iui stories?

[mabel9]

Please tell me your iui stories and journeys? Currently in 2ww.

@Tasha1607 I've predicted 18th April... Well the pregnancy app has but I think I need to add 5 days to that thanks to my long cycle but will find out in a few weeks. I remember hoping for twins first time round so I didn't have to have another.. then was rather thankful thst DS wasnt a twin as he's such an active little bugger that I believe I would have lost it with 2 of them. I have however met twins that are so chilled out it's insane... So I'm hoping you have 2 sane and calm buns in there cooking 😁.

@DreamingDream... Sorry I can't help you with that one as I've never had my tubes checked.

@dreamingdream sorry I never had my tubes check either. Well they can check via the internal ultrasound but it is not 100% accurate.

@LifeIsBusy wow! That's amazing. Around the same time for both of us then. We are not bothered. We have always flipped from having 2 children to 1 child. My partner she just wants one so we can just spoil them and they can have the opportunities in life that we didn't really get chance to do as kids. But I had a feeling I was pregnant and I've just got this feeling it's twins. But I am happy with a April baby. Start of Spring and it's nicely spaced out before Xmas and our birthdays.
How many children do you have? Is this your second?

@Tasha1607 I mean they say you know you're pregnant before you pee on a stick so maybe you're right. Is it next week your scan is? It's all very exciting! This is our second, our DS just turned 20 months. I agree an April baby sounds like a nice time to have a baby. At least we will miss being pregnant in the summer 😁

@LifeIsBusy I know! I've always wanted to not be pregnant In summer and always wanted to be pregnant around Xmas. I don't know why. It's a strange thing to want lol. A week tomorrow is my scan. I feel like it is dragging. I've got my letter for my dating scan today. That's on the 8th October.

Oh wow that's amazing. Did you always want 2 children?

@Tasha1607 that is exciting! We haven't even told the midwife about the pregnancy yet. We waited the last time and after the first scan they'd gave me a little card saying 'call the midwife' with the number on it so we're waiting again this time. Have you got your first midwife appointment booked in? We always wanted 2 kids, my wife initially wanted 3 but that's before we had 1 😂. I had planned for a 2 year age gap but covid destroyed some of those plans and put it back a few months. If you were to have a second do you think your wife would carry? Was it difficult to work out which of you wanted to carry?

@LifeIsBusy yes, have felt very fortunate to be living here over the last few months. Are you in Scotland too?
I’m making my way down to the clinic today, not got my peak yet but it’s on it’s way!

Sorry @dreamingdream I never got my tubes checked.

@RhubardGnT have you looked into SellmersDiers connection with a clinic called National Fertility Society in Shrewsbury? They allow you to order the sperm to their clinic and then you can do the self insemination in their procedure room, closest to home insemination you can get in the UK now 🙄 Lovely ladies there!

@Mac89, yes I'd about their new system, but I really didn't like the look of their website. Looked kind of false 🤔 Funnily enough, Shrewsbury holds some good memories for us, so initially we thought that it must be some kind of sign! (Not that we believe in them 😂) but then did a bit more research and wasn't sure.

Have you used them?

@LifeIsBusy Yeah we have. Because of Covid we had to have a telephone appointment with the doctor to get referred for the dating scan as they have reduced the amount of scans you have on the NHS now. They have only just started doing the test for Down syndrome and that now. And they stated we needed to book an appointment with the midwife to get the blue folder and that. So that's all booked in on 23rd September.

We have always said we would just like the one child. We have had conversations with people who have said that it is unfair as they wouldn't have a sibling. But they don't understand the successful rate and it's money also.

We always said we would flip a coin, my wife times 30 this year and she was worried that age was not on her side so more than likely she was going to go. But when we had the consultation she freaked and stated she didn't want to carry. I think pressure from family was always a thing. I always wanted to carry. Since that decision was made she said it felt like a load was lifted off of her. I don't think she will carry. Unless we got to it in a couple of years and we wanted a second (and this one isn't twins) we might think about it as we have a vial Left. But I think it is a slim chance.

