Our Journey | IUI #3

This fall marks 4 years of infertility for Tyler and I. When people learn about our journey they often ask "Well, what all have you tried?" This usually sparks a conversation about different medications and IUI vs IVF. Every time I'm surprised to find that not many people know what an IUI or Inter-Uterine Insemination is.

Unfortunately we are starting to feel like pro's in the IUI department nowadays. I get a large amount of questions about the process of an IUI. I thought I would give you a tiny glimpse into our world of infertility.


*DISCLAIMER* This is all based off our personal experiences and I have done my best to give a brief overview of our most recent experience. I would assume each case has a unique set of circumstances. (If you are interested in comparing with another person's experience, I found this post to be very well written here.)

The adventure starts Cycle Day 1. A call is made to the clinic and an appointment is made to do a "baseline ultrasound". At this ultrasound they are looking for cysts, fibroids, or anything that might create a less than ideal cycle. The actual ultrasound takes less then 5 min. If things look good, they start you on meds.

For this particular cycle I was given medication to stimulate ovulation as well as a medication to help thicken the Uterine lining. Although I'm usually on relatively low doses, I still seem to experience some of the common side effects (i.e. cramping, mood swings, bloating, acne, etc.) It's SUPER sexy.

After taking the medications for about 10 days, another appointment is scheduled. This appointment is basically a "follow up" ultrasound or a "follicle check". At this ultrasound they are searching for and measuring maturing follicles. Typically, they would see 1 - 3 mature follicles, a "trigger shot" would be given and the insemination would take place the next day. Unfortunately, they didn't see what they hoped to see and another appointment was made.

Another follicle check... same result. Another appointment was made.

The meds continued.

ANOTHER follicle check... same result. This time they decided to "feed" the follicles using a Follicle Stimulating Hormone or FSH. That meant more meds... in shot form. Another appointment was made.

ANOTHER follicle check... same result. The shots continued and another appointment was made.

Now, here's where my heart breaks a little. As you can imagine these appointments were starting to feel like deja vu. I felt like I was constantly having to leave work. I was frustrated that our situation wasn't changing. This ultrasound started out like the rest however, as they looked for that ONE follicle that we tried so hard to grow... they noticed it was no longer there. Somehow, in between this appointment and our last one, I had ovulated all on my own. We "missed our window of opportunity!" I was devastated. Tears streamed down my cheeks as the Nurse Practitioner softly apologized. They told us they wanted to do blood work to see how recently I had ovulated. I got in the car and sobbed. And then I went to work.

The blood work came back saying I had ovulated recent enough that it was still reasonable to move forward with the insemination. An appointment was made for the next morning.

Tyler and I both had to work that day. He stopped by the clinic on his way to work and delivered his part and I showed up an hour later to do mine.

With an IUI they typically take the male sample, ensure that it's good quality, and use a catheter to perform the insemination. 

.... And then you lay there for 10 min...

Another appointment is made and in 2 weeks a blood test is performed to indicate if it was a successful round or not. 

Meanwhile, you loose your mind waiting while you take MORE meds to reduce the risk of a miscarriage for the potential pregnancy.

Unfortunately this time around I experienced bleeding and cramping just days before our scheduled blood draw. An ultrasound was scheduled to rule out early pregnancy. 

This picture was taken on the Fourth of July. It was confirmed that our IUI was not successful. The ultrasound was performed and our journey started all over again. 

With each cycle that we've tried it's gotten easier and harder to deal with all in the same breath. On one hand, we know what to expect cost wise and time wise. We understand the lingo and we get what they are looking for during our ultrasounds. On the other hand, each failed cycle feels like a jab to the heart. I remember how confident we felt with our first cycle. We were so naive. In the beginning I remember thinking "with all the work we're putting in here, how could it NOT work?" When it didn't take, I was devastated and so confused. I had felt like I was grieving the loss of something I never really had. 

Each time we have had to take a long break between rounds. Partially for financial reasons and mostly for sanity purposes. I found it takes a lot of courage to try again and again. Sometimes I don't feel up for the challenge. Emotionally I feel exhausted. Mentally I'm falling apart. So many tears have been shed on this journey. There are days I just feel angry. But then I think about how great the joy will be when we finally do get to bring a little one home! I think about all those who are rooting for us! I think about our dreams for the future and God's love for us.... and some how, it's just enough to carry us through just when we need it most.