We did our first at home attempt today. I really thought it'd be easier than it was, but all in all, we got it done. I think the timing was bad though. When we ordered our sperm I really thought it'd get here yesterday but I was just being dumb and not thinking. I feel that yesterday was the day to do it and that today was a bit too late but oh well we did it anyway. We ordered online a bunch of speculum and needless syringes and instead cups. So we first got some of the preseed in the syringe and then the sperm and then a tiny bit more preseed and then did my best to get it close to the cervix but I've never used a speculum before and I've never looked for a cervix before so it was all just a guess. And our syringes didn't come with the little cathither thing so I don't feel like I got all of the sperm sample out of the vial, just had to pour it into a cup and suck it up like that. Now we know we need that and that we need to order much earlier.
I'm not sure what we will do next month. We have a friend who will possibly we a donor for us that we need to have a serious talk with sometime before S's next ovulation. Or maybe we order two or three vials and do the at home thing with frozen sperm again. We will see.
-Liz
Fingers crossed that you landed on a fluke first time! It happens! (By the way, inseminating after ovulation actually increases chance of a girl.)
ReplyDeleteHi Liz. I just saw your request to be added to my blog from way back in March. I'm so sorry I missed it until now but I just added you!
ReplyDeleteI came across your blog when we were ttc this year and while I don't have a blog myself, I've watched your journey. We had 5 iuis at our doctors office - some with drugs, some without, before deciding to do things on our own at home. We did two home IUIs - a bit more complex, but not rocket science - and got pregnant on our second try. No drugs. Just a bit of intuition about timing (we timed on the early end vs the 24-36 hour mark the docs suggest). Given that I was healthy and no evident fertility issues - we figured we may just not fall on the standard bell curve of ovulation. Everybody is different!
ReplyDeleteSome friends of ours also did home IUIs and helped us with the process. One is an NP who inseminated her wife - they were successful on their second try. Great job with the speculums - just practice a few times and you'll get the hang of it. It took my wife about 3-4 times to really find my cervix easily. I'd recommend a syringe and a needle for the extraction of specimen. Must be an 18-22 gauge needle so you don't damage the sperm - diabetic needles are too small. If you suck up some air first, then the sperm, it should be enough to push it all through the needle. If everything is sterile, then you should only need the pre-seed on the speculum or cup (if lubrication is necessary) - definitely doesn't need to go in with the sperm - just adds more for the sperm to swim through. Home inseminations are great - much more relaxing and about the closest thing to intimate that you can get!