Tuesday, June 24, 2014
IUI Cost
So far, IUI #1 cost about $640 and IUI#2 cost $670. So far my insurance has been paying for my ultrasounds all but $30 which is great this cost is for medications, ultrasounds and procedure.
IUI #2
Had IUI #2 today.
My ovulation predictor was positive on Sunday. I went in yesterday for an ultrasound and had a follicle on my left. Since he is trying to lengthen my leuetal phase he had me do an injection of 2,500 iu of HCG yesterday. I'll do another on Wednesday, a third on Friday and the last on Sunday. On Friday I will also start Endometrium, a progesterone suppository.
The sperm was not nearly as good today. There were very few motile, he let me look in the microscope. He made sure I knew how small the chances of success were before he did the IUI.
Since I'm on the HCG a home pregnancy test won't work (would be false positive) until 5 days at least after my last injection.
I'm not going to get my hopes up this cycle like I did last time.
My ovulation predictor was positive on Sunday. I went in yesterday for an ultrasound and had a follicle on my left. Since he is trying to lengthen my leuetal phase he had me do an injection of 2,500 iu of HCG yesterday. I'll do another on Wednesday, a third on Friday and the last on Sunday. On Friday I will also start Endometrium, a progesterone suppository.
The sperm was not nearly as good today. There were very few motile, he let me look in the microscope. He made sure I knew how small the chances of success were before he did the IUI.
Since I'm on the HCG a home pregnancy test won't work (would be false positive) until 5 days at least after my last injection.
I'm not going to get my hopes up this cycle like I did last time.
Thursday, June 19, 2014
This month's cycle
When I went in for my last ultrasound he found a cyst, which is basically when a follicle does not collapse after a cycle. They usually continue to grow and can become painful until they are either reabsorbed or in my case usually burst.
When you have a cyst they can't put you on Clomid because the cyst can become dangerously large. So I was instructed to get a blood draw on CD10 (yesterday) to check my estrogen level. It came back at 134. That's about the same level it as last time I had a cyst. I had some sharp pains yesterday and figured the cyst had burst. He had me come in for an ultrasound today and confirmed that there was free fluid, indicating the cyst had burst.
I have 3 follicles now, 2 on the right and one of the left. We will not be doing Clomid this cycle because of it being so late in the cycle. We might be able to do an IUI anyway though, depending on if the follicles mature properly. I go back on Monday morning for another ultrasound.
Oh and there were 3 people in the room today staring at my crotch during my ultrasound. Doctor, intern and nurse. It's a good thing I'm not modest.
When you have a cyst they can't put you on Clomid because the cyst can become dangerously large. So I was instructed to get a blood draw on CD10 (yesterday) to check my estrogen level. It came back at 134. That's about the same level it as last time I had a cyst. I had some sharp pains yesterday and figured the cyst had burst. He had me come in for an ultrasound today and confirmed that there was free fluid, indicating the cyst had burst.
I have 3 follicles now, 2 on the right and one of the left. We will not be doing Clomid this cycle because of it being so late in the cycle. We might be able to do an IUI anyway though, depending on if the follicles mature properly. I go back on Monday morning for another ultrasound.
Oh and there were 3 people in the room today staring at my crotch during my ultrasound. Doctor, intern and nurse. It's a good thing I'm not modest.
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
The Fat Lady Sang
This IUI cycle is over, the fat lady sang yesterday.
I go into the doctor for an ultrasound on Friday to make sure all of the follies from this cycle emptied before starting meds for a new cycle. We also will be discussing timing this cycle a little more closely as it may have been about 12-24 hours too late this time.
I go into the doctor for an ultrasound on Friday to make sure all of the follies from this cycle emptied before starting meds for a new cycle. We also will be discussing timing this cycle a little more closely as it may have been about 12-24 hours too late this time.
Monday, June 9, 2014
Some lessons and the signs
So a couple of biology/anatomy/physiology lessons before today's update.
More about the IUI process
During an IUI the washed semen is placed, using a catheter directly into the uterus, bypassing the cervix. The timing of this is critical. The sperm needs to be waiting for the egg when its ovulated from the ovary but washed sperm has a much shorter life than raw sperm, 12-24 hours as opposed to the 3-5 days of raw sperm. The woman has an ultrasound which measures the size of the follicles in the ovaries and determines if they are large enough to induce ovulation. Typically doctors want the follicles to be around 20mm before triggering. The trigger is a 10,000iu shot of HCG which quickly finishes the egg maturation process and incites a "forceful" ovulation. The HCG shot is normally given 24-36 hours before the IUI procedure.
Basal Body Temperature Tracking
Basal body temperature (BBT) is the lowest body temperature attained while at rest (usually sleep). A woman's basal body temperature fluctuates in a predictable pattern throughout the course of her menstrual cycle. Many women track BBT as a way to pinpoint ovulation and predict the onset of their period. At the beginning of a cycle the temperature is typically low, usually rising slowly up to the point of ovulation where it drops down usually for one or two days before making a quick rise. These changes are triggered by hormones, the surge of luteinizing hormone (LH) at ovulation causes the drop and then the rise of progesterone after ovulation keeps the temperature high. The body temperature usually starts to drop a couple of days before the onset of the period. If pregnancy occurs the temperature remains high.
