First IUI - Have Questions!!

GeminiJai

Happy New Year, ladies!!

For those of you who are familiar with my story, you know that I'll be having my first IUI with my January cycle and I'm so excited!! I've been waiting over 3 months for this and can't believe the time is already here! I was going to purchase my first 2 vials early this morning but stopped myself because I wanted to make sure I was going the best route, so now I need your help:

1. How many of you chose to join Club Fairfax? I ask this because the cost is $165 and, yes, it includes free shipping for your first order- but I live in the DC Metro area so my Local Courier shipping is only $95 - so that's not really a perk... So I'd like to know what type of specials Club members have seen in 2011 and how many of you did enough IUIs to take advantage of the "6th free vial" member perk? I know Fairfax already has a Pregnancy Pledge for clients who are not Club Fairfax Members (5th vial is free after 4 failed attempts), so I'm wondering who has actually reaped the benefit of ALSO getting their 6th vial free, thanks to their Club membership??

2. If you ARE a member of Club Fairfax, would you mind telling me what the current promotion is for January (if there is one)? I missed out on the 10% that they gave for online ordering from 12/23-12/25 because I hadn't sent in my Terms of Use form, yet.

3. Also, I was curious about everyone's ages and the number of attempts until you were successful? I'm sorry if this question feels like I'm prying but I'm a 32y/o healthy woman so I'm trying to figure out what my chances are in comparison to other women who are going through the same thing/IUI.

Unfortunately, Fairfax isn't open until Tuesday so there's no one in the office this weekend to help me figure out the best path/options. I'm just trying to make the best decision for me financially.

Thank you!!
Jaime

redolfin26

happy first IUI...i did my IUI at age 36 and conceived first time...ya just never know...seems like from what you are saying the club thing wont really save you any money...p.s. my baby is now 3...good luck

GeminiJai

Thanks for sharing! And congrats on your little one

Mikko77

Good Luck Jaime..

Looks like you are just like me.. I want to get the best PRICE!! lol I don't care what I am buying. Looking at your questions it's clear that the Club Membership is not going to work well for you. Living in the area .. and having a low price for shipping it just makes sense to not pay $165.00 for a membership. I believe you still get a free 5th vial if the 4th attempt doesn't work, no matter if you are a member or not. I know for us we looked at ordering during specials and using discounted options when available and it has helped to save money being this is a very pricy process.

As IUI's goes, the first one the vial of sperm wasn't a good sample. It was only at 6.48 million motile sperm count. Fairfax's standard is 10 million. So the first time we were not successful and it was pretty stressful for us because we knew the numbers were low but of course was told it was adequate to the get the job done. That is not always true. You need to have sperm that are moving upward so I would say to really make sure that your sperm quality is of the proper standard.

The chances are pretty good of women with no known medical issues and are between the ages of 21 to 35 years old. The success rates are 12% to 28% from my research. After 35 1/2 and if you have medical issues or fertility issues your chances drop alot.. and your looking at very slim chances in the single digits. The good news is there are so many treatments for women in those situations so it really depends on your health and the treatment you recieve.

The best advice is to try not to worry. Take your prenatals and just let your body do it's job. The IUI is painless and only takes about 30 to 40mins from the moment you walk into the office, procedure being done, waiting period, and leaving out. After your first day you can pretty much go back to your regular life.. and you should schedule an appt for the next two weeks for a blood test to see if you are pregnant.

I wish you good luck,be positive and it will be just fine. Take Care and keep us posted.

GeminiJai

Thanks, Mikko! Fortunately, I'm pretty well-versed in the entire process of IUI (my Mom is my RE's nurse), so the cost is the only real stresser for me... I've actually chosen an ID Option donor, though, so won't have the benefit of purchasing "cheaper/value priced" vials because ID Options donors are all $675 a pop. Even so, I'm not willing to pick a different donor just to save money that way; I'd much rather try to save with discounts, free shipping, or free storage. When I initially started searching for donors, the ID Option wasn't really a big deal for me but it's now become a "must," for my own peace of mind.

mommiesX1

The specials for the month of january is $25 off a vial. Good Luck to you

GeminiJai

Thanks, Kara! I actually decided to sign up with Club Fairfax, just so I could take advantage of that $25 off Considering I saved that much on my first purchase (2 vials) and got free shipping ($115 via local courier), it basically only cost me $25 to join, haha!

Mikko77

Questions:

1. How many IUI's do you have before you start to move on to medication or even an IVF?

2. When is the best time to do an IUI after you have a HCG Trigger shot? From my understanding once you take the shot it takes 36 hours before your egg releases. Then the egg only has 24 hours from release to survive is this true?

