Self insemination - Any success stories?!

[TurkeyBasterHopeItWorks]

Hi everyone,

I have NC'd for this to save our blushes!
DH and I have just had our first round of IVF which was sadly unsuccessful after an early miscarriage.
We have 2 frozen embryos but we would like to TTC naturally for the next 6 month's first in the hope the IVF hormones might help boost our chances.
DH has always struggled to ejaculate inside me when DTD. Therefore we have decided to try self insemination in the hope it will take away some of the stress.

I would love to hear any success stories.

Also which insemination kit did you buy?

Has anyone tried a soft cup / Ferti Lily conception cup after inserting the syringe to help things along?

Thanks everyone!

Morning,

So this morning when I went to the toilet I noticed a tiny bit of beige/ brown when I wiped.
No cramps and I've checked my cervix position and it's high, medium and feels closed.
I'm cd31 today....which by coincidence is the same cycle date that I was when I had brown spotting with my miscarriage.....I'm not freaking out just yet, but I'm not holding out much hope at the moment that this bean has stuck properly 🤷‍♀️
I'll keep you all updated but like I said, I'm not as hopeful this morning x

Quick update and I've started getting red blood, so I'm guessing it ls the start of my period, gutted !
But I'm handling it, going to tell my hubby tonight when he's home x he'll be gutted but he's such a great support So I know he'll be amazing x

On to the next cycle ladies ! 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️😢

Oh no 😢 that's so awful. I'm so sorry. Why is life so unfair about these things? Make sure you look after yourself x

@Carol1980 I'm so sorry to hear that... it's so awful when you get your hopes up. Hope you're not in too much pain physically? I was talking about it with my grandma yesterday and it just made me think that in so many ways older generations had it so much easier - ignorance was bliss! You had no way to test early so you wouldn't have to go through so much heartbreak upon discovering you were pregnant and then losing it just a few days later...

My AF arrived this morning, too. My cycles have gone shorter since the MC - they used to be 26/27 days, now they're often 24/25 - apparently it's quite common as your body "resets" after the MC.

I've been really tense recently, I think this year is rubbing off on me. I think the best thing we can do to try to be successful is look after ourselves and try to relax as much as possible - @MrsKin90 do whatever helps you do that - I know I will be having a BIG glass of red tonight haha - and don't worry about the crazy recommendations online - we will all be driven mad if we give in to the lunatics haha.

@primrosechill
I'm feeling ok x bit weepy at times but I think it's just everything that ls been happening recently.
What with my dad passing away, to having to call an ambulance for my mum the other day ( she was fine but had a panic attack and we thought it was maybe her heart but her ECG came back perfect) to now the excitement about being pregnant to the super low of having a MC.
Weirdly though I lost my first pregnancy at the same stage the first time so hoping that we get pregnant again like we did with my daughter and it actually takes the next time.

I'm just feeling done in to be honest. Think I might speak to my doctor about getting some time off work, and just trying to relax a little. It's been a rather full on few months !

I'm still going to try again as I know that if we give up I would totally regret it especially since I'm getting a bit closer to 40 x

Thank you so much for your kind messages though, it's really helped x

My hope is that this 🩸 doesn't last too long, think I was 5 days the last time !

@primrosechill sorry AF is here 😔 I think relaxation is so important.
@Carol1980 you've had such a hard time recently. I'd take some time off if I were you, just let yourself have a bit of a break! In total I had six weeks off work with my mum being poorly and then passing away. Six weeks wasn't long enough. See if they will sign you off for at least eight weeks 😁

I read somewhere that someone swears by having a hot bath immediately after sex in order to conceive 😂 do you think the hot water makes the swimmers head away from the heat as quickly as possible? You can definitely drive yourself crazy reading this stuff! A hot bath sounds lovely though.

Hey everyone hope you don't mind me joining, have found this thread very supportive. Wish it had been around years ago! We are trying to conceive number 2 using an insemination method, have been trying for almost 18m 😢 I also have vaginismus @primrosechill and it's so frustrating! We have conceived twice this way first pregnancy ended in mc & second is our now 2 year old daughter who I'm so thnakful for but just don't understand why it's not working this time around, it's hard going through it all each month. I really pray everyone on here gets their BFP soon ❤

@RBowmama welcome.

