In Between Days

IUI day was stressful, but ultimately went well. We had to be at the RE's office at 7:30 AM, prefaced by a 30 minute drive in the rain. My husband did his thing, and we were sent away for a couple of hours. We didn't really have enough time to go home, and didn't really know where to go, so we basically drove around being crabby with each other for 2 hours. I think the combination of lack of sleep, rain, and boredom got the better of us. But we slogged through, and made it back to the doctor at 9:30.

There we got the best news of the day: my husband's sperm count was 85 million. At our first IUI, the count was lower (though I don't remember the exact number), and there was some agglutination, which concerned my RE. Obviously that IUI was not successful, so we were already off to a better start.

My regular RE was in surgery that morning, so another doctor filled in for her. The replacement RE was very nice, and instantly put us both at ease. She had a little trouble getting the speculum at the correct angle (ow!), but once it was in place the IUI went off without a hitch. Once again, they left us alone for 10-15 minutes to relax, and then we went home. The night after the IUI, I started taking 200 mg of natural progesterone, to help build up my uterine lining (we didn't do this after our first IUI, and now I'm wondering why).

My husband tells me he has a good feeling about this one, and has raised his personal odds of success to 42%. I am hopeful, but I'm more cautiously optimistic than I was last time. When I got my period after the first IUI, I was crushed. It had taken us so long to get to that point, I thought that it was finally our time, and all the waiting would be over. I knew the odds of success, but figured that we would buck the odds, and find success on our first try. Now I feel like I'm a little more seasoned, and have seen how quickly things can fall apart just when you thought they were working.

So now we're waiting. It's been just over a week, and I've spent a lot of time overanalyzing every twinge my body makes, wondering if it's a symptom of pregnancy. If I don't get a period, I will take a blood test on Friday to test my HCG levels. Last time, I started my period the day before I was to take the blood test, so I'm sure Thursday will be an anxious day (though I just had a thought--regardless of whether or not I'm pregnant, I probably won't get a period since I'm taking progesterone). This two week wait is such a strange time--you've spent the weeks before in a big rush, doing all the injections, getting multiple ultrasounds, and (hopefully) making it to the IUI. Then it all stops abruptly, and all there is to do is wait.