Question for Those Who Have Done IUI

Kristen · Aug 26, 2009

So, it's been a while since I posted on here. The past few months have sucked in my TTC world - The last two cycles I was on 100mg clomid and ovulated so early that we didn't catch it and had to cancel the IUI. Now I am on 50mg clomid and getting in for an u/s early, to see if that helps.

However, MH and I also decided to get a second opinion, and we had our appointment yesterday. This new guy is the most experienced IF doctor in Austin, and I've heard lots of great things about him. He is strongly urging us to move into injectibles. He said that clomid is making something dysfunctional go on in my body, so we should definitely stop after this cycle. We could consider Femara if we don't want to go straight to injects. However, he also said the success rate with clomid or femara is only 8% per cycle, whereas, with injects, you get 20%.

This is making me want to try injects, but, at the same time, they are so expensive ($2000-$2500 a cycle), and MH and I are OOP until I can be on his insurance in January. But, the thought of waiting until then makes me want to scream.

So, we are debating if it might be worth it to fork over the cash. We can afford it - luckily all of our bills are budgeted to live off MH's salary, so we could use most of my salary to pay for injects. But, we'd have to make some serious lifestyle changes.

So, this leads me to my questions. First off, I'm curious to see what other people have done as far as IUI + meds:

1. What meds where you on? What strength?
2. How many follicles did you have?
2. If you got PG, how many IUIs did it take?

The other thing I would like to get thoughts on are those odds that the doctor told me. A "normal" non-IF couple has a 20% chance of getting PG each month. So, if our only problem is CM, wouldn't that mean that doing a natural, clomid, or femara IUI & getting past the CM would at least come close to those odds? Because most of the people who see an RE are suffering from something other than just CM issues, I wonder if the odds don't really apply to us.

The other thing that makes me want to try injects is that I found a study that came out recently of 15 IF women with CF who underwent IUI + injects. NINE of them got PG on the first IUI, and they managed the doses of meds so there was only one follicle!

(But then again, MH and I DID get PG on our first IUI with clomid, so maybe that will happen again this month and this whole post is moot)

Kristen · Aug 26, 2009

So, it's been a while since I posted on here. The past few months have sucked in my TTC world - The last two cycles I was on 100mg clomid and ovulated so early that we didn't catch it and had to cancel the IUI. Now I am on 50mg clomid and getting in for an u/s early, to see if that helps.

However, MH and I also decided to get a second opinion, and we had our appointment yesterday. This new guy is the most experienced IF doctor in Austin, and I've heard lots of great things about him. He is strongly urging us to move into injectibles. He said that clomid is making something dysfunctional go on in my body, so we should definitely stop after this cycle. We could consider Femara if we don't want to go straight to injects. However, he also said the success rate with clomid or femara is only 8% per cycle, whereas, with injects, you get 20%.

This is making me want to try injects, but, at the same time, they are so expensive ($2000-$2500 a cycle), and MH and I are OOP until I can be on his insurance in January. But, the thought of waiting until then makes me want to scream.

So, we are debating if it might be worth it to fork over the cash. We can afford it - luckily all of our bills are budgeted to live off MH's salary, so we could use most of my salary to pay for injects. But, we'd have to make some serious lifestyle changes.

So, this leads me to my questions. First off, I'm curious to see what other people have done as far as IUI + meds:

1. What meds where you on? What strength?
2. How many follicles did you have?
2. If you got PG, how many IUIs did it take?

The other thing I would like to get thoughts on are those odds that the doctor told me. A "normal" non-IF couple has a 20% chance of getting PG each month. So, if our only problem is CM, wouldn't that mean that doing a natural, clomid, or femara IUI & getting past the CM would at least come close to those odds? Because most of the people who see an RE are suffering from something other than just CM issues, I wonder if the odds don't really apply to us.

The other thing that makes me want to try injects is that I found a study that came out recently of 15 IF women with CF who underwent IUI + injects. NINE of them got PG on the first IUI, and they managed the doses of meds so there was only one follicle!

(But then again, MH and I DID get PG on our first IUI with clomid, so maybe that will happen again this month and this whole post is moot)

Kristen · Aug 26, 2009

So, it's been a while since I posted on here. The past few months have sucked in my TTC world - The last two cycles I was on 100mg clomid and ovulated so early that we didn't catch it and had to cancel the IUI. Now I am on 50mg clomid and getting in for an u/s early, to see if that helps.