I think SI is becoming more normal, I have a friend who's hubby ask has issues with ED and have suggested doing it this way but I think her hubby is a but not we'll do it the normal way'
My hope is that this becomes more normal for people to try if their having issues.

I'm just really glad that my hubby was so open to trying it x and we know if works as I got pregnant this month on SI alone. Obviously just my body didn't want to follow through with the pregnancy this time round ! 🤦🏼‍♀️🤷‍♀️

@Carol1980 I'm sorry you have had to go through this, it's heartbreaking. Sending you big hugs. I couldn't believe it in my first pregnancy to have conceived against the odds and then to have it taken away but you are absolutely right that we know it works and we have hope for the future. Praying for lots of BFP for us all! X

Hi @RBowmama welcome to the group - it's nice to have a fellow vaginismus person on here. I was so chuffed when I first read about SI - finally a method that allowed me to conceive without it being unreasonably painful. Same as you, I was then so thrilled when it worked - after three cycles - and so crushed when I miscarried. Knowing that it worked for you the second time round is so encouraging. How long did it take you with the first two pregnancies? When are you in your cycle now? Hoping for some success stories on here pronto!

@RBowmama it happened the first time round for us too, we were 5 weeks pregnant and just getting used to the idea when we MC, that was end of Nov 2016, we found out we were pregnant again in the Jan 2017 and our daughter was born Oct 2017 x
So I'm hoping that because this month has ended in MC at 5 weeks that we will again be pregnant next month x you never know but I'm going to five it my best shot x

I'm feeling ok today, still no cramps just a bit of a heavier period ( mines are usually quite light) second day of 🩸 today so if I follow my usual cycle then I should be finished by tomorrow but since it's a MC I'll probably be about 4/5 days ( again this is what happened the last time)

Hubby is amazing as usual, he's always quite affectionate anyway but I got extra cuddles last night x

@primrosechill it's definitely nice to be able to have a normal conversation about vaginismus! Insemination has totally been a game changer for us, we thought it could never happen for us before this. It actually worked first month in both my pregnancies so no idea why it hasn't worked this time around, keeping us on our toes! We have had fertility tests which all came back fine so it's just uexplained I'm 8DPO now, not really feeling anything specific....

@Carol1980 similar dates to me! I fell pregnant the first time end of Nov 16, mc end of Jan 17 & fell pregnant again March 17, our daughter was born Nov 17 (a month early!) i hope your cycle gets back to normal quickly for you and you can get back to trying bless you x

@RBowmama welcome! 😊 Lovely to know this has also already worked for you. Sorry to hear you've been trying for a while for baby number two. Fingers crossed your baby is just waiting for the right time and is just around the corner! I'm 6dpo so not too far behind you. 🤞

@Carol1980 glad to hear your hubby is such a star and is giving extra cuddles. I hope you're also taking it easy and spoiling yourself. Any more thoughts on if you'll ask the Dr for a sick note?

@primrosechill hope you're feeling okay today and AF doesn't last too long if your cycles are a bit shorter now. I assume that means you're ovulating earlier than usual?

I've had a really exhausting day today at work and need a break already 😴 we go away for three nights to Devon in two-ish weeks. So the bright side is if AF comes she'll have been and gone before we go and I can enjoy it rather than crying whilst we're away. And if I magically get a BFP it'll be lovely to get away and celebrate. The lack control over the situation is soul destroying.

@MrsKin90 totally agree with you the lack of control is frustrating, I like to have control over my own body but I find this TTC takes it out of your hands and you find yourself at the mercy of a bloody ovulation stick or pregnancy test stick !!

@MrsKin90 sounds like u need a good rest & oooh Devon will be lovely I'm sure, BFP would be the icing on the cake wouldn't it! It is hard, all the what if's and not really being able to plan ahead (obsessive planner over here lol)

@Carol1980 I’m sorry to read about your mc over the last few days. Hope you’re doing ok?

