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!

Wow. Congratulations. That's huge. Offer, exchange or completion?

Moving is massive. Probably best to just be concentrating on that. Although it would be a good distraction from TWW.

@bitheby your not wrong. I want to just ignore it all, but now it's stopped? I haven't had anything since this morning, Just plain old weird. Definitely not my period yet. Strange strange.

I can't understand how NHS trusts don't have national or even regional inductions and ID checks , that once you have been to one you are able to move around trusts without having to do another. I got my job in August last year and didn't have my first day until November!

@TimeIhadaNameChange @Freezerbump @Waiting2BAMummy

Thankyou girls so much for the support. It's just a shitty waiting game for now. It's interesting to say the least..wonder what the hell is happening.

Congrats @Freezerbump how exciting. A nice new home to raise your future buba.

New jobs, new homes it's all happening in our little TTC team all we need now is some new editions to our family

Wow! That's great news, Freezer! Brilliant excuse for another gin!

Dosmamas, as I've said before, our bodies certainly do like playing games with us. Hope yours starts behaving soon.

Oh god. I'm thinking I might start some time in April. If it's not until June...

Finally can move on ,AF started full flow this morning first time I've ever been relieved to see her. Funny enough her timing was spot on. I ovulated 5 days early and started AF when I was supposed to if I hadn't of been early. Cycle buddies we are just waiting now?? Except for @TimeIhadaNameChange who is our next beacon of hope! And @Waiting2BAMummy I think you will insem after @bitheby and @Freezerbump and me. @Waiting2BAMummy you will be starting your TWW half way through ours. (Not @bitheby though, you are still waiting for a start date, waiting for time served for maternity leave 😭)

@Dosmamas booooooooo :( sorry lovely xx

Sorry @Dosmamas bless you at least the limbo is over and you can start planning for this cycle.
@TimeIhadaNameChange all our hopes are on you this month -no pressure! 😂
It's weird I thought I'd be relieved not having to symptom spot until af is due but the time is going so slowly. It's 3 weeks on Monday until I'll be around the time of my fw which right now feels like an eternity. I really shouldn't complain though as bless you @bithebi you must be climbing the walls not knowing when you'll be able to try again.

Can I go into hibernation, have someone inseminate me at the right time each month and I'll wake up when I'm pregnant??

Not normally a wine drinker but this is making me feel like next month is my month. Loving this liquid hope 😂😂

Next month is all of our months, except TimeIhadaNameChange, this is your month. We all deserve it, I hope you're listening universe!!

@Dosmamas enjoy your liquid hope I don't drink so have one for me!

Aww @Waiting2BAMummy I hope so. I live in the North West. I hope one day we can catch up with our bubs and laugh at all our TTC wow, you are going to be an amazing mum.

Aww @Dosmamas thank you I will definitely do my best. You're going to be amazing too one thing is for sure our bubas will always know they are loved and wanted. Would be great to have a TTC family meet up

Gutted Dos. Next month for definite.

I find myself calculating 9 months from XYZ date as my new hobby. I was thinking today how it might be nice to have a Spring baby next year. I actually cried a little bit driving home past fields of new lambs. There was a tiny one wearing a little jacket to keep warm. This is a good time of year for little ones.

Awwww, thanks everyone! We'll get there.

I love the thought of a lamb wearing a jacket! I'll have to suggest that to the local farmers. We lost a duck this evening which was rather gutting. Her pal is not happy. Am trying to get hold of some geese to protect her.

@bitheby starting to get that spring feeling as well. Maybe the positivity of the sun and weather will help us, we started trying in autumn and it was cold and dark every time we tried. That's one reason we can't stay with our donor. We inseminate in our car in a secluded car park but now it's staying lighter longer we are quickly realising that isn't going to work anymore. I'm ready to call it quits with this donor. He has been so lovely to us though, but we aren't a match. ☹️

@bitheby those lambies though. Is it true that lambs are always twins??

Well. They like lambs to be twins because that's obviously a better return but they can also be singles or triplets. I think they're mostly twins though. Never really thought about it before but I guess ewes ovulate from both ovaries if that's how their system works.

Hmm... something else to google.

All my neighbours are sheep farmers. Perhaps I'll ask one.

That car park sounds precarious! I inseminated in an AirBnB. Can you find somewhere like that?

Apparently it's determined by the environment and upkeep - how well fed they are. And I guess they might be identical twins.

There is so much I don't know

Bless you @Dosmamas I was feeling like that with my donor too as he let me down this month but he has agreed to several attempts next month. I have to stay in a hotel (usually a travelodge) as he's so far away I don't currently have a car either so have either been hiring one or getting the train.
Could you find a cheap hotel in the area? Might be less stressful than finding anew donor and having to start again.

Hopefully your start date won't be too far away @bithebi I guess how long the checks take doesn't usually matter as at band 7 you have to give 3 months notice don't you? Hopefully once they've got all your stuff done though they'll start you pretty quickly as they know you haven't got to give notice and then the baby making countdown can truly begin!

Who doesn't love a tiny bah lamb in a jacket?! Too much cuteness

No idea! I've never worked in the NHS before. This is all a very new world.

Morning everyone! How are you all doing? I'm still hanging in here. Spent the weekend feeling sick, though, on and off. Yesterday was the worst, as I ended up retching, but I'm not feeling great this morning. Then again, I did have a hot cross bun when I don't usually eat anything for breakfast, but I almost wanted to give myself an excuse to feel ill IYSWIM.

I'm not assuming anything, mind, I know Freezerbump had similar 'symptoms' that came to nothing so we'll see.

bless you @TimeIhadaNameChange, oh the joys of the 2ww. The first time I inserminated I was CONVINCED I was pregnant from the day after I dtd. It was not only impossible to know that early I think I also inseminated a week before I actually ovulated as I was using cheap OPK's back then and had absolutely no idea what I was doing!!

So today I'm feeling sorry for myself, one of the women I work with, who only spends a couple of days a week in my office, is 28 weeks pregnant and sits almost directly in front of me. She was standing earlier next to a colleague who was feeling her bump as the baby was kicking. I had to go to the toilet and cry which is really pathetic but I am just so ready for this to happen. Anyway that is my pathetic whinge over I am off to have a dose of man up!

Hope you wonderful ladies have made it through Monday x

@TimeIhadaNameChange I might just be unlucky chick! You symptom spot away :) xx

Oh Waiting.

I know how you feel. It's totally natural.

I went for my smear today but she couldn't do it as I have to have at least 12 weeks after my polypectomy. I explained that I'm trying to conceive which is why I had it done and about the new job blah blah and so now waiting for a couple of months and she said oh, I bet you'll fall pregnant now you've got the new job. It's always the way. And I agreed. But it's not. Unless I happen to fall into a pool of sperm around ovulation.

Everything still crossed for Time.