Story of a couple
I was actually excited when our doctor suggested us to try intrauterine insemination (IUI). My husband and I had been trying to conceive for a while and hoping for a good result without any luck. Our tests turned up relatively normal, and we were told that we should be able to conceive, yet we failed to conceive even month after months. The overall diagnosis
was frustrating and vague – unexplained infertility resulted with a potential malefactor. This turned us on a new bit of hope with IUI.
Here, this was something that could potentially help us to have a child.
IUI is one of the assisted reproductive technology, commonly used when the male partner is experiencing low sperm
count or decreased sperm motility, and it can also be helpful to those who are suffering, from unexplained infertility or cervical mucus issues and
assist same-sex couples. One thing that I liked about the treatment is that the procedure is relatively non-invasive – it is the
procedure to place a healthy sperm close to the Fallopian tube as possible, by giving them a head start towards the egg.
Similar things that are likely to be carried out with infertility, navigating the IUI process was overwhelming to me.
I quickly became emotionally, physically and financially invested in something that I didn’t even know a whole lot about. I had a lot
of questions in my mind that made me feel like: What actually happens? How does it feel? Will it work properly?
Here’s what I wish if I could know the things before going through the IUI treatment.
What happens?
The Checkup:
When the doctor suggested us for the IUI treatment the procedure followed with the first checkup that included my blood test
on the day 3 of my cycle. The test checked my hormone levels, and my husband had his sperm analyzed to gauge the concentration,
motility, and morphology. After the overall checkup, we were suggested to opt of either one of the two options: a medicated IUI or a natural one.
The former one includes taking fertility drugs so that more than one follicle (i.e. Two or three) matures and improves the odds of pregnancy;
the later it does not involves medication (so only one egg is released). Because it was my first fertility treatment and we didn’t want
anything too invasive, so we decided to opt for a natural IUI Treatment.
Cycle Monitoring:
At my clinic, we began monitoring on Day 10. I used to arrive early between 7 and 8:00 a.m for blood tests and internal ultrasound
every day for a complete week. The process gave the doctors the complete insight into how hormone levels and follicles are developing in the
complete period. My nurse told me that a mature follicle was ready to ovulate on the day 17. ( It was the time when I felt more exhausted.)
Trigger Shot:
It was my first hormone injection that I ever received. I was given the pregnancy hormone hCG, which helps follicles mature
and it also ensures that the ovulation occurs within 36 hours. Doctors administer this hormone to help time insemination as they
expect sperm to be waiting for the mature egg. The trigger shot didn’t really hurt me, but it flinched me as it was my first experience.
Pre-procedure:
On the day 18, we arrived at 7 a.m for IUI day. This day made me a bit nervous as neither of us was sure what to expect. Would the
procedure hurt? Would my husband be allowed in the room with me? Several questions raised in my mind started making me more
nervous but one thing was best that there was a great sense of anticipation – we desperately wanted the IUI to work.
The Treatment:
The insemination treatment usually takes few minutes to complete. It didn’t really hurt and was conducted really great by the
expert’s team. The nurse injected my husband’s semen into my uterus, and the complete process lasted for only about 60 to 90 seconds.
After the completing the overall procedure, the toughest part was dealing with a two-week wait. That’s the time when you need to do
is sit and dream about being pregnant. It’s agony -there is no way to actually know if you’re pregnant, but that’s all you can only think about.
To minimize the stress, I would like to recommend you to maintain the realistic expectations about chances for IUI success and
trying to focus on the other things as well. Don’t really put everything aside on hold particularly for that pregnancy test.
Do everything you can to live a normal and happy life.
Was it worth it?
It was worth to wait for us. We got pregnant, and this was the one of my best happiness ever. We together made it, and we were really happy with our decision and the experts made our dream come true.
It is a natural thing, and more a couple tries something, the more likely it is that they’ll surely get pregnant. But just trying
them naturally won’t work as there comes the point when certain treatments fail. If pregnancy doesn’t happen with IUI after a few cycles, a couple is required consult their
expert/physician about taking another approach, like IVF.
It’s really a great thing; we made it through all the possible ways. We were lucky enough to “win” one of the funded cycles of IUI that Yash IVF offers.
That’s what we would say “Let’s bring home a baby!”
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