I sometimes get so obsessed with my tiny little world that I forget to think about people who aren’t living my life. I’ve been writing this blog for I guess two weeks now and I have never explained what IUI is!! Haha. I had a friend tell me she had to google it and I still forgot to explain. So here goes. It may be a little technical and a lot TMI, so stop here if you don’t want to hear about female and male reproductive organs and such.

IUI means “intrauterine insemination.” My world has revolved around it since May. The entire process is as follows, based on my understanding and my internet research.

On day 3 of your menstrual cycle, you go to the doctor for blood work and a follicular ultrasound. They test your FSH (egg quality), progesterone, estradiol, LH, and maybe to make sure you’re not already pregnant. In addition to blood work they do the follicular ultrasound to check out your uterine lining and your ovaries. If all looks good, you proceed as necessary.

I did my first cycle with Clomid where I took two pills for 5 days. My second cycle was 10-12 days of injections in my stomach after 30 days of birth control to let a cyst resolve. This third cycle I did the injections in my arms for 4 days.

While this is going on, you continue with doctors appointments every 2-3 days so they can monitor your levels. Once your follicles are a mature size and your estradiol and LH are where they need to be, you will be instructed to “trigger.” This is another injection that forces ovulation within 36-48 hours. We triggered each time at 9:30 pm.

The day after trigger is the first IUI. Our clinic does back to back IUIs. I think some clinics do only one. We go to the clinic at a time specified and hubby gives his sample. They then wash it to get rid of all the dead sperm and whatever else may be in there that they don’t want. Then about an hour later they call us back.

They will show you the sample and ask you to identify your names. After the washing it is a pink liquid. You then assume the general Pap smear position and the doctor puts some metal clamp around your cervix. It may be the same think they use for a Pap smear. I don’t know. I’ve never really looked and have never wanted to look.

Once the metal thing is in place, the doctor inserts a catheter through your cervix and into your uterus and injects the pink stuff. Then you lay there for 15 minutes, which I understand is more of a psychological thing rather than a medical necessity. You then repeat the entire process the next day.

Three days after the final IUI, you start the progesterone supplements and patiently wait for the day you can go in for the beta. In the meantime, no googling, no twisting, and certainly no stretching!!