The Two Week Wait (2WW or TWW)
Trying to conceive (TTC) is all about the 2 week wait. Its called a 2 weeks wait even though it can be slightly less or slightly more. Each woman cycle varies slightly in length and can vary from cycle to cycle. The cycle is broken down into 4 parts, the follicular phase where the ovaries are maturing an egg (or multiple eggs if on fertility drugs), ovulation where the ovaries release the egg, the leuetal phase where if an egg is fertilized it will start to become an embryo and implant into the uterus and menstruation. The IUI procedure starts the two week wait and marks the beginning of the leuetal phase. In most women the leuetal phase is about 14 days. During that two weeks if the egg is fertilized then a lot is going on. HCG, which is what is measured by a home pregnancy test is not produced by the body until after implantation. Once implantation occurs then HCG is produced and the amount doubles approximately every 48 hours. It typically takes about 4-5 days after implantation for the amount of HCG to reach a level it can be measured on a home pregnancy test.
More about the IUI process
During an IUI the washed semen is placed, using a catheter directly into the uterus, bypassing the cervix. The timing of this is critical. The sperm needs to be waiting for the egg when its ovulated from the ovary but washed sperm has a much shorter life than raw sperm, 12-24 hours as opposed to the 3-5 days of raw sperm. The woman has an ultrasound which measures the size of the follicles in the ovaries and determines if they are large enough to induce ovulation. Typically doctors want the follicles to be around 20mm before triggering. The trigger is a 10,000iu shot of HCG which quickly finishes the egg maturation process and incites a "forceful" ovulation. The HCG shot is normally given 24-36 hours before the IUI procedure.
Basal Body Temperature Tracking
Basal body temperature (BBT) is the lowest body temperature attained while at rest (usually sleep). A woman's basal body temperature fluctuates in a predictable pattern throughout the course of her menstrual cycle. Many women track BBT as a way to pinpoint ovulation and predict the onset of their period. At the beginning of a cycle the temperature is typically low, usually rising slowly up to the point of ovulation where it drops down usually for one or two days before making a quick rise. These changes are triggered by hormones, the surge of luteinizing hormone (LH) at ovulation causes the drop and then the rise of progesterone after ovulation keeps the temperature high. The body temperature usually starts to drop a couple of days before the onset of the period. If pregnancy occurs the temperature remains high.
The Two Week Wait (2WW or TWW)
Trying to conceive (TTC) is all about the 2 week wait. Its called a 2 weeks wait even though it can be slightly less or slightly more. Each woman cycle varies slightly in length and can vary from cycle to cycle. The cycle is broken down into 4 parts, the follicular phase where the ovaries are maturing an egg (or multiple eggs if on fertility drugs), ovulation where the ovaries release the egg, the leuetal phase where if an egg is fertilized it will start to become an embryo and implant into the uterus and menstruation. The IUI procedure starts the two week wait and marks the beginning of the leuetal phase. In most women the leuetal phase is about 14 days. During that two weeks if the egg is fertilized then a lot is going on. HCG, which is what is measured by a home pregnancy test is not produced by the body until after implantation. Once implantation occurs then HCG is produced and the amount doubles approximately every 48 hours. It typically takes about 4-5 days after implantation for the amount of HCG to reach a level it can be measured on a home pregnancy test.
The update
So now that you've had your lesson of the day here is what's going on with me. My leuetal phase is typically 12 days long. Today is day 12 for me. I took a home pregnancy test yesterday and it was negative and my body temperature had dropped for the past two days. Both of these things indicate that we are likely out (not pregnant) this cycle. It is of course not over until the fat lady sings but all biological signs point to that being the case.
Thursday, June 5, 2014
The wait
Just a quick update to say no news! Just waiting.
I tested out my trigger shot and as of last night the hcg tests were almost completely blank so that is out of my system now meaning that any pregnancy test I take will have accurate results.
I went and got progesterone blood work done yesterday and it came back this morning with a level of 27.8 which is great! Anything over 10 is good. That was a relief because I'd been worried that the supplement dosage I was on was not enough.
I had a temp drop yesterday on my basal body temperature testing and then it spiked back up today, that is a good sign (and making me obsess more).
I tested out my trigger shot and as of last night the hcg tests were almost completely blank so that is out of my system now meaning that any pregnancy test I take will have accurate results.
I went and got progesterone blood work done yesterday and it came back this morning with a level of 27.8 which is great! Anything over 10 is good. That was a relief because I'd been worried that the supplement dosage I was on was not enough.
I had a temp drop yesterday on my basal body temperature testing and then it spiked back up today, that is a good sign (and making me obsess more).
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