Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) #6

This month, we had our 6th IUI.  On day 3 of my cycle, I started with daily injections of a medication called Gonal-F. After 5 days of injections (day 8 of my cycle) I had an ultrasound and blood work to see how I was responding to the medication. The doctor recommended that I do two more nights of injections and come back two days later (day 10 of my cycle). On day 10 I had an ultrasound and blood work, which showed that I still wasn't quite ready to ovulate, so I did another 2 nights of injections, and came back for....you guessed it... another ultrasound and blood work on day 12. The ultrasound and blood work that day showed I was ready to ovulate, so that night Lee gave me the trigger shot (injection which forces ovulation), and 36 hours later, on cycle day 14, we had our 6th IUI. We are now in our two week wait, and because our IUI fell over a weekend, we won't actually have a pregnancy test until day 29 of my cycle.

This month was a little different than last month because not only did I have 9 nights of Gonal-F injections (last month I only did 6 nights), I also took a larger dose each day. So 9 nights of the Gonal-F plus the trigger shot (Ovidrel) means I had 10 days in a row of shots. This really didn't bother me too much hormonally, but I did end up with a pretty big bruise on the left side of my stomach. We alternated sides each night for the shots, but I guess that many days in a row just irritated my skin. Other than the bruise, no major issues this month, which is great!! 

As you know from my last blog post about infertility, we have decided that if IUI number 6 isn't successful, we are going to take a break from fertility drugs and treatments. We have learned a lot about ourselves and the process of getting pregnant during these past 6 cycles, and we're thankful for the knowledge we now have. However, we have decided if  cycle #6 is not a success, we are going to take a break from fertility drugs and treatments for a while. Emotionally, it has been tough getting 5 negatives in a row, on top of the 12 months of trying we did on our own before starting the IUIs. Physically it has also been tough, so if we get another negative, we'll be ready give our minds, hearts, and my body a break.

This month overall has gone really smooth. We are hoping that the extra medication helped us out, and that this is the month God intends for me to get pregnant. I had 5 follicles (eggs to be released) and my last ultrasound, so we are praying that at least one of them will take (Let's be real, I've been hoping for two all along haha). All jokes aside, we will take what God gives us, and at this point, we're simply praying that IUI number 6 is a success. We are now in the two week waiting period, and are hoping to have good news to share next time I post. In the meantime, we'd appreciate if you could pray that IUI number 6 results in a healthy pregnancy!

I came across these bible verses this week, and thought I'd share, ans they are both so appropriate

Romans 12:12
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Psalm 34:18
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those crushed in spirit.