the roller coaster of assisted conception - Help!

[mrsfossil]

We have 1 ds aged 7 been ttc for 4 years. Have now been offically labelled - as inexplained secondry infertility. (such a scary big label)Have seen consultant this week who has talked us through iui, he is just waiting for us to say yes then its pills injections then that 2 week wait. Every month when af arrives its disapointing but after treatment I don't know if i'll cope if it doesn't work. Has anyone else tried iui? How many attempts before a bfp?

Me me me - have posted this before:

The success rate of IUI is supposed to be not very high but it worked first time for us.

Seven years of trying (well more like four of not trying not to followed by three of panic).

Tests showed polycystic ovaries - but not serious, fibroids - but not that big or positioned anywhere where they were likely to be much of a problem. Conclusion: unexplained sub-fertility.

Could get approved for ONE course of any type of treatment so got on waiting list for IVF. Paid for IUI while waiting (a fraction of the price of IVF). Feels like ancient history now. DS1 is now four DS2 (no fertility treatment) is almost two.

Good luck with it - hope it works for you. I think the fact that you have a child already makes you an ideal candidate for IUI.

I found it way less stress than the six months of clomid before which saw me getting progressively madder/more hormonal. Even the injections weren't such a big deal.

Thanks I feel a bit more positive now. I surpose if I don't try now i will always wonder- what if? You often read about small sucess rates but its nice to hear it does work for some

Is there anyone else out there been successfull with IUI or about to start it

mrsfossil

Do you feel that you as a couple been adequately investigated?. What tests have you both had done to date?.

I ask this as sometimes "unexplained infertility" is given as a so called diagnosis to couples simply because they have not been adequately investigated. Unexplained subfertility just means that they have failed to find out what is wrong - its not a diagnosis at all.

IUI is unlikely to work in the first month and often several attempts are needed.

Will put up a list of tests that are often missed. If most of these tests have been missed out I'd start asking awkward questions of the clinic.

The most common tests that tend to be omitted are:-

Adequate x-rays of the uterus which may show abnormalities not otherwise seen at laparoscopy.

Hysteroscopy - telescope inspection of the inside of the uterus which may occasionally show abnormalities not seen otherwise

Repeated sperm counts over several weeks and months to make sure there is no subtle abnormality

Testing the sperm in special media such as swim up testsvelocity testing. However, when they are done, they often uncover a hidden cause for the suppposed unexplained problem

Thorough hormone tests to detect abnormalities of male hormone or early falls in progesterone

Scanning of the ovaries to see if follicles really are developing and there are no sign of polycystic ovaries.

Thanks for the advice. I've had a laparoscopy, scan and some blood tests, dh has had sperm tests all came back ok. We asked about other tests and the consultant said there are hundreds of test which would cost us lots so he thinks we would be better off giving IUI a crack. He said that if we do this then dh would then get a better sperm analysis at the same time. I've also used ovulation kits which show that iam ovulating. I'm just dreading the 2 week wait (if we go ahead with IUI)waiting to see if af arrives.

I've been booked in for IUI twice. In both cases have got my BFP the cycle before! Booking in for IUI sometimes reduces stress and makes conception more likely

I did 8 rounds of IUI because of unexplained infertility and none were successful. (didn't have most of the tests suggested by Attila though!).

Anyway, moved onto IVF and conceived first time. I think now it was because the clinic was a bit lackadaisacal in its approach to timings for the IUI, sometimes 18 hours after ovulation, sometimes 40 etc. I found IUI very hard work because each month it didn't work I had only a few days to go vefore starting the whole thing again whereas IVF I found much easier.

Good luck, I really hope it works for you.

Congratulations! That would be a dream come true for me and I'd save the money. I'm crossing my fingers now.

My undestanding is that IUI should happen before ovulation if poss so the sperm (that lives longer) waits for the egg rather than vice versa

Sorry that was a congratulations to witchandchips.

Sorry to here that your clinic was a bit slack thelittlestbadger I don't know if i've got the stamina, mental health or money for 8 cycles. I think you need a medal