However, MH and I also decided to get a second opinion, and we had our appointment yesterday. This new guy is the most experienced IF doctor in Austin, and I've heard lots of great things about him. He is strongly urging us to move into injectibles. He said that clomid is making something dysfunctional go on in my body, so we should definitely stop after this cycle. We could consider Femara if we don't want to go straight to injects. However, he also said the success rate with clomid or femara is only 8% per cycle, whereas, with injects, you get 20%.

This is making me want to try injects, but, at the same time, they are so expensive ($2000-$2500 a cycle), and MH and I are OOP until I can be on his insurance in January. But, the thought of waiting until then makes me want to scream.

So, we are debating if it might be worth it to fork over the cash. We can afford it - luckily all of our bills are budgeted to live off MH's salary, so we could use most of my salary to pay for injects. But, we'd have to make some serious lifestyle changes.

So, this leads me to my questions. First off, I'm curious to see what other people have done as far as IUI + meds:

1. What meds where you on? What strength?
2. How many follicles did you have?
2. If you got PG, how many IUIs did it take?

The other thing I would like to get thoughts on are those odds that the doctor told me. A "normal" non-IF couple has a 20% chance of getting PG each month. So, if our only problem is CM, wouldn't that mean that doing a natural, clomid, or femara IUI & getting past the CM would at least come close to those odds? Because most of the people who see an RE are suffering from something other than just CM issues, I wonder if the odds don't really apply to us.

The other thing that makes me want to try injects is that I found a study that came out recently of 15 IF women with CF who underwent IUI + injects. NINE of them got PG on the first IUI, and they managed the doses of meds so there was only one follicle!

(But then again, MH and I DID get PG on our first IUI with clomid, so maybe that will happen again this month and this whole post is moot)

Kristen · Aug 26, 2009

So, it's been a while since I posted on here. The past few months have sucked in my TTC world - The last two cycles I was on 100mg clomid and ovulated so early that we didn't catch it and had to cancel the IUI. Now I am on 50mg clomid and getting in for an u/s early, to see if that helps.

However, MH and I also decided to get a second opinion, and we had our appointment yesterday. This new guy is the most experienced IF doctor in Austin, and I've heard lots of great things about him. He is strongly urging us to move into injectibles. He said that clomid is making something dysfunctional go on in my body, so we should definitely stop after this cycle. We could consider Femara if we don't want to go straight to injects. However, he also said the success rate with clomid or femara is only 8% per cycle, whereas, with injects, you get 20%.

This is making me want to try injects, but, at the same time, they are so expensive ($2000-$2500 a cycle), and MH and I are OOP until I can be on his insurance in January. But, the thought of waiting until then makes me want to scream.

So, we are debating if it might be worth it to fork over the cash. We can afford it - luckily all of our bills are budgeted to live off MH's salary, so we could use most of my salary to pay for injects. But, we'd have to make some serious lifestyle changes.

So, this leads me to my questions. First off, I'm curious to see what other people have done as far as IUI + meds:

1. What meds where you on? What strength?
2. How many follicles did you have?
2. If you got PG, how many IUIs did it take?

The other thing I would like to get thoughts on are those odds that the doctor told me. A "normal" non-IF couple has a 20% chance of getting PG each month. So, if our only problem is CM, wouldn't that mean that doing a natural, clomid, or femara IUI & getting past the CM would at least come close to those odds? Because most of the people who see an RE are suffering from something other than just CM issues, I wonder if the odds don't really apply to us.

The other thing that makes me want to try injects is that I found a study that came out recently of 15 IF women with CF who underwent IUI + injects. NINE of them got PG on the first IUI, and they managed the doses of meds so there was only one follicle!

(But then again, MH and I DID get PG on our first IUI with clomid, so maybe that will happen again this month and this whole post is moot)

Kristen · Aug 26, 2009

So, it's been a while since I posted on here. The past few months have sucked in my TTC world - The last two cycles I was on 100mg clomid and ovulated so early that we didn't catch it and had to cancel the IUI. Now I am on 50mg clomid and getting in for an u/s early, to see if that helps.
 
 However, MH and I also decided to get a second opinion, and we had our appointment yesterday. This new guy is the most experienced IF doctor in Austin, and I've heard lots of great things about him. He is strongly urging us to move into injectibles. He said that clomid is making something dysfunctional go on in my body, so we should definitely stop after this cycle. We could consider Femara if we don't want to go straight to injects. However, he also said the success rate with clomid or femara is only 8% per cycle, whereas, with injects, you get 20%.
 
 This is making me want to try injects, but, at the same time, they are so expensive ($2000-$2500 a cycle), and MH and I are OOP until I can be on his insurance in January. But, the thought of waiting until then makes me want to scream.
 
