TTC - First time home insemination

[libbyidk]

First time posting so bare with me.

We are in a same sex relationship, and I just thought i'd share our story so far to see if anyone else is going through the same or has any advice/tips for myself and my partner.

We first went to a private clinic, and payed hundreds for scans, blood tests, screening etc, only to be told my partner couldn't donate her eggs (we were counting on this as it lowers the price by about 3-4000 pounds!), we were then told we should try IUI at the clinic which would cost us about 2-3000 pounds. We went home after this appointment and had a chat, we decided to try home insemination first, and if it doesn't work after 2 times, we will then go back to the clinic, but I wasn't finding them very helpful, and they were quite rude to us!

We searched online for sperm banks and came across cryos in denmark. We researched all the legal complications and know all about it, and decided as so many people do try this, we were going to as well. We ordered our anonymous washed donor sperm (MOT20) 2 vials (all we could afford.)

It arrived on tuesday (it lasts for 7 days in a nitro tank), and I started using the clear blue dual hormone predictor kit. I also use a fertility app and have been vaguely monitoring my cervical mucas. I tested negative from monday (the start of my fertility window) until yesterday (friday) i went straight from negative to peak on the clear blue monitor! I researched this to make sure it was right and I saw that a lot of people go straight from low to peak, especially if they missed their surge (which i may have done). The app also said I was due to have peak fertility friday and saturday, so i'm confident in the test and we decided to inseminate one vial on friday at 6pm (8 hours after my positive result) and we inseminated again on sunday at 6am. Just before I had the insemination, I was getting pretty bad cramps and I think ovulation may have started, although i'm not 100%. I got some cramp after inseminating too.

Frozen sperm lives in the body for 12-24 hours (apparantly) but some swimmers can last longer. So we inseminated at 6pm which will cover me (hopefully) until 6pm saturday, whilst also inseminating at 6am saturday which would cover me until 6am (hopefully) sunday. We sat and talked constantly about the timing but we just decided to go for it, as like everybody says, even if the timing is perfectly right and your CM is perfect, there is still only a 10-20% chance of conception.

I'm just praying my clearblue test was correct and my peak is friday and saturday like it shows. (My app also shows this like i said). I have a 29 day cycle and it's hardly EVER irregular, so I think we've done all what we should have.

Now we're onto our two week wait which i'm not looking forward to! Like I keep saying to myself, it is our first time trying and we could have done a number of things wrong. It is just trial and error from here on out! If anyone else wants to share their story about home insemination with frozen sperm, using clearblue monitors / success stories, i would really appreciate that!

[ohherewegoagain]

I haven't used this route to conceive, i used a known donor. Good luck! Fingers crossed it'll work for you first time.

[juneybean]

Fingers crossed for you. I used Cryos at home in 2015 but unfortunately it didn't work for me (think I got timing totally off...)

[Kateandcaz]

Same boat! We are also looking at Cryos for home insemination I have been tracking for 2 months now and this cycle is my first using the clear blue digital. I have been getting high fertility for the last 5 days and thought I would have got a peak by now, I'm pretty regular and have never realised any ovulation symptoms but I'm looking out for them now, i hope I get a peak reading tomorrow. I have a wall planner with stickers lol so hoping it will show a pattern, I also use ovia app and take my temperature in the mornings. Fingers crossed for you hope your two week wait goes quickly 🤞

[HappyHedgehog247]

Hi. I'm finding it helpful to use cheap opk sticks from Amazon to pee on in the afternoon (when LH is highest) as my Clearblue monitor is set for morning test window. I'm also using a calendar app (well three actually!)- finding Flo the best for me. My Opk stick showed my LH surge. I never got a peak although did get a faint second line on monitor.

