My IUI Experience

I was VERY nervous for my IUI this morning. I just wasn't sure what to expect; I've read about it of course and I know how the procedure is done, but since it was my first time I think it's natural to feel anxious about it. Plus we didn't know what to expect with the semen sample since Daniel has been taking Clomid. We assumed it would improve somewhat but we were prepared to see between 5-10 million post wash.

Daniel went in for his appointment at 8:00 and once he provided his "sample" we left to get some breakfast. We drove to a restaurant just a mile from the doctor's office and I had eggs and potatoes. I couldn't eat much since I was so nervous! We were done with that by 9:00 and drove back to the clinic since my appointment was scheduled for 9:30.

There were 4 other couples in the waiting room, which surprised me since it was a Sunday morning. But I assumed all of us were either IUI or IVF patients. 9:30 came and went and I figured they were running a little behind which was fine. By about 9:45 we finally got called back by a nurse named Karen. I hadn't met her before but she was very friendly. She took us to a little exam room and I was surprised not to see an ultrasound machine there. For some reason I thought they would be doing an ultrasound at the same time as the IUI.

The nurse showed us Daniel's sample in a vial and we both had to confirm that it was his by the label. She told us that we had 84 million total motile sperm! I was in shock! The Clomid must have really helped him. Then she put the sample in a syringe that was attached to a long catheter. She explained that she would insert the catheter through the cervix and that I would probably feel some cramping since the uterus isn't used to having that much liquid inserted in it.

After inserting the speculum the nurse had a hard time reaching my cervix so she "adjusted" things so she could access it better. Then she inserted the catheter and blew up a small balloon against the cervix to prevent the liquid from spilling right back out. I was cramping a lot at this point and very uncomfortable, but this wasn't nearly as bad as an HSG. It lasted about 5-6 minutes. After the nurse removed the catheter and the speculum I was still cramping a bit but not as much as before. She set a timer for 20 minutes and put a pillow beneath my hips and asked me to rest until the timer went off. After that we were free to go!

After getting home I have been laying on the couch relaxing. I still feel crampy but it's slowly getting better. So overall it wasn't a bad experience and Daniel and I were both very happy with the sperm count. I am hoping and praying that we'll get pregnant from this so the next 2 weeks I'm going to believe that we did and try to surround myself with positivity. I'll be testing out my trigger and I'll know whether the IUI was successful by the end of September. Fingers crossed I finally get my BFP!!!