Medicated cycle or IUI worth it?

[Mummysparrow]

I have an appointment with NHS infertility clinic on Thursday via the self funded route and I don't really want to go down the IVF route. I conceived my daughter in 2020 and then had a TFMR last May and struggled to conceive since and we have always said we wouldn't go as far as IVF to conceive a second child. So I am hoping for some more tests and considering a medicated cycle or IUI but are they worth it? I am 36 and I have a 28/30 cycle and appear to be ovulating. Husband sperm analysis came back fine

If you’ve had investigations and there’s no other obvious cause, then it definitely might be worth trying a few medicated cycles of natural intercourse imo (with Letrozole or Clomid and obviously doing everything you can re: correct timing of ovulation if you aren’t already). But IUI doesn’t really have better success than trying naturally afaik- so it tends to be popular mainly with people who can’t try that way (SMBC, lesbian couples or het couples when sex isn’t possible for whatever reason).

There are always stories of people getting lucky with IUI but at 36, I’d definitely reconsider IVF if you want to go down the further interventions route. You’d likely have to pay out for multiple IUI rounds to have the same chance as with IVF - plus an IVF cycle tends to be able to tell you more useful things about your fertility in general too (egg and sperm quality etc).

I say this as someone who did 6 cycles of IUI as a SMBC when I was only a year older than you and all failed with no obvious cause - my fertility stats were completely average for my age in terms of AMH, AFC, FSH etc (and obviously I used a sperm donor too so no issues there either). I was only finally successful when I did IVF - but by then I was 40! In hindsight, I’d have done IVF sooner as I’m sorry to say women’s fertility apparently reduces so much in our mid to late 30’s 😢

Honestly I would save your money and try a cycle of ivf. I did a medicated cycle and it was a waste of time. It involved injecting drugs similar to IVF and I wish I had tried the ivf sooner.
im so sorry to hear about your tfmr I had a chromosomally abnormal pregnancy a few years ago which I miscarried before I got a chance to make any decisions. I also have a dc born in 2020. So I know some of what you are going through. I did ultimately have success with ivf at age 37, I tested the embryos and many were abnormal. I feel it would have given me more closure even if it didn’t work as ivf gives more answers about what is going on whereas iui etc is a stab in the dark.

I’d go to IVF. Lesbian couple here, I did 4 rounds of medicated IUI with donor sperm in my early 30s and no success. I only had success after 2 egg collections