 So, we are debating if it might be worth it to fork over the cash. We can afford it - luckily all of our bills are budgeted to live off MH's salary, so we could use most of my salary to pay for injects. But, we'd have to make some serious lifestyle changes.
 
 So, this leads me to my questions. First off, I'm curious to see what other people have done as far as IUI + meds:
 
 1. What meds where you on? What strength?
 2. How many follicles did you have?
 2. If you got PG, how many IUIs did it take?
 
 The other thing I would like to get thoughts on are those odds that the doctor told me. A "normal" non-IF couple has a 20% chance of getting PG each month. So, if our only problem is CM, wouldn't that mean that doing a natural, clomid, or femara IUI & getting past the CM would at least come close to those odds? Because most of the people who see an RE are suffering from something other than just CM issues, I wonder if the odds don't really apply to us.
 
 The other thing that makes me want to try injects is that I found a study that came out recently of 15 IF women with CF who underwent IUI + injects. NINE of them got PG on the first IUI, and they managed the doses of meds so there was only one follicle!
 
 (But then again, MH and I DID get PG on our first IUI with clomid, so maybe that will happen again this month and this whole post is moot)

ep1713 · Aug 27, 2009

Hi Kristen,

I have done 4 iuis total so far. The first was natural, the second was with clomid, the third was with femara, and the fourth was with femara and injectables. I did a trigger shot with all of them. I had one follicle on the natural cycle, and two follicles with the other three iuis. The injectable I was on was Repronex 75ius. I took femara days 3-7 and then I did 4 days of injections. I went in for my ultrasound and they had me do one more injection of repronex that night followed by the trigger the next morning.

I am going to do another round of injectables, but took a month off to order my drugs from a pharmacy in England my fertility clinic recommends. It was about 25% of what they cost here. I had to take this month off due to a cold that went crazy and I needed some antibiotics. I know my doctor plans on having me do more injections this next round, but I don't know the exact plan yet. I can let you know when I find out after my next cycle starts.

I know it's a hard decision to make. My doctor says he will monitor me closely to make sure I don't get too many follicles, and if I do, he knows I will sit that cycle out.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

Erin
28 w/ CF

ep1713 · Aug 27, 2009

Hi Kristen,

I have done 4 iuis total so far. The first was natural, the second was with clomid, the third was with femara, and the fourth was with femara and injectables. I did a trigger shot with all of them. I had one follicle on the natural cycle, and two follicles with the other three iuis. The injectable I was on was Repronex 75ius. I took femara days 3-7 and then I did 4 days of injections. I went in for my ultrasound and they had me do one more injection of repronex that night followed by the trigger the next morning.

I am going to do another round of injectables, but took a month off to order my drugs from a pharmacy in England my fertility clinic recommends. It was about 25% of what they cost here. I had to take this month off due to a cold that went crazy and I needed some antibiotics. I know my doctor plans on having me do more injections this next round, but I don't know the exact plan yet. I can let you know when I find out after my next cycle starts.

I know it's a hard decision to make. My doctor says he will monitor me closely to make sure I don't get too many follicles, and if I do, he knows I will sit that cycle out.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

Erin
28 w/ CF

ep1713 · Aug 27, 2009

Hi Kristen,

I have done 4 iuis total so far. The first was natural, the second was with clomid, the third was with femara, and the fourth was with femara and injectables. I did a trigger shot with all of them. I had one follicle on the natural cycle, and two follicles with the other three iuis. The injectable I was on was Repronex 75ius. I took femara days 3-7 and then I did 4 days of injections. I went in for my ultrasound and they had me do one more injection of repronex that night followed by the trigger the next morning.

I am going to do another round of injectables, but took a month off to order my drugs from a pharmacy in England my fertility clinic recommends. It was about 25% of what they cost here. I had to take this month off due to a cold that went crazy and I needed some antibiotics. I know my doctor plans on having me do more injections this next round, but I don't know the exact plan yet. I can let you know when I find out after my next cycle starts.

I know it's a hard decision to make. My doctor says he will monitor me closely to make sure I don't get too many follicles, and if I do, he knows I will sit that cycle out.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

Erin
28 w/ CF

ep1713 · Aug 27, 2009

Hi Kristen,

I have done 4 iuis total so far. The first was natural, the second was with clomid, the third was with femara, and the fourth was with femara and injectables. I did a trigger shot with all of them. I had one follicle on the natural cycle, and two follicles with the other three iuis. The injectable I was on was Repronex 75ius. I took femara days 3-7 and then I did 4 days of injections. I went in for my ultrasound and they had me do one more injection of repronex that night followed by the trigger the next morning.

