So That Is What An IUI Is…

I’ve always dreaded the thought of “artificial insemination”. Maybe I guess because it sounded like I was a cow.

Maybe that is why all this time, we have always opted for timed BD.

With the more expensive injectibles, we researched and were adviced that the probability of getting pregnant was higher if intra-uterine insemination (IUI) was done, instead of timing it. Also we have been timing that for 4 years, so we needed something more precise and effective because we’re not getting any younger, you know! It was then more prudent to go the IUI route so that we can maximize our chances with the more expensive injectibles.

Its a good thing that I was adviced by some forum posters that it’s not really a big deal so I did not obsess too much about it.

DH submitted the boys for washing early in the morning and I had the IUI appointment later in the morning.

Truly, it lasted shorter than a normal RE consult - done in less than 5 minutes. The waiting after the procedure was even much longer at 10 minutes.

It was like a pap smear in the sense that a speculum is used to create a passage way. Then a very thin plastic catheter (carrying the post-wash boys) is inserted through the cervix and into the uterus. The boys have avoided the harsh environment they would normally have to journey to get to the uterus, so they should be there either trying to meet the girls now or just hanging out and waiting for the girls to come down. They’re having a party inside of me!

Dr H showed me the catheter labeled with our last name and informed me that the labeling was done to make sure that we get what we submitted :). Just imagine an Asian couple like us suddenly getting a child that looks different from us. Not funny at all.

There’s a bit of discomfort but really, it is very tolerable. What I did to help in the discomfort was to relax my pelvis, breathed deeply and huffed open-mouthed a few times. Before my overactive imagination can take over, it was done!

Dr H set the alarm clock for 10 minutes. I was left laying down on my back with my feet planted on the bed. (I read in a website of one of the fertility clinic that there really is no need for this since the boys are in the uterus, above the cervix already, so they won’t flow down. Anyhow, doesn’t hurt to do it. Maybe it can also aid the boys to swim upstream ) 10 minutes passed by fast, then I was up and ready to go.

Anyway, we go back for another IUI tomorrow. (The same website above mentioned that there’s really no medical study conclusively pointing to 2 inseminations to be better than just 1. The key was more of how well-timed the insemination is done versus when ovulation occurred.)

Meanwhile, I still do not have my ultrasound image of the leading follicle because the sonogram procedure was not done today. Will get that tomorrow, promise!

COST: $350 ($180 for the boy’s wash and $170 for the IUI procedure)