[Kateandcaz]

Any news? I got my high fertility so had a solid smiley for 2 days, my temp also looks encouraging. I looked out for signs of ovulation and I don't know wether it's because I was looking more closely or it's always been the case but I bled quite suddenly, bright blood only for an hour or less, confused, never noticed it in any other cycles but have read you can bleed at ovulation has anyone experienced this? Due AF on Thursday so keeping my temps recorded and waiting for my fertile week, hope I come on as predicted

[Kateandcaz]

Not quite sure why i have a bottle of gin on that last post

[harriettenightingale]

TTC no 1 at 41 with a known donor. First time home insemination in a couple of hours. Had arranged tonight as a one off this cycle as it was convenient for our work schedules and in fertile period. Was getting a bit despondent as thought I'd missed ov or perhaps wasn't ovulating at all, but got a relatively strong opk line this am so tried again just before I left the house and got a positive! First one I've ever seen in 2 months of tracking. Also lots of ewcm. So fingers crossed

[OhHellNoUK]

I just wanted to give you a little bit of hope. I am expecting a cryos baby from one MOT10 used in an IUI at a clinic in Denmark. IUI is only £250 here (and roughly about another £100 for drugs). You can get Ryanair flights from £35 return to Aarhus (where cryos is based, so no huge shipping fees for the sperm)...it's quite a huge saving if this would be an option for you. We looked at clinics in London, and like you, were quoted thousands for just a simple IUI.

Fingers crossed your home insem has worked and you won't need the above advice. :)
x

[harriettenightingale]

Thank you x all went ok so will see in 2 weeks!

[harriettenightingale]

Sorry you were talking to the OP

[Kateandcaz]

That's interesting to know I will look into Denmark! Still tracking cd3 today just want to get into my fertile week already! We will do one more month of tracking and then hopefully plan to inseminate. I hope the ttw isn't too hard! Keeping fingers crossed for you

[thaigreencurry82]

I also wanted to give you some hope.

I'm 15+2 with a Cryos baby. I conceived on my second cycle with home insemination with Cryos after my first method (IVF) failed. I figured I don't have blocked tubes so thought I'd just give home insemination a go as it's in my opinion pretty much like doing it naturally and a million times cheaper. (The reason why I went for IVF first was because I liked the idea of having spare embryos for any potential siblings).

For my second and successful attempt with Cryos I figured that using more vials of a lower MOT was better than using fewer vials of a higher motility. So I used 8 x MOT5 vials and timed with the Clearblue monitor, inseminating twice (morning/evening) on the DAY OF and twice (morning/afternoon) the day AFTER the solid smiley face, i.e. peak fertility. I didn't use any other method of tracking ovulation. The reason why I did the afternoon on the second day was because I had a plane to catch that evening. I didn't use anything else like pre-seed or whatever it's called, or cups or anything. I also didn't sit there with my legs hoicked in the air for 30 mins as figured that's not what I'd do if I'd had intercourse with a partner. I did have an awareness of leakage and saw and smelled the Cryos goodies in my underwear when at the airport and that did worry me. But after the other inseminations I just went to sleep like I'd do after sex.

I know I am lucky getting it on the second go but I am convinced that getting the larger number of lower MOT vials made the difference. As mentioned I used MOT5, the lowest, and this is not what Cryos advise, but there are still at least 5 million Sperm per ml and it only takes one.

[Kateandcaz]

Looking for some advise for home insem with frozen sperm if anyone has any experiences?

[Kateandcaz]

Thaigreencurry - this may sound a thick question and I may be over thinking it but when you ordered did you order all 8 in one go, for one delivery? Once you open the canister do they last for spanning the insems over like 2 days? Appreciate any advice you can give

[HappyHedgehog247]

Hi @kateandcaz. I am home inseminating but not with frozen sperm but as part of exploring the options have understood that timing is especially critical as Frozen sperm don't last as long as fresh. Here is one article: maiamidwifery.com/2014/05/opks-flushing-money-hopes-getting-pregnant-drain/

[Persipan]

Hi kateandcaz, I've done home insemination with frozen sperm. Anything in particular you want to know?