I am going to do another round of injectables, but took a month off to order my drugs from a pharmacy in England my fertility clinic recommends. It was about 25% of what they cost here. I had to take this month off due to a cold that went crazy and I needed some antibiotics. I know my doctor plans on having me do more injections this next round, but I don't know the exact plan yet. I can let you know when I find out after my next cycle starts.

I know it's a hard decision to make. My doctor says he will monitor me closely to make sure I don't get too many follicles, and if I do, he knows I will sit that cycle out.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

Erin
28 w/ CF

ep1713 · Aug 27, 2009

Hi Kristen,
 
 I have done 4 iuis total so far. The first was natural, the second was with clomid, the third was with femara, and the fourth was with femara and injectables. I did a trigger shot with all of them. I had one follicle on the natural cycle, and two follicles with the other three iuis. The injectable I was on was Repronex 75ius. I took femara days 3-7 and then I did 4 days of injections. I went in for my ultrasound and they had me do one more injection of repronex that night followed by the trigger the next morning.
 
 I am going to do another round of injectables, but took a month off to order my drugs from a pharmacy in England my fertility clinic recommends. It was about 25% of what they cost here. I had to take this month off due to a cold that went crazy and I needed some antibiotics. I know my doctor plans on having me do more injections this next round, but I don't know the exact plan yet. I can let you know when I find out after my next cycle starts.
 
 I know it's a hard decision to make. My doctor says he will monitor me closely to make sure I don't get too many follicles, and if I do, he knows I will sit that cycle out.
 
 Good luck with whatever you decide!
 
 Erin
 28 w/ CF

PedsNP2007 · Aug 28, 2009

Kristen,

I have been following your blog and keep hoping to hear of the BFP. I am so sorry that you have been not as well monitored by your previous RE.

I am in the same boat, though with less cycles. I have done 4 IUIs (3 with clomid). I am a late ovulator, with LH surges days 15-17. I was getting annoyed that after 3 cycles of clomid, my old RE was not very proactive. And I was paying everything out of pocket.

I ended up going for a 2nd opinion myself. I LOVE my new RE. He mentioned that he didn't think I was appropriately monitored at my old RE office. So basically I could have wasted all that money (over $7,000). Grr...

He said my next step was injectables, but for the safest and most effective way to ensure a singleton, IVF is my option. So I am going ahead with IVF. I am ok with twins from a split embryo, but do not want to put in more than one embryo with risk of twins.

I am awaiting my next cycle to start BCPs so the following month I can start stim drugs. I am excited because FINALLY someone is being proactive on my behalf!

I am trying to enroll in an IVF program that is higher than a normal cycle of IVF, but gives more tries at IVF: 3 fresh and 3 frozen cycles.

If Julie is reading this, what is the IVF scholarship?

Those who have done IVF, I'd love to hear about your experiences. Did you have a good lung function to start with? How did the stimulation process (with the drugs) affect your health, etc. Did you put in more than one embryo? How many eggs were retrieved and how many embryos did you obtain? Did you do ICSI?

Good luck Kristen!

Jenn
31 yo cf, hope to have a christmas gift for myself

PedsNP2007 · Aug 28, 2009

Kristen,

I have been following your blog and keep hoping to hear of the BFP. I am so sorry that you have been not as well monitored by your previous RE.

I am in the same boat, though with less cycles. I have done 4 IUIs (3 with clomid). I am a late ovulator, with LH surges days 15-17. I was getting annoyed that after 3 cycles of clomid, my old RE was not very proactive. And I was paying everything out of pocket.

I ended up going for a 2nd opinion myself. I LOVE my new RE. He mentioned that he didn't think I was appropriately monitored at my old RE office. So basically I could have wasted all that money (over $7,000). Grr...

He said my next step was injectables, but for the safest and most effective way to ensure a singleton, IVF is my option. So I am going ahead with IVF. I am ok with twins from a split embryo, but do not want to put in more than one embryo with risk of twins.

I am awaiting my next cycle to start BCPs so the following month I can start stim drugs. I am excited because FINALLY someone is being proactive on my behalf!

I am trying to enroll in an IVF program that is higher than a normal cycle of IVF, but gives more tries at IVF: 3 fresh and 3 frozen cycles.

If Julie is reading this, what is the IVF scholarship?

Those who have done IVF, I'd love to hear about your experiences. Did you have a good lung function to start with? How did the stimulation process (with the drugs) affect your health, etc. Did you put in more than one embryo? How many eggs were retrieved and how many embryos did you obtain? Did you do ICSI?

Good luck Kristen!

Jenn
31 yo cf, hope to have a christmas gift for myself

PedsNP2007 · Aug 28, 2009

Kristen,

I have been following your blog and keep hoping to hear of the BFP. I am so sorry that you have been not as well monitored by your previous RE.