@RhubarbGnT I thought EXACTLY the same, took a total leap of faith using them!!
I had IUI with Create Fertility in March it was unsuccessful, but the whole lead up with them just stressed me out so much, from issues with blood test and needing more immunisations, which then took so long my other original test weren't valid, to the clinic I was using being closed on a Sunday so had to have my vials transported to another clinic the week before, was just stress from start to finish and SO impersonal.
So I decided to give NFS a go. I had quite a few phone calls with them because I had a million questions. And just from start to finish they were lovely. They take the stance of 'You know you're body' so you dont have to have any tests or consultations to use them.
Good to keep in mind that they're NOT governed by the HFEA. But I absolutely couldn't fault them!
I'm just at the end of my 2ww and think AF is arriving BUT if I decide to try again I wouldn't go anywhere else!

Thanks @mac89. Did you actually ask them why they weren't under HFEA? Personally, that would make me a little nervous. Good luck btw! 🤞 Were you considering self insemination or did you know that you wanted IUI with a nurse?

@RhubardGnT thank you 😌 I did ask, I can't fully remember what she said. Basically one of the partners has been a fertility nurse for the past 15-20 years and hated how overpriced all the fertility clinics were. So she started NFS up to try and keep costs down for people. I think if they were part of the HFEA they wouldnt be allowed to offer the self insemination. And they dont offer IUI or anything like that so they dont need to be a part of it.
I went for IUI initially because I wasn't aware there was any other option (single parent and my son would love a sibling)! So when I discovered NFS I thought F* it, let's give it a try! I paid a bit extra to have the nurse do the insemination, just so that I knew it was definitely going to the right place 😂 I also had a scan when I got there to check I hadn't already ovulated and missed my chance for that cycle. AND I had the procedure twice over 2 days with 4 x the amount of sperm than I had in March, and it still came in less expensive! It's obviously never going to be cheap, but I was so much happier with them.

@Tasha1607 I think you really only need to consider age at the later half of your 30s really. Anytime up to 35 appears to ok or so i hear. That's still all really exciting with all the appointments and scans coming up! I wonder how different it will be to last time. I heard a lot of the appointments were done own the phone but couldn't understand how as they asked for a urine sample every visit and they checked my blood pressure and started listening for a heart beat from 16 weeks. I guess we will all find out soon enough eh. Its a big decision to carry so I'm glad she made the decision for her and not for her family.

@mabel9 yes, we are inbetween Glasgow and Edinburgh so nowhere near as glamorous. Do you have family near by? Hopefully this round will be your last and yourl can join us with the sore heads, boobs and sickness. A glamorous live awaits

@LifeIsBusy she put a lot of pressure on herself. But we are happy and I suppose that the main thing. She can't quite get used to mood swings especially when I was on the meds. But she is learning bless her.

How did you guys go about making the decision to carry?

@Tasha1607 that's good! At the end of it she will feel much better for not carrying I'm sure of it. Our poor bodies will be stretched and wrecked and she'll be fine. My wife wanted to carry and we tried 6 rounds of IUI before the (3 private, 3 funded NHS) NHS said to us that she qualified for IVF but would need to wait a year. So they gave us two options. 1. She continue with the 3 remaining IUI then onto IVF, 2. I use the 3IUi then she got onto IVF. Given the age gap of 12 years we figured we should give option 2 a blast and see what happened and I got pregnant first round of IUI whoops.... I always seen we had 3 options and didn't mind which route we picked(her carry, I carry or adoption) so looks like we settled on the 2nd route. I think its only in those early years what it matters and that's only if you choose to breastfeed as its slightly all consuming other than that DC will love and pick you both equally. How are you planning to split the mat leave?

@LifeIsBusy that's very true. Thank you for sharing that. It must of been quite a difficult and stressful Time for the both of you to have so many tries.

