IUI

i'm considering pushing my RE for the next step and looking into my first IUI cycle.

all i know about this is that they "wash" the sperm and use a catheter to inject them into the uterus.

are there drugs that go along with this typically? do they aim for multiple eggs to increase the chances like IVF? are there side effects or concerns for the baby(ies) i should know about? anything else i should know?

do tell!

P.S. you girls are all so strong! i really admire your courage and optimism

Re: IUI

All your questions are really dependent on your situation. Do you ovulate regularly, are you dealing with Male Factor or is it unexplained IF? Some people do unmedicated IUI, some try clomid, some try clomid, some people use injectibles. It depends on what your situation is and what your doctor recommends. Also each drug may have its own side effects.

We have MF issues and my doctor has recommend IUI w/ clomid. I ovulate regularly but they still recommend the clomid in hopes of getting a few more eggs, to up my chances since the DH count is low. I didn't really have any side effects other then hot flashes on the clomid.

In the end I would say discuss your options with your doctor.
Good Luck and I hope that helps.

Re: IUI

Protocols differ depending on many things, mainly how aggressive you want to be.
You can start off with NO FSH meds and just a trigger (usually ovidrel or hcg)

I started doing an with IUI with femara (similiar to clomid) which is taken orally. I produced 2 mature follies. I did 2 with no luck. We decided to get more aggressive and moved on to injectibles (follistim or gonal) , then i did produced more follies, still NO luck.

Any time you are using FSH and produce more than one follie there is an increased chance of multiples. It also depends on your age and dx. i.e, My doctor told me even tho i produced 4 follies my chances for multiples wasn't too high, considering I was 34 and had many failed IUIs.

Honestly, an IUI is a lot like a Pap (pain and time wise) and really not a big deal. Good luck !!!

Re: IUI

hmm, good info. thank you.

DH is going for a SA on tuesday, so we'll see what comes back. when i went for testing, we were focused on the m/c thing. it didn't seem to make sense to check him (except blood work for genetic factors) i guess bc we HAD technically become pg twice. all results were in the normal range.

i do ovulate pretty regularly according to temps and the CB OPK (the only ones i've found to work after failing with them for months).

i made a cycle monitoring/consultation appt for monday morning. there's some consolation in having an appt to take the next step.

Re: IUI

If you ovulate regularly your Dr may recommend starting with a natural cycle IUI. There are no meds involved, except possibly a trigger like Ovidrel. They just monitor you throughout your cycle through bloodwork and sonograms. When you are ovulating they do the IUI. Good luck to you!

Re: IUI

like others have said it really depends on your situation and the reason for your if, if any.

i have i guess unexplained IF. No male factor and I ovulate on my own. I had the full work up and nothing super clear was really found.

He put me on 100 mg Clomid CDs 3-7 and were doing a back to back iui.

People may think its aggressive because of a few things

-some docs start with no meds..or if with clomid, they start with 50 mg clomid
-some docs start the clomid on cd 5-9 (as opposed to 3-7 which is sometimes the second option)
-some docs just do one iui (not back to back)

Message edited 11/23/2010 8:37:16 AM.