Today was the day for our fifth IUI. When I went in yesterday morning they could tell that I was close to ovulation but decided to rely on the bloodwork to make the final decision about how to time the insemination. I could tell by how my body felt that it was coming soon. In fact (here's some TMI for you) I have had more cervical mucus this cycle than I remember in quite some time. Like, over a year. I had thought that had gone the way of my younger self! But that, in combination with cramps and my lusting afer random men on tv and the subway, let me know the timing was spot on. The bloodwork obviously agreed; I spoke with the nurse yesterday afternoon and she said we were a go and that I should do the ovulation trigger shot (HCG) as soon as possible. Luckily they had mixed the medication for me that morning (it's a controlled substance so I'm not allowed to mix that one myself) so I had it school and I'm an expert at quick bathroom injections now!
It took a bit longer to prepare the specimen this morning, I assume because it was frozen. I wasn't concerned, first because I'm totally sucked into a book right now, and second because I had already decided (with my principal's heavy influence) not to go to work today. When it was finally time, I was quite pleased to see that they seem to be taking this fifth attempt very seriously. One of the two directors of the institute did the procedure, which I don't think is common. I know those two do the surgeries and IVFs, but there's a team of four other doctors who have done all of my exams, sonograms, and inseminations before today. Dr. B told me he knows I'm probably disappointed That we couldn't do IVF this cycle, but that i shouldnt be discouraged. He said I have five (5!) good follicles as of today, which is obviously great news for our IUI attempt and also not a terrible indicator if we do need to do another IVF try. He thinks, like Dr. K. said, that this cycle just probably isn't my best and since i responded the way i did in previous IUI cycles he believes I could do better in the future. He did the insemination and told me he thought it would be best for me to take it easy today, even more than I have in the past. He was delighted to hear that I wasn't going to work today. He said to do as little as possible so that the sperms can do their best swimming, but that I could resume regular life tomorrow.
It's really nice to know that they're not just going through the motions and treating this IUI like any other. They're taking care to address my emotional needs and to give this insemination the best possible chance to work. Frozen sperm don't live as long inside the body, so hopefully all of our ovulation evidence is correct and some magic will happen today. Luckily I already had acupuncture scheduled for this afternoon, so that will certainly increase the likelihood of magic. It sucks that the hubby's not here to supplement the IUI with a natural attempt just in case. But... it's all better than nothing. I go back Monday for a follow-up sonogram and bloodwork, but for the weekend I am drug- and doctor-free... and husband-free, which mostly means the pets pile on top of me on the couch and I get to watch a lot of bad tv. Not too shabby.
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