3. Finally, how long does WASHED sperm live in uterus before it begins to expire?

Thanks so much, Love this forum because you ladies rock far as your advice!!!

Baby Dust to all :-)

M :ugeek:

GeminiJai

Mikko-

1. I started my IUI journey with medication (Clomid) from the first attempt, but everyone is different... Never considered IVF, though, so no clue on that one.
2. I gave myself the trigger shot at 9:00pm on Sunday night and my RE scheduled my IUI for between 10:30-11:00am the following Tuesday morning.
3. From what I've read, the sperm can survive for up to 5 days after the IUI (I'm no expert, though, so that could be wrong).

Hope this helps!

mommiesX1

When I tried with my son we did three natural iui's without any medication. when it came to try number four they gave me chlomid witht he hcg tirgger shot. SO I just think that it's different with everyone. After you do the trigger they will have you go in the next day usually for the insemination. As for the sperm I heard that it can live inside of you for three days

Hope this info helps


Lots of baby dust headed your way :P

Mikko77

Thank you ... Had an appt with our doctor. We were told that the sperm can for IUI which is washed can live up to 2 to 3 days . The egg releases 36 hours after the trigger shot and lives for 24 hours. Seems like if you trigger in a Tuesday at 7am and went for IUI at 2pm Wednesday afternoon.. you wld be at 19 hours .. 17 hours later the sperm shld meet the egg at 7am on Thursday morning. A lot of math... Lol
:geek:
m

SaraBell

Just FYI... I had an u/s at 8am on a Thursday and had 2 follicles. One was a 2.1 and the other was 1.8. My doctor took me right in and did the IUI..(per OPK, I had not had a LH surge or anything) Then, I received the trigger shot right after the IUI. All I can say is.. It worked! I think I ovulated on one side at around 7pm that night. (just going by the feeling of ovulation pain at that time.) Which would have put ovulation at 9-10 hours post trigger. Hope this helps! Baby dust to all!

GeminiJai

Wow- that's awesome SaraBell! You're the first women I've ever heard of who had her IUI *before* her trigger shot! In my case, I had my trigger about 36hrs before the IUI (with my 2 largest follicles being 23mm & 26mm) but don't have a clue about success as I'm still in the 2WW (8dpo). Waiting to test til 1/30 so... we'll see!

Julieharp

I started my cycle at 35 yrs old and no meds. Tried 2x no luck. Then I tried just clomid and home ovulation kits tried 2 more times no luck. After that I opted for daily monitoring clomid and trigger shot. Did not work first time but it finally worked on the next one. I spent a lot of money on failed attempts. My best advice is do the daily monitoring so you don't have to guess. The trigger shot was a godsend. No real guessing games. I should have done it from the beginning. After a lot of money on expensive ID consent donors, I finally bought a family solutions donor and it was successful. He is ID consent with all features i wanted for a portion of the price. I was skeptical at first but they explained that they just choose some donors and put them on special. I have a beautiful 2 yr old boy who is healthy and happy. As far as the club goes, i did not join. I live in MD and drove to Fairfax and picked up the samples myself. It saved hundreds of dollars. trust me you will need all the money you can save once your baby finally comes. Good luck to you!

GeminiJai

Julie- Congrats to you on the success of your little one! I did wind up joining Club Fairfax (with the free shipping and the January special of $25 off your order), I wound up "technically" only paying $25 to join.

Queen_McQuinn

I completely understand the "wanting to get the best price" feeling. My partner and I were the same way when we went through the process. Fortunately for us, I was a 30 year old healthy woman who got pregnant on the first attempt. My advice is to think happy thoughts, dont worry about any of it, enjoy the process (and tww...lol), and everything will work out fine. Good Luck huni!

Oh yea...my daughter just turned 4 months and she is the best thing that every happened to me, my partner, our relationship, and our life/family together. Just remember this most important phrase..."IT WILL ALL BE WORTH IT!" I thought that phrase through the entire IUI process, donor picking, pregnancy, and labor/delivery. I am delighted to be able to tell you...that phrase could never have been more accurate! Regardless of price, time, energy or fear...IT IS DEFINITELY ALL WORTH IT!

Deaners82

Did not join Club Fairfax. We didn't feel like we needed all that information. Our most important criteria was previously reported pregnancies. I got pregnant after my IUI and am due in December (12 weeks along now). We have been very happy with Fairfax and our donor. I think timing has a lot to do with it. I took the Ovidrel trigger and we did one IUI 36 hours later. Oh yes, and I am 30 years old.