Re: delivery, yes, order all in one go. The container (especially if you have the tank rather than dry ice) should be fine to be opened briefly a few times to get out what you need.

[Kateandcaz]

@persipan Hi, thanks for the reply. We purchased last night and have brought 3 straws for November's cycle and reserved 9 for subsequent trys. I have been tracking for the last 6 months, the last 3 with sticks and temp. What times would you recommend insemination? I tend to have a 3 day window of ovulation from CD14 TO CD16 we have got the tank shipment so hoping that gives up more time incase it comes early/late. I have been using the clear blue digital and the cheap opk sticks, did you inseminate on first smiling face? I'm so worried of getting it wrong and messing up :(
Hope you can offer some advise and reassurance

[Kateandcaz]

@persipan Hi, thanks for the reply. We purchased last night and have brought 3 straws for November's cycle and reserved 9 for subsequent trys. I have been tracking for the last 6 months, the last 3 with sticks and temp. What times would you recommend insemination? I tend to have a 3 day window of ovulation from CD14 TO CD16 we have got the tank shipment so hoping that gives up more time incase it comes early/late. I have been using the clear blue digital and the cheap opk sticks, did you inseminate on first smiling face? I'm so worried of getting it wrong and messing up :(
Hope you can offer some advise and reassurance

[Persipan]

I knew from tracking for a few months that I tended to ovulate on the same day I got the solid smiley in the morning, and I generally got a positive on a cheapie the night before. (The flashing smiley would show up for a variable number of days beforehand as a sort of early warning system.) So I mostly did the evening when I got the positive cheapie, and the following morning when I got the solid smiley, and then the next morning I'd see my temperature rise so I knew I'd ovulated. BUT, many if not most women get the solid smiley a bit further in advance of their actual ovulation, so you really need to work out timings based on your own tracking. The main thing to think about is when you get your temp spike in relation to when you get positive/peak opk results.

Other things to know are that unwashed frozen sperm will probably stay active for 12-24 hours, and an egg once ovulated has about a 24 hour window before it starts to be past its best. And, it's going to take the sperm a while to swim up into your fallopian tubes. So ideally, you want to time it so the sperm are hanging out there at the point when you ovulate.

Good luck!

[Kateandcaz]

Thanks! I I have my cheapie tests photographed to try and work it out as best I can with the temp spikes to try and pin point the exact timing. We have got washed sperm to hoping that gives us a little bit more luck but I know there is only so much we can do, it's all in the hands of the gods as they say but it does only take one!! 😉
I'm going to sit down tonight and play with all my data, using the ovia app but it's hard to get a picture across the 3 months so going to plot the data myself lol
Once we start I want to have as many tries as we can but unfortunately my december ov date will fall around Christmas so I know it's going to be difficult with timings 😓 can I ask how many attempts you have had and if they were successful?

[Persipan]

Um, I hate to tell you this, but washed sperm actually gives worse chances for home insemination as it doesn't live as long (6-12 hours), so timing will be particularly important. Washed is essential for IUI as the sperm is put directly into the uterus, and doesn't have to swim through your cervix which would basically 'wash' off the substances which would cause cramping if introduced into your uterus - it doesn't really have any advantages for home insemination, though, I'm afraid; and there's the possible disadvantage of the shorter lifespan (and higher cost). Sorry to be the bearer of bad news :-(

[Persipan]

Oh, and to answer your other question, I did get pregnant twice with home insemination using frozen sperm, though unfortunately miscarried both times (nothing to do with the sperm/method of conception, though). I can't remember how many tries that was overall; some of them I fluffed the timing slightly.

[Kateandcaz]

@persipan oh really? I didn't realise! Will ensure I have predicted as well as I can then, we have 3 straws coming for our first cycle and yesterday I produced a lovely printed graph with temps and opk results 😂 @geek!

[Persipan]

I have everything crossed for you!

[Kateandcaz]

So I have started opks
and shipment is being dispatched Monday, so nervous and praying I've timed correctly. Any tips for intervals and method anyone?