I am in the same boat, though with less cycles. I have done 4 IUIs (3 with clomid). I am a late ovulator, with LH surges days 15-17. I was getting annoyed that after 3 cycles of clomid, my old RE was not very proactive. And I was paying everything out of pocket.

I ended up going for a 2nd opinion myself. I LOVE my new RE. He mentioned that he didn't think I was appropriately monitored at my old RE office. So basically I could have wasted all that money (over $7,000). Grr...

He said my next step was injectables, but for the safest and most effective way to ensure a singleton, IVF is my option. So I am going ahead with IVF. I am ok with twins from a split embryo, but do not want to put in more than one embryo with risk of twins.

I am awaiting my next cycle to start BCPs so the following month I can start stim drugs. I am excited because FINALLY someone is being proactive on my behalf!

I am trying to enroll in an IVF program that is higher than a normal cycle of IVF, but gives more tries at IVF: 3 fresh and 3 frozen cycles.

If Julie is reading this, what is the IVF scholarship?

Those who have done IVF, I'd love to hear about your experiences. Did you have a good lung function to start with? How did the stimulation process (with the drugs) affect your health, etc. Did you put in more than one embryo? How many eggs were retrieved and how many embryos did you obtain? Did you do ICSI?

Good luck Kristen!

Jenn
31 yo cf, hope to have a christmas gift for myself

PedsNP2007 · Aug 28, 2009

Kristen,

I have been following your blog and keep hoping to hear of the BFP. I am so sorry that you have been not as well monitored by your previous RE.

I am in the same boat, though with less cycles. I have done 4 IUIs (3 with clomid). I am a late ovulator, with LH surges days 15-17. I was getting annoyed that after 3 cycles of clomid, my old RE was not very proactive. And I was paying everything out of pocket.

I ended up going for a 2nd opinion myself. I LOVE my new RE. He mentioned that he didn't think I was appropriately monitored at my old RE office. So basically I could have wasted all that money (over $7,000). Grr...

He said my next step was injectables, but for the safest and most effective way to ensure a singleton, IVF is my option. So I am going ahead with IVF. I am ok with twins from a split embryo, but do not want to put in more than one embryo with risk of twins.

I am awaiting my next cycle to start BCPs so the following month I can start stim drugs. I am excited because FINALLY someone is being proactive on my behalf!

I am trying to enroll in an IVF program that is higher than a normal cycle of IVF, but gives more tries at IVF: 3 fresh and 3 frozen cycles.

If Julie is reading this, what is the IVF scholarship?

Those who have done IVF, I'd love to hear about your experiences. Did you have a good lung function to start with? How did the stimulation process (with the drugs) affect your health, etc. Did you put in more than one embryo? How many eggs were retrieved and how many embryos did you obtain? Did you do ICSI?

Good luck Kristen!

Jenn
31 yo cf, hope to have a christmas gift for myself

PedsNP2007 · Aug 28, 2009

Kristen,
 
 I have been following your blog and keep hoping to hear of the BFP. I am so sorry that you have been not as well monitored by your previous RE.
 
 I am in the same boat, though with less cycles. I have done 4 IUIs (3 with clomid). I am a late ovulator, with LH surges days 15-17. I was getting annoyed that after 3 cycles of clomid, my old RE was not very proactive. And I was paying everything out of pocket.
 
 I ended up going for a 2nd opinion myself. I LOVE my new RE. He mentioned that he didn't think I was appropriately monitored at my old RE office. So basically I could have wasted all that money (over $7,000). Grr...
 
 He said my next step was injectables, but for the safest and most effective way to ensure a singleton, IVF is my option. So I am going ahead with IVF. I am ok with twins from a split embryo, but do not want to put in more than one embryo with risk of twins.
 
 I am awaiting my next cycle to start BCPs so the following month I can start stim drugs. I am excited because FINALLY someone is being proactive on my behalf!
 
 I am trying to enroll in an IVF program that is higher than a normal cycle of IVF, but gives more tries at IVF: 3 fresh and 3 frozen cycles.
 
 If Julie is reading this, what is the IVF scholarship?
 
 Those who have done IVF, I'd love to hear about your experiences. Did you have a good lung function to start with? How did the stimulation process (with the drugs) affect your health, etc. Did you put in more than one embryo? How many eggs were retrieved and how many embryos did you obtain? Did you do ICSI?
 
 Good luck Kristen!
 
 Jenn
 31 yo cf, hope to have a christmas gift for myself

Kristen · Aug 30, 2009