We are going to play it by here. I've opted to work from home at the moment anyway. And my wife has quite a easy job as she is in the military. So we don't know how to play it. I think we will see how many we have and see how it goes. I know I'll have at least the first 6 months off and then I'll probably go back to work part time.

@mabel9, I completely get the ethics behind it. I do sometimes wonder if all the testing, scans etc at other fertility clinic, are 100% necessary. Especially if everything looks good and you don't appear to have fertility issues. I was recommended to have all sorts of tests, including having my tubes tested, which I'm told can be unbearably uncomfortable and there was nothing to suggest I needed it. I actually already have a DC from a previous relationship, so that along with having good test results, just got me wondering if it was more about money than genuine necessity.

Can I ask why you reccomend them so highly? What was it specifically that you were happy with? If you don't mind me asking that is...

@RhubarbGnT Create told me to have the Hycosy (tube test) too, and when I asked why they said because it'll be a lot more expensive down the line if you dont have the test and then you find out that there is an issue! So felt like I had to have it. Then they had to do it twice because they couldn't find one of my ovaries quickly enough (the left one hides 😂) and yes, its VERY uncomfortable. Ditto, I knew I didnt need more blood test or scans after only 3 months!
No of course not, I think I reccomend them so highly because I didnt once feel uncomfortable or pressured at any point with them. They were genuinely kind people that were happy to have a chat with you and remembered things you'd told them. Whereas with Create I was just another number for them to get in and out as quickly as possible.
They were also incredibly accommodating - they're a 2 and a half hour drive from me, so I emailed when I had my peak OPK and said I'd be in the area around 11.30ish and they were ready and waiting for me when I arrived. Then when I needed to go back the next morning for my second lot they realised they were fully booked so opened the clinic an hour early for me at 8am so they could fit me in! All of this happening with the new covid guidelines in place so they only have 1 person in the clinic at a time with disinfecting inbetween!
When I was trying to decide whether or not to use them I was hugely put off by the fact that I couldn't find any reviews etc as they're so new, so now I just think credit where credits due! If a company is good at something they should get some recognition 🤷🏼‍♀️

@mac89 I wonder if you jusy had an off experience with your previous clinic. Ours only asked we got the basics checked on the NHS and suggested to my wife that it might be wise to get her tubes checked due to her age but didn't push it. We didn't get them checked and then when we moved to the NHS they booked her in and checked them as its part of their standard checks but it didn't stop us starting IUI treatment. Personally I'd be vary of the clinic not registered on hefa as hefa are there to protect the child. Does the donor still have to sign up to the hefa protocol regarding contacting and limits to number of families created?

@Tasha1607 I think it's always best not to have a concrete plan, allowed for changes down the line. You've opted to work from home? Is it not standard where you are? Our offices aren't even allowed to reopen yet and the company I work for has suggested we will not return until next year.

@LifeIsBusy you could definitely be right and I was just unlucky with it, I'm sure many people have positive experiences, but I also know of a few others who just found it very impersonal.
Yep the sperm bank they work alongside is SellmersDiers and everything from that aspect still has to be in line with UK regulations, so non anonymous donor, donor details when the child turns 16 and 18 and number limits. But definitely understand people being wary of them for not being part of the HFEA!

@LifeIsBusy they gave me the choice. As soon as I started treatment they stated I needed to work from home: once I was confirmed pregnant they gave me the choice to go in or stay at home. I said I would prefer to stay at home until at least the 12 week point due to the increase chance in miscarriage and I've got a stressful and emotionally involved job and then we would see how I felt then whether go into work or not. They said no matter what I'd be working from home in the 3rd trimester which would be January. But I've got a feeling the second wave will probably hit around November December if it was going to so I'll more than likely opt to stay working from home.
I know the guidelines state to work home as best as you can. But I've only been in the job 10 months and my probs toon period ends in November. So I'm hoping that doesn't effect anything.