Anonymous wrote:Lesbian (so there's that). Monitoring showed I wasn't ovulating on my own. with clomid and a trigger shot I got pregnant on my 2nd IUI. I was 38.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PCOS + male factor here.

For 1st child we tried 2 IUIs, unsuccessfully, and then had success with first IVF. The IUIs felt like a waste especially because sperm count was super low after the wash each time.

2nd child, we were able to boost sperm count by giving DH clomid, so tried IUI again. Worked on 2nd try.

I think it’s a viable course of action particularly if your dx is PCOS or MFI or unexplained and you’re on the “younger” side so can afford to spend some time going through cycles. If not then I may say don’t bother with them. Definitely don’t do more than 3 if no pregnancy. If you’re dealing with DOR for example, I’d say go straight to IVF.

Wow I had no idea men could take/benefit from clomid!

Anonymous wrote:PCOS + male factor here.

For 1st child we tried 2 IUIs, unsuccessfully, and then had success with first IVF. The IUIs felt like a waste especially because sperm count was super low after the wash each time.

2nd child, we were able to boost sperm count by giving DH clomid, so tried IUI again. Worked on 2nd try.

I think it’s a viable course of action particularly if your dx is PCOS or MFI or unexplained and you’re on the “younger” side so can afford to spend some time going through cycles. If not then I may say don’t bother with them. Definitely don’t do more than 3 if no pregnancy. If you’re dealing with DOR for example, I’d say go straight to IVF.

Anonymous wrote:I was successful on my third IUI attempt. We knew I wasn't ovulating so the main point of IUI for me was really taking the fertility drugs. Maybe medicated timed intercourse would have worked just as well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well first of all, I think a lot of people with issues on the male side do IUI, which makes sense. Assuming all is good there, it's just an intermediate step that is much less invasive(/expensive) than IVF so, for many, seems like it's worth a try.

I have annovulatory PCOS, and my first is an iui baby - I'm not sure that it wouldn't have happened without IUI, but we wanted to maximize our chances since I was having to use drugs to get myself to ovulate every month. My first IUI worked but I had an early miscarriage; my third IUI I got pregnant with my first.

I think it's a reasonable intermediate step if you have male issues OR if you're requiring ovulation assistance (clomid, injectables) - sort of a why not do this too to maximize your shot each round. Obviously people who did not have success with it and ended up ultimately moving to IVF will look back and feel like it was a waste of time and money - but there are definitely success stories out there.

How long have you been trying?

That's a really good point in terms of people who have done IVF and are looking back. I've been trying for a year and have DOR but secondary infertility (have one kid naturally). Don't want to pay OOP for IVF quite yet and doctor said IUI is worth trying especially since I conceived/had successful pregnancy once already. Was just interested in hearing success stories since the great majority seem to be negative.

I definitely understand that! We are about to start trying for our second so this has all been on my mind too. Did your doctor suggest trying clomid/letrozole/anything else along with the IUI, or just straight IUI?

She recommended Clomid first, then injectables if it's not bringing enough follicles up. Also, solidarity fist bump!

I hate that money= possible having more kids. If I had all the money in the world I'd just do a few banking cycles, PGS it, and then move on with my life.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well first of all, I think a lot of people with issues on the male side do IUI, which makes sense. Assuming all is good there, it's just an intermediate step that is much less invasive(/expensive) than IVF so, for many, seems like it's worth a try.

I have annovulatory PCOS, and my first is an iui baby - I'm not sure that it wouldn't have happened without IUI, but we wanted to maximize our chances since I was having to use drugs to get myself to ovulate every month. My first IUI worked but I had an early miscarriage; my third IUI I got pregnant with my first.

I think it's a reasonable intermediate step if you have male issues OR if you're requiring ovulation assistance (clomid, injectables) - sort of a why not do this too to maximize your shot each round. Obviously people who did not have success with it and ended up ultimately moving to IVF will look back and feel like it was a waste of time and money - but there are definitely success stories out there.

How long have you been trying?

That's a really good point in terms of people who have done IVF and are looking back. I've been trying for a year and have DOR but secondary infertility (have one kid naturally). Don't want to pay OOP for IVF quite yet and doctor said IUI is worth trying especially since I conceived/had successful pregnancy once already. Was just interested in hearing success stories since the great majority seem to be negative.

I definitely understand that! We are about to start trying for our second so this has all been on my mind too. Did your doctor suggest trying clomid/letrozole/anything else along with the IUI, or just straight IUI?

Anonymous wrote:Worked for me twice, once we got the right meds for ovulation (fsh, not clomid).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many insurance companies require you to try X number of rounds of IUI before they will pay for IVF. It's often not up to the patient or the doctor.

This exactly. For many it's a means to an end to get insurance coverage for IVF. It was for us. We had to do 6 IUI cycles before getting coverage for IVF. Some people get lucky, though.