I decided when we began our second fertility journey that I wouldn’t suffer in silence this time. Infertility is incredibly isolating, and not enough people talk about it. So here I am.
During our latest round, I’ve taken to Instagram stories to detail the process. So many people have reached out with their own stories, encouragement and a lot of questions. Why do you have to get ultrasounds? You have to get a shot in your ass? What does IUI even mean? Let me break it down for you.
WTF is an IUI?
An IUI is NOT IVF—which seems to be a common confusion. So WTF is an IUI? According to americanpregnancy.org, intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a fertility treatment that involves placing sperm inside a woman's uterus to facilitate fertilization. Placing, that sounds so… sweet and gentle. Honestly, the IUI part isn’t that bad. But, it’s only part of the process.
Step 1: Diagnosis
Way back in the day when we started our first journey, we went through a barrage of tests to be diagnosed… with unexplained infertility. Sperm was tested, blood was taken and a Sono HSG was administered. (Pro tip: if you ever have one of these, DEMAND Valium. Friends of mind who had this procedure were shocked they didn’t give it to me. Make sure you load up.)
I went through all of that, for the doctors to tell me they really weren’t sure why we hadn’t conceived yet. Maybe I wasn’t ovulating right, maybe my hormones are off, they just couldn’t be sure. The bright side? I only had to do this step once, so no more Sono HSGs for me!
Step 2: Drugs
In order to be sure I ovulate correctly, I take drugs. As soon as I start my period, I call the doctor and they prescribe 5 days of meds starting cycle day 3. During our first journey, I took Letrozole for the first 10 months (a drug often used to treat breast cancer). This drug f*cked. me. up. I was so tired, so emotional, so bitchy. And, it didn’t work. So we moved on to Clomid—the first time I took this, we got Lucy. Flash to round 2, and I went straight to Clomid. In some women, it causes the same side effects as Letrozole. But for me, I have so much energy and pep in my step for the first 4 days. On day 5, I get a raging headache and I sleep for hours. Overall, not too bad.
Step 3: Ultrasound
The meds are meant to stimulate follicle growth (the things that pop out eggs). After I’m done with the drugs, I go see a lady about a vaginal ultrasound. During this visit, they see how many follicles I have, measure them to see how mature they are and then calculate when to get my trigger shot and IUI. The average woman has one follicle per cycle. With Lucy, I had 2 follicles. During our first IUI this round, I had 3. My body is clearly not very reliable.
Step 4: Shot
Anybody who knows me, knows I HATE needles. Even typing this raises my blood pressure. Needless to say, this step is my least favorite. At the ultrasound appointment, we get our trigger date and the nice nurse marks an X on my ass where my husband has to give me the shot (lord knows I can’t give it to myself). They order our shot from an online pharmacy in California and I wait anxiously at the mailbox. To add insult to injury, we have to mix the shot ourselves. It’s a whole process—draw up air, insert into this vial, take some solution from this other vial, put it into that one with the powder, mix it up, draw it up, change needles, sterilize, shoot!
Step 5: IUI
Finally, D-Day. Husband gets up bright and early to… collect his sample… and drive it to the clinic for “scrubbing.” The technicians weed out the stragglers and make sure we have only the very best. An hour later, we head into the clinic. They make me look at the vile of my husband’s… collection… to double check that the name and birth date on the vial are, in fact, his. I kick back, relax and throw my legs into the stirrups. They stick a catheter directly into my uterus to make sure the… collection… gets as close to those eggies as possible. And, done!
Step 6: Progesterone
With Lucy, I had to do progesterone suppositories (as awesome as it sounds). So for two weeks, I shoved a little progesterone pill up my hoo-hah to be sure my progesterone was high enough to sustain a pregnancy. Because my progesterone wasn’t an issue once I got pregnant with Lucy, I don’t have to deal with those this time.
Step 7: The wait
After the IUI is complete, we wait. For two weeks, we wonder, hope, pray. So far I’ve had two unsuccessful IUIs. A bummer, but not the end of the world. With Lucy, I did 11 rounds of drugs and three IUIs. So it takes my body a while to finally get it’s shit together. I am currently on week two of our two week wait. Here’s hoping this one sticks. If not, we start it all over again.
