3 IUI's, Only 1 Timed Right

By the time December rolled around, I was scared of the IUI, but ready.  Almost craving it!  I religiously took 150 mg of Clomid at the EXACT same time days 3-7 and then started the opk's a few days later.  On day 21, I got the smile face and I made the call.

My little sister Heidi had just moved back from Mexico and came with me for support.  She joked that she was going to tell the future niece/nephew that she was in the room when he was conceived. 

We arrived to the hospital at 7:oo am the next morning.  Darren had to go into a room to deliver the goods while Heidi and I waited patiently.  They then "wash" the sperm and you have to wait an hour before the IUI.

Finally they called my name.  I was really really nervous.  The nurse was friendly and wanted to talk a ton (in my head I was like, get this OVER WITH).  The unknown is so creepy and just thinking about what she was going to do to me.  The process wasn't comfortable but over fairly quick.  I had to lay there for 20 minutes. 
I was really happy the rest of the day.  Pumped for a miracle.  Full of hope.  But then...

For some reason I kept ovulation testing.  4 days later, I got another smiley face.  I had gone in too soon.  The first one was a "false positive."  $200 later, we went in again on New Years Eve.  Since it had only been a few days, the sperm count was much lower but I was more mentally prepared.   Blood test a week later showed my progesterone level was high.  One more week to go.  I started feeling pregnant.  I was convinced I was craving artichokes.  However, I started spotting with a period following 15 days later.  There was peace in knowing we had done all we could, and that God himself had chosen to say "not this time." But still heartache in feeling so close. 


The next month I did the same exact thing, went in for IUI #3 (February 2012) the same exact time, and found out I hadn't ever ovulated at all!  Talk about going backward.  Dr. decided to put me on Femera (used for women with breast cancer) and newly found to make women ovulate.

You're Going to Put That Where?

January 2012

Due to low sperm count/poor morphology and the fact that Clomid can actually ruin my lining, our doctor suggested going directly to an IUI.  This is a fancy abbreviation for Artificial Insemination.  They let you go up to six times (once per cycle) and it basically gives the sperm a lift directly into the uterus. 


Since they determined I was ovulating, next cycle when I get the smiley face, I was to schedule an IUI at the hospital.  Here is a little more info to see exactly what God + Science can do/what I was going to have to do.

Clomid Sounds Great, Maybe We'll Call Her Chloe!

January 2012

By the time August rolled around I was practically BEGGING my doctor for Clomid.  Since I did get periods of my own (it was about every 40-60 days), the doctor decided I was "anovulatory" meaning my body wasn't releasing eggs.  Clomid is a pill that is suppose to give you a monthly period which would at LEAST put us is the same category of all the other "healthy" and "normal" couples.  They start you at 50 mg, then, if that doesn't work (I just knew it would), then they up you to 100 mg the next cycle and then the last move is trying you on 150mg.  Since I did kind of have a period, I was pumped to start and sure 50 would do the trick. 

It didn't.
With crazy charting and the use of ovulation predictor kits, I thought I had a positive but through the 7 day blood work test they determined I hadn't ovulated at all (Progesterone is supposed to be at least 10 and my first level was .9)

A little bummed, I had to take Provera (it induces a nearly instant period) to start Cycle #2, 100mg.

I took this 2 different cycles and nothing.

By the time October rolled around, I was getting scared.  If I can't ovulate, I can't get pregnant.  We decided to bring in the big guns AKA 150 mg of Clomid.

These cycles were crazy.  I'm 28 years old but would have the most intense hot flashes 15-25 times a day.  I had headaches.  To make sure I was giving it enough time, Darren and I decided to wait until later into the cycle for the "smiley face" on the opk.  At the end of November, I got my first happy face.  Since my cycles were like 40 days long, if I even thought there was a chance of ovulation I became like a prostitute that would die if "do it" with my husband.  I think I officially scared him with my tiger hunger ovulation eyes.

Blood work showed a week later that for the first time I ovulated! Progesterone was 18!  I actually felt as happy as I would be if the test said pregnant (for 20 seconds or so).  I cried, I laughed, and finally felt like something was happening.

Journey of 1000 Miles Begins With the First Step...

January 2012

At age 18 I was told they thought I had PCOS.  The doctor said getting pregnant may be difficult, but there was medicine to help when the time came...

10 years later, the time has come.  My husband Darren and I got married in January 2010 and got off the pill a year later.  Things were exciting and fun at the thought that "this could be the month."  We decided to seek medical help in the summer if nothing worked. 

Our bright hope slowly began to fade dull as I didn't get regular periods and an unexpected mediocre sperm analysis came through.  By the time July rolled around, I was ready.  The "let's try for fun" was not fun anymore.  Since then I've experienced clomid, femera, provera, artificial insemnation, false ovulation positives, and we are still moving forward.  Darren and I are both fighters.  We will FIGHT for this.  We will PRAY for this.  We choose HOPE.

Follow the Benson's journey with the making of baby "ben"...