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!

I'm pleased it all went well for you @TimeIhadaNameChange your midwife sounds really lovely!

Good news about exploring your birth options! Do you think you will have a home birth?

I keep my fingers crossed that we will all soon have our own midwife appointments!

Glad everything went well @TimeIhadaNameChange, especially that you managed to make it home without displaying anymore of your undergarments! lol

Your midwife sounds lovely and it's great that she is so broadminded, but, as you say, they probably see all sorts. Do they give you information on what you can't eat etc?

Scan letter - how exciting! Does it all feel more real now?

I'm glad that she thought your Mother's stance of needing to get rid of your animals was amusing, proves how wrong she is.

Are you considering a home birth? I think I would quite like that I hate hospitals.

I'm still undecided whether to test on Sunday or just wait for AF.

Did you get your static today @LanieM87?

Nope! @Waiting2BAMummy I honestly can't believe it! For the last 3 cycles I have ovulated on or around cd20, which is where I am now. I'm just praying my static happens tomorrow.
This is gonna be an oddly long cycle otherwise and an expensive one!
I think my tank will take me til Sunday. It's a bit confusing because online it says 5 days but on the info that came with it, it says 7 days.

oh bless you @LanieM87 not you too.

What is going on this month??

Fingers crossed you get your static tomorrow

I've no idea but there must be something in the water! @Waiting2BAMummy
I've had such a crap day at work, so with this on top I'm just feeling really pants and fed up! Gunna have a little glass of gin tonight and get an early night and pray luck is on my side tomorrow!

Have everything crossed for you @LanieM87

Thank you! @Waiting2BAMummy

So I'm nearly out of clear blue, the one this morning showed an error. This is my reading half an hour ago - so blank circle.
I've taken a wandfo at the same time - this is showing a much more positive result. Leading me to think positive could be tomorrow. I might do IC later. They don't tend to get that dark for me until positive.

Do we think coz clear blue is a few months old the readings may not be as accurate - or am I clutching at straws??

have you been using the same reader for a few months @LanieM87? It could be that the battery is running out, especially as it gave you an error this morning. I only use the reader for 2 cycles to make sure the battery doesn't run out mid cycle.

I have @Waiting2BAMummy this would be my 4th cycle with it, so maybe I have pushed it a bit?? IC hasnt been positive yet, so I'm confident I haven't missed surge. Hmm.

Sounds like it @LanieM87 bless you. At least you know what your other tests usually look like when you get your static. I would take a Wandfo and your CB tomorrow x

Haha maybe I was a bit ambitious @Waiting2BAMummy 🙈

Any sign of your static @LanieM87?

I've decided if I don't get any AF cramps today I'm testing tomorrow. The reason I say that is the first month of trying I started getting AF cramps about a week before AF was due so convinced myself these must be implantation cramps as in my head I believed I never had AF cramps until the day before. WRONG! Since then I have had them starting around a week before every month. So far this cycle nothing, other than some stabbing pains earlier in the week in my lower left abdomen, not my usual dull achy pain and I'm due AF on Wednesday.

Of course it could just be that this cycle is seriously fudged since I never got a positive opk but if no usual cramps I'm going to test anyway.

Not as yet! @Waiting2BAMummy took a Wandfo which is almost at positive and darker then yesterday. CB still blank but test strip is darker as well then yesterday. So I'm trying to stay positive, also got dull ache and more CM. I think I'm gunna go ahead an inseminate this afternoon! I'm out this evening, so this is the only chance I'll have til tomorrow.

I say go for it, it's on your mind and I think you'll just keep thinking about and driving yourself mad! At least you'll have a bit of an answer either way! Keep us updated x

Tested this morning with FRER and BFN, I don't know why I'm exactly surprised as I don't know I even ovulated this month.

AF cramps normally start about a week before AF is due but so far nothing and AF is due on Wednesday. That said, if I did ovulate on CD20 when I had the abundance of EWCM then AF won't be due until Tuesday next week.

I've been really hungry today, like that pit of the stomach hunger and over the last 2 days I haven't felt nauseous exactly but I've had 2 occasions where sick has come up into the back of my mouth (sorry way TMI). I've got sciatic pain in my left hip bone and down into my thigh which is probably unrelated to anything.

I'm just going to wait it out now I guess and see what happens. Why the first month that I get a nice donor that I don't have to travel for does everything go pear-shaped?? Maybe I tempted fate by having bought everything before I even started trying and now it isn't going to happen.

Sorry for the rambling.

Anyway, @LanieM87 how are you getting on?

@Freezerbump how are you doing? Did you decide to ask your mate or have you any thoughts as to your next move?

Any sign of AF yet @Waiting2BAMummy I bet it is frustrating to finally have a good set up and then not know if you've ovulated, but at least you know you've got a good donor and hopefully you'll be back on track next month!

Much like yourself - I'm not convinced I ovulated either this month! So bizarre. Natural cycles is trying to work out if i ovulated on Friday, but my temp dropped this morning, so I don't think it will be able to confirm.
I did another OPK yesterday and it had faded quite a lot, so I potentially peaked on fri/sat. I never got any EWCM.

AF is due next week, so we will see!!

I've started getting the dull achy cramps this afternoon @LanieM87 so I should think she's on her way - evil little witch she is!!

Bless you I'm sorry to hear that you don't think you ovulated either, that sucks. Why can't our bodies just do what they're asked?? It's what they're supposed to do it's not like we're asking them to do something extraordinary.

I hope you did ovulate and your OPK just didn't pick it up due to the battery in your reader. I've got my fingers crossed for you.

Definitely evil! @Waiting2BAMummy hopefully things will go your way next month!

It's just bizarre that the both of us have had an odd month! Especially because we have both followed a reliable pattern for the months previous! Someone is definitely looking down on us and are laughing!

Well when I catch up with them they won't be laughing @LanieM87!!

Any updates @Waiting2BAMummy has AF appeared??

Not yet @LanieM87 have had cramps on an off today and also really bloated.

My cycles have been 28 days or less since January and today is CD29. The longest I've had since I've been tracking is 31 days. I was thinking of testing Sunday (a week after my last test) if the witch doesn't arrive but now I'm thinking if I really did ovulate on CD20 then AF isn't due until next Tuesday so should I wait until Wednesday?

How are you doing?

Hmm well if you've been cramping and nothing has arrived by Sunday, I'd be very tempted to test if I were you @Waiting2BAMummy as surely you wouldn't normally cramp a week before AF?

Nothing new here. If I did indeed ovulate last Friday then my AF is due next Wednesday. But I think this has been a strange month. So who really knows!

That's the thing @LanieM87 I used to think my cramps started the day before AF but since TTC Iand being more aware, actually they do begin around a week before.

I think AF will arrive tomorrow, I'll be very surprised if I get to Sunday and need to contemplate where to test or not.

As you say this has been a very strange cycle.

Any news @Waiting2BAMummy

My natural cycles informed me that it’s worked out I ovulated this weekend as opposed to last, I’m not convinced and I think AF will arrive this week. I hope it does really, otherwise this will end up being a 40 odd day cycle!

Also how are you getting on @TimeIhadaNameChange ??