a boss. I ended up bruising myself on my abdomen :(
Another day off.
The next day I went in for an ultrasound. My doctor checked to see how many follicles I had and how big they were. I had three. 1 large one 17.8mm, one medium one 15mm and she didn't tell me the size of the last one. She said that she likes them to be about 18 mm. She told me I could trigger (take my ovulation shot) and go in for my IUI the next morning :)
I did my Ovidrel like a boss, no bruising on my abdomen.
The next day I went to a different fertility office, they freeze/keep the sperm in a different office. So I couldn't go to my doctor. That sucked but oh well. I drove about an hour each way. I'm pretty sure that sucked more.
So I wait, a nurse calls me in to the procedure room, tell me to get naked from the waist down put this drape over me and wait. And I do, for like FOREVER. The doctor comes in and I have to sign and make sure that I'm actually getting Hiram's sperm. Then they tell me that Hiram's sperm didn't freeze or thaw well. So they had to thaw two for today's IUI. Which means I'm down to 4 vials. So I lay back and they show me the tube. It's the size of THIN spaghetti, which will be shoved ALL the way up into my uterus and they'll inject the sperm there. Fun fact, sperm doesn't fall out of the uterus! Once it's in there, it's in there.
So I repeat this the next day, with the same news. They had to use two vials of Hiram's sperm. So I'm down to two vials. Which means, this is my one shot. If it doesn't work this time then I'm waiting for him to come home. Afterward the nurse lets me know that in two days I have been injected with 1.8 million of Hiram sperm, straight into my uterus. Apparently this is A LOT!
Then I started the waiting game, a two week waiting game. Which was pretty bad. I had my mother and my MIL telling me that they knew I was pregnant, that it HAD to have worked! I was thinking "PLEASE SHUT UP!" It was so much pressure.
On December 5th, I went in for bloodwork and found out we were pregnant :)
The hardest part of all of this was doing it without Hiram. I would see people with their partners and wish that mine was there. All for the better though.
Way back in September, Hiram and I had a really long discussion if we were going to have another child. It turns out that he didn't have a biological need to have another child. But he saw that I did, and he was willing to do anything for us to have one more. Anything to make me happy. And it wasn't in a "oh gotta please the wife" way It was a "I love her so much I'll do anything for her" way. So we decided to do it.
Then we found out that he's leaving for Afghanistan, which pretty much crushed my dreams. Our doctor told us that we could freeze his sperm. Hiram said that he would do it. So, plans back on. He ended up giving enough for 6 vials. Which means I could try 3 times, 2 vials each time because since we were going to use frozen sperm I needed to do 2 IUIs, two days in a row. If we were doing it the old fashioned IUI way I would only have one and then they would tell us to have sex the next day.
So he left. And 5 days later I got my period!
On day 3 of my period they do bloodwork to make sure that I'm not pregnant (lol tbh), and to make sure my levels were good. They were and they called me back to tell me to start Clomid. It basically helps you SUPER OVULATE! Making you make more follicles for the sperms to get attached to. I was on that for about 5 days, it made me drowsy :(
After that I took a one day break. The next day I injected myself with Follistim, which promotes the growth of those follicles that Clomid is helping to create. I didn't do the injection like a boss. I ended up bruising myself on my abdomen :(
Another day off.
The next day I went in for an ultrasound. My doctor checked to see how many follicles I had and how big they were. I had three. 1 large one 17.8mm, one medium one 15mm and she didn't tell me the size of the last one. She said that she likes them to be about 18 mm. She told me I could trigger (take my ovulation shot) and go in for my IUI the next morning :)
I did my Ovidrel like a boss, no bruising on my abdomen.
The next day I went to a different fertility office, they freeze/keep the sperm in a different office. So I couldn't go to my doctor. That sucked but oh well. I drove about an hour each way. I'm pretty sure that sucked more.
So I wait, a nurse calls me in to the procedure room, tell me to get naked from the waist down put this drape over me and wait. And I do, for like FOREVER. The doctor comes in and I have to sign and make sure that I'm actually getting Hiram's sperm. Then they tell me that Hiram's sperm didn't freeze or thaw well. So they had to thaw two for today's IUI. Which means I'm down to 4 vials. So I lay back and they show me the tube. It's the size of THIN spaghetti, which will be shoved ALL the way up into my uterus and they'll inject the sperm there. Fun fact, sperm doesn't fall out of the uterus! Once it's in there, it's in there.
So I repeat this the next day, with the same news. They had to use two vials of Hiram's sperm. So I'm down to two vials. Which means, this is my one shot. If it doesn't work this time then I'm waiting for him to come home. Afterward the nurse lets me know that in two days I have been injected with 1.8 million of Hiram sperm, straight into my uterus. Apparently this is A LOT!
Then I started the waiting game, a two week waiting game. Which was pretty bad. I had my mother and my MIL telling me that they knew I was pregnant, that it HAD to have worked! I was thinking "PLEASE SHUT UP!" It was so much pressure.
On December 5th, I went in for bloodwork and found out we were pregnant :)
The hardest part of all of this was doing it without Hiram. I would see people with their partners and wish that mine was there. All for the better though.