I just wanted to share what tricks and tips I used that finally helped me get pregnant! We had 4 failed IUIs but finally got our Big Fat Positive (BFP) on our 5th IUI, and we now have a beautiful daughter!
I have already posted the following thread last week which explains how IUI works in detail and our fertility journey as a same sex couple:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/donor_conception/4472127-How-IUI-works-plus-our-fertility-journey-as-a-same-sex-couple
I'm not a medical professional so please do your own research and check with your own GP or nurse if you're unsure before trying anything, the following is just what I did! There is so much conflicting advice it's often hard to know what to do so, after doing my own research for months on end, I weighed everything up and this is what I thought would be best for me!
A friend recommended I read the Baby-Making Bible by Emma Cannon so a lot of what I did is mentioned in this book! I definitely recommend this book for everyone too, as she also details specific things for you to try depending on your type (which you will determine by answering a few questions in the book). I think this book is especially useful if you have irregular cycles, heavy/painful periods or PCOS as she explains useful foods to eat and simple actions to take that can help reset your cycle and get them more on track.
The quality of the current egg that your body releases can be affected by the previous 3 months, so for your best egg quality best to start any changes 3 months before you try to get pregnant. So in an ideal world everything that I ended up doing by the 5th IUI I would have started doing 3 months before our 1st cycle and we might have got pregnant sooner! But I thought seeing as though I’m fit and healthy I’d be alright, but as each cycle failed I thought I needed to do a little bit more to up my chances of it working.
So with each month that passed, and each IUI cycle that didn’t work, I started new things that I had read would help conception and by our 5th IUI I was doing all of the following:
First cycle onwards
I don’t smoke anyway
I hardly drink coffee anyway
Already walked half hour most days
Stopped drinking alcohol
Boots conception tablets (already started taking these few months before)
Had fresh lemon with honey & hot water when I had a cold (useful instead of Lemsips)
Second cycle onwards
Did acupuncture (quite a few sessions but for this cycle only)
Used ovulation prediction strips
Cyclogest progesterone pessaries
Used Brita water filter jug at home and used water cooler at work (instead of water straight from the tap)
Third cycle onwards
Joined Slimming World
Read Baby-Making Bible
Nature’s Best Ubiquinol (CoQ10) 100mg per day
Reflexology (instead of acupuncture) (had 4 reflexology sessions in total over third & fourth cycles)
Pregnacare conception tablets (instead of the Boots ones)
Mostly used full fat organic whole milk
Mostly ate organic eggs
Ate 3 brazil nuts most days
Fourth cycle onwards
Royal Jelly capsules from Holland & Barrett (3x 500mg per day)
Had wheatgerm and organic maca powder occasionally
Zita West Vitafem conception capsules (instead of Pregnacare)
Doctor’s Best Ubiquinol (CoQ10) 300mg per day (instead of the Nature’s Best 100mg)
Had first medicated cycle (Bemfola gonadotropin injections – follicle stimulating hormone)
Cut down using plastic bottles, tupperware & cellophane (especially didn’t heat up food in tupperware/covered in cellophane)
Avoided cold drinks straight from fridge (let drinks warm to room temperature first)
Fifth cycle
I’d lost 1 stone since my first cycle
Used microwave less (and didn’t stand near microwave when in use!)
Kept tummy & lower back warm all the time (cushion/massive teddy bear on belly at home & folded up jumper on belly at work!) – don’t use a hot water bottle on your belly though as it doesn't want to be hot, just warm
Kept feet warm (always wore socks/slippers & used bed socks as feet got cold at night)
Ate fresh pineapple, particularly the core, on an empty stomach after IUI/ovulation for 6 days only
Any questions please feel free to ask me! Good luck everyone!