Best Practices with an IUI?

[The Anchor]

Me me me!

I'm 41. I had 3 OHWs at 35, 37 and 39. I had a m/c with #3 (I had just turned 40 when I had the m/c). That was Oct 2012. I've had two rounds of IVF, one fresh and one FET. Late last year I did one round of IUI, chemical pregnancy that one. The docs didn't give me much hope for IVF but I ended up having 4 normals if you can believe it. I wasn't going for gender though, I just need one more baby

After my IUI, my doc actually suggested to just go it naturally. Unless it's male factor or hostile CM, there is no doubt the swimmers are getting there, it's all the quality of the eggies that matters at this point.

I've been going back and forth...I DID get that fading BFP after the IUI after all. Maybe I should stick it out? I just don't think I can justify it right now, but who knows where I'll be 2 months from now, LOL. GOOD LUCK Keshet and bluestskies.

[Keshet]

Anchor, our stories sound so similar. Did you do iui after the ivf or vice versa? Why did the doctor suggest that natural afterwards? Is IUI still an option for you? What's next for you?

[The Anchor]

I did IVF first, then one round of IUI. The clinic pretty much told me no more IVF for me, it kinda felt like IUI was the "consolation round". Male factor is not an issue for us, I've got very friendly CM, and have had a plethora of sonos, ultrasounds, hystero...my uterus is in great shape . At this point, we are just waiting for one of the last of my "good" eggs, IYKWIM. It's all a waiting game now, and the pressure is on my side, LOL.

[Keshet]

It's hard to go through this month after month. For me, it has been mixed with a such anticipation and then lows. Good luck to you. I'd love to stay posted on your process.

[bluestskies]

Yes exactly - it was YOU who I was referring to IVF, not Keshet.

The odds of success with IUI are not cumulative - it doesn't work like "well this round I have 20%, next time that goes up to 40, then 60, then 80". You have 20% every time and then what do you do when you've used up all the vials??

I know it's super expensive though, but if you were to do IVF you could do it with ICSI and then be (hopefully) assured of some frosties - you would be able to get more than one baby per vial even, if it came down to that.

Oh interesting. Potentially I could do 2 IUI tries and with the last 2 vials save them for IVF - I didn't realize more than one baby could be from the same vial, but I guess now that I think about it, that totally makes sense.

Quick question - ICSI - what is different about that with IVF normally? I googled it and thought ICSI was what IVF was. haha I am still learning a lot, obviously.

Also as an aside - I know here ph levels have been debunked here but we had DH sperm tested and they said his ph was like 8.9 or 9. Is that included in any sort of sway statistic? Or does it not matter doing IUI's or IVF's? Just curious!

[atomic sagebrush]

Yes provided all went well. I ~believe~ you could even decide not to thaw the vials until after ER (egg retrieval) and that way if you had a poor response to medication and didn't make but one or two eggs you could freeze them or even decide to do IUI at that point (if you only made 1-2 eggs on your medication). This is something an RE would be totally able to help plan.

RE ICSI it is when they actually inject sperm into the egg so sometimes you can end up with more embryos that way.

pH doesn't matter with either IUI or IVF. Whether it sways or not, the sperm is prewashed and that changes everything anyway.

[Keshet]

Well, I'm now one day after my IUI. Officially in the 2ww.

[Mrs_Incredible]

Well, I'm now one day after my IUI. Officially in the 2ww.

Good luck!! Xxx


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[atomic sagebrush]

good luck Keshet! SEnding you tons of "omg that old lady is having a baby" dust!

[bluestskies]

Halfway 2ww Keshet!! Fingers crossed and lots of baby dust!!


So I was just wondering (and I know this might be more in the assisted category but since this thread is already open...) I read that sperm spinning in ineffective here and in an article online. Ok. But in the same article it mentions that spinning for IUI/IVF to wash the sperm is essentially the same thing and that, "Since sperm swim-up, and the percoll and albumin methods are standard procedures for IUI and IVF, they are considered safe. Attempted gender selection is either an additional or modified step to these standard techniques, or in some cases, perhaps just a side-effect." Is an additional or modified step illegal like Microsort? Does the method of washing sperm differ from doctor to doctor? And sperm swim up is a normal method of prepping for IUI's? I guess I wonder if it naturally assists in selection (if x sink to the bottom with sediment) and y's move up to be collected (kind of along the lines of what was discussed earlier about IUI's naturally swaying boy)?

I'm still trying to research what percoll and albumin are (I only found this summary Comparison of four methods for sperm pre... [Arch Androl. 2004 May-Jun] - PubMed - NCBI but an abstract only goes so far)...