I’m hopefully due to ovulate this week, the strips are showing ‘low’ so who knows. But my trackers are giving me a date of the 3rd. 2nd time inseminating tonight and going to do it daily this week, so let’s see 🤞🏻

I hope everyone is ok and sending you all luck for bfp xx

Is it some sort of cruel irony that we're control freaks and having to use SI? Like life has given us too much control over that element for compensation? 🙄
A good rest would probably do everyone on this thread the world of good by the sounds of it!

@Oilyoilyoilgob exciting that you're coming up to your FW. I hope your ovulation comes around soon so you're not both exhausted with this method doing it everyday! I'm both jealous and not jealous. Jealous your OH can manage everyday, and not jealous because I don't think I could handle doing it daily 😂 I like to lie down for half hour after and there's not enough time in a day for that! Crossing my fingers for you 😊

I've had lots of hot flushes today and some dizziness and clearly at 6dpo this MUST be a symptom 🙄 so I googled it and menopause came up repeatedly 😱😱 I'm too young! And that will teach me for googling 😁

@MrsKin90 🤣🤣 yeah I got the menopause result once too from google, almost checked my phone across the room in frustration 🤣

Hi @MrsKin90 and omg yes you’re right-control freaks and SI is not the best mix! ESP reading things like you inseminate immediately/wait 10 mins, you do it daily/every other day 🤪

Ha, I feel bad saying this but it’s not a huge amount of effort for me 😳 and I get 20 mins laying down relaxing! Trying to do it before dinner as that seems like quite a nice time to chill and I think we all on this thread deserve 20 mins for us!

Oh god I got the menopause results too. And with the strips not showing anything yet (although this is my first month of using them) I’m now ticking away thinking ‘do I have periods but don’t ovulate’ But have resisted the urge to google as you end up diagnoses with hundreds of illnesses!

This thread really has been great to be on, from starting out feeling alone and not knowing where to turn, it’s been a great support.

Whether you are all resting, taking a break or still trying and hoping, I’m sending positive thoughts out there to everyone x

😊 it is lovely to have this thread!
Why is Google determined to make us think we're going through the menopause? How cruel. I've been good at not googled anything today! But I've been busy at work so we shall see what the evening brings 😇
7dpo today! Getting ever closer.

Hello to all the newbies!

I started eating Brazil nuts this cycle and pineapple core but nothing seems to help

I always thought a hot bath was bad? I do lobe a bath tho so if that’s good I’ll start doing that! X

@Lori23TTC I've heard about pineapple core but I have a bit of a reaction to too much pineapple so I've avoided that! When first started trying I drank loads of fresh squeezed pineapple juice and smoothies and all it did was make my lips sore and bleed and my tongue swell 😂 still my favourite fruit though.

A hot bath isn't good as far as I know but you can find crazy things on the internet if you look for long enough. Although a moderately hot relaxing bath won't harm anything but will make a big difference with how you feel! I always 'plan' a good bath in advance like some kind of weirdo 😂 I'm planning one tomorrow evening as a treat. Lovely smelly bubble bath, a good book and a glass of wine ♥️

My fertility consultant advised low carbs and ideally no sugar and of course enough sleep!
At least 7-8 hours per night and relaxation. I started acupuncture and I am convinced it helped me get pregnant in July (did two inseminations). Sadly I had a MC - skipping this ovulation sadly as waiting for some test results. Good luck everyone

Hello! I’ve been reading this entire thread for ages.. thank you for sharing your experiences.
I also suffer from Vaginismus and have started considering at home insemination. Will be starting this month! Good luck ladies

Hello and welcome to the thread - so glad that you found us! @Busybee93 & @RBowmama hope you don't mind me asking, but how "bad" is your vaginismus - are you able to have penetrative sex at all or are you putting all your eggs in the SI basket? I am seeing a fertility expert tomorrow and I think a transvaginal scan might be on the cards - I am quite literally curling up just at the thought of that. Over the years I've become good with dilators in a relaxed setting, but any gynaecological exam is a freaking nightmare... we'll see how it goes.

@MrsKin90 no need to explain a bath obsession - when it gets to autumn, I spend majority of my evenings soaking up and reading/watching stuff while in a bath haha - it's the ultimate pamper, especially with a glass of red!

@AdriannaP @Lori23TTC @Oilyoilyoilgob good to hear from all of you, hope everyone is doing well and staying as sane as humanly possible - fingers off Google!!