Infertility Support Group

In vitro fertilization is one of the most common and utilized ways of treating conception problems. This support group is dedicated to those beginning their journey with IVF and needing support. Join the community and share your experiences, advice, and story with people going through similar challenges starting a family.

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tmmckinnon 08/07/2018

Hello,

My husband and I have been TTC now for a little over 2 years. We got pregnant Dec 2016 after 9 months of trying and I miscarried at 6 weeks in Jan 2017. Havent been able to get pregnant again. Started seeing fertility specialists in March 2018, had all sorts of tests done to find out we fall under the Unidentified/Unexplained Infertility group because there is absolutely nothing wrong with either of us. Started first back-to-back IUI's in May 2018 - I used Letrozole for 5 days and the Ovidrel trigger, then went on progestrone suppositories for my TWW. Preg test came back negative so we started our second cycle. Same meds, same back-to-back IUI's and progestrone suppositories. The only thing different was my husbands count was lower than the first cycle but they reassured me that his #'s were still great. Preg test came back negative so we started our third cycle. This time I used Gonal-F up to the night of my trigger. Produced 3 follicles and my bloodwork levels were better than ever so we went into the IUI's really confident. My husband's counts both days were also great. Just found out today that my preg test came back negative...I don't understand what the eff is wrong. I'm just looking for similar stories...something to make me feel better because this whole thing has me feeling defeated. We decided to take a break and meet with the dr this month to see what he thinks about things. I'm just so frustrated!

BHAlwaysTrying21 08/08/2018

The IUI process can be so frustrated because you feel like everything is set up perfectly to work each time, but the reality is that the chance of it working each time, even when everything is perfect, is only around 20% or so. It took 6 IUIs for me to get pregnant (some with clomid and ovidrel, some with letrozole and ovidrel), but then I miscarried. The 7th IUI worked and I am due this month. So my best advice is to just hang in there if you feel you can. I decided I was going to go up to 8 IUIs before giving up and switching to IVF. A lot of people or doctors might say that it's not worth doing 8 if it hasn't worked yet...everyone has different opinions and levels of tolerance. But each time it didn't work it was heartbreaking, and I especially felt after 3-4 that given the odds, it should have worked! Hope this helps in some way.

fffFFF 08/08/2018

Hi, I am sorry you are going through this. IUI is less effective, than IVF, that is why many couples decide to go straight to IVF or IVF PGS NGS

Callie2988 08/08/2018

hi tmmckinnon - I'm so sorry for your miscarriage and your struggles. It is a very rough and confusing journey, especially when you're told over and over things look good and yet nothing seems to work as it "should". Like the previous comments, as annoying as it is, it is a mix of the statistics of the fertility treatments and what you are comfortable doing going forward. We're also in the unexplained category - there was a mild male factor of abnormality, but our three IUIs we did they were very happy with the numbers, so we too thought why wouldn't it work? But it didn't and i had a really tough time deciding whether to continue with IUI or move onto IVF. We took about a three month break where I kept in contact we our RE about what IVF would cost/entail and kept IUI on the table. I did a lot of research during that time and ended up just taking the dive into IVF. Right before we were supposed to start, I got my first ever positive, only to lose the pregnancy a few days later. We had a night to decide if we wanted to do IVF still that cycle. At first I said no, and then the next morning I woke up with a new perspective and said F this, I am ready. So it really does have somewhat to do with trusting your instincts and how you truly feel. I have my first ever FET hopefully in 2 weeks. I am scared but really hopeful, but I know this was the right path for us after all said and done.

It is absolutely frustrating, no doubt about that. I have days where I'm only capable of watching TV and be depressed, and then I have days where I feel better and confident, but infertility doesn't really leave your mind. I remind myself it's ok to be up and down and do what I have to do to get through all of this. I think the best possible thing I did was research and listen to others stories (youtube, instagram, etc.) on the process of IVF and IUI... just gave me insight that you can't always get from the doctors office.

I am hoping and praying for you. If you have questions, I'm happy to answer. Take a deep breath and know that you are strong and that you can do this, not matter what this is, is next :)

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