IUI #4: Final Attempt

With two almost successful pregnancies, I knew that intrauterine insemination (IUI) could work for me. The question was how many more attempts would I need before I managed to have a truly successful pregnancy. Since my insurance covered most of the cost of my IUIs, I decided to give the procedure another chance.

Again, I followed the same stimulation protocol (150 iu of Menopur a day) that had helped me get pregnant with IUI #2. I had a great start. On day eight of my last menstrual period, the transvaginal ultrasound showed four 8 mm follicles and two smaller ones in the right ovary, and another six follicles (6 mm, 7 mm, 7 mm, 8 mm, 8 mm, 9 mm) in the left ovary. The results were encouraging not only because of the large number of potential eggs but also because the size of the follicles was nearly uniform, which meant that all these eggs could mature at approximately the same time.

On day eleven, however, the results were disappointing. My ovaries had stopped responding to the medication. The right one had only three follicles (8 mm, 8 mm, 8 mm), and the left one had five (10 mm, 10 mm, 10 mm, 11 mm, 12 mm). Another three days later, the situation had not improved by much: three follicles on the right (8 mm, 10 mm, 10 mm) and five on the left (8 mm, 10 mm, 10 mm, 12 mm, 13 mm).

My doctor decided to keep me on the same dosage of Menopur. On day seventeen, I had only two follicles (9 mm, 11 mm) in the right ovary and three (14 mm, 15 mm, 16 mm) in the left. Finally, on day nineteen, the imaging detected eight follicles (9 mm, 10 mm, 10 mm, 12 mm, 13 mm on the right; 12 mm, 15 mm, 19 mm on the left).

The reproductive endocrinologist didn’t like the results. I was now showing a good number of follicles that seemed to have finally started reacting to Menopur, but my ovaries had already been stimulated for nineteen days, which far exceeded the norm. He decided to trigger ovulation the next day, and we could only hope that at least one egg makes it.

The procedure was performed on day twenty-two since my last menstrual period. Twelve days later, I had my pregnancy test. It was negative (hCG = 2). I wasn’t surprised. Theoretically, I knew it was possible to get pregnant again with an IUI, but I did not want to let chance dictate the success of my pregnancy any longer.

In vitro fertilization (IVF) was the only option allowing me to check the quality of my eggs in advance. Even though I was fed up with the injections, I was eager to try this more aggressive approach. I started treatment right away. To read about my IVF experience, please visit my post "IVF: Was It Worth It?"