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I'm on my 4th IUI cycle right now. My RE told me I get two more IUI cycles after this one and then we have to change game plans, presumably to IVF. We did look into IVF last year. The live birth rate per cycle is much higher than it is with IUI. IUI is approx 10%, whereas IVF is 25%. The cost per IVF cycle is about $8500-$10000 in my area, which is one of the most expensive metro areas in the US. There is a agency that sells IVF insurance. The cost is $25000 for 3 cycles and the price is refunded if there is not live birth. They also offer loans.

We've also looked into adoption. The total cost for International adoption is approximately $35,000. Some countries may be cheaper, but they all work out to be around the same after all the expenses have been added in. I don't know which way we'll go. Domestic adoption is much less, but not as clear cut.

Thanks, Lena. Did you take injectionable fertility meds with your IUI cycles? I have an appointment with my RE on July 7th and have high hopes of convincing him to try an idea that I have. I have heard countless stories of women who have conceived very easily just after being pregnant, after a m/c or d & c. I'm hoping that small amount of HCG in my system from the blighted ovum will give me this brief (3-6 month) fertility boost. I hope to convince my RE to allow me to try 2 or 3 unmedicated cycles of IUI and just see if it happens for me. Otherwise, this is my last hope. My husband would never consent for IVF, and I cannot endure anymore drugs or "assisted reproductive technology".

And, besides, I have two beautiful children already.

I'm only on clomid right now and then I get a shot of hCG 24 hrs before IUI, which will be tomorrow. I had a severe reaction to clomid the first month I took it and developed huge cysts. I had to lay in bed for 10 days or risk uterine torque. We then did a few natural cycles after that because I was scared to take it again.

I wish you the best these next few months.

Lena, how are you doing after your IUI. I know sometimes those ovulation pains can be fierce. This last cycle of Repronex caused me to break out in hives and everything I read about this particular reaction was that it was life threatning. I didn't report it to my RE because I was afraid he would cancel my IUI. Right before I tried this last cycle of Repronex in March, I had charted my temps just out of curiosity to see if I was ovulating on my own. My Dec-Jan cycle temps showed natural ovulation while I was on no meds whatsoever. I'm hoping I can show this chart to my RE and he will be more convinced that natural could work. Especially since I've recently been pregnant. Best wishes for you this cycle.

Thank you for bumping this thread back up. I've been looking for it to ask how you were doing but couldn't remember the title.

My IUI didn't go well. First I had to drive 1 hr north at 9pm to get my clomid because our local pharmacy was out and my RE called in my prescription so I had no slip for Target's pharmacy. During my IUI my RE poked my uterus so deep with the catheter that I had heavy bleeding and had to run home from work with a sweater tied around my waist. To top it off our DIUI was only 3.1 million.

My RE then looks at me and says, "Next cycle we are doing injectables." Its so heartbreaking when your doctor doesn't think this cycle will work.

Are you OK? Is it an allergic reaction that caused the hives? I'm starting to believe that many of these fert drugs aren't the cure-all our RE portray them to be. I ovulated just as many follicles during my natural cycles as I did while on clomid. When do you go for your IUI?

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you this cycle. How long have you been ttc? Are you using a donor for your inseminations? My husband was diagnosed with Germinal Cell Aplasia in 1995 (which leaves him with 0 sperm) so our twins are from an anonymous donor. When I went back in 1999 to start ttc again that donor was no longer in the program and sold out. So I've been using different ones since then. My last cycle in March had 53million but they did whats called a swim-up where they take only the best most motile ones to do the IUI with. I think frozen sperm have a little less success than fresh. You can e-mail me at [email protected] if you would like. Once again, I hope this cycle works for you. That 2ww is awful I know.

We started ttc in April 2002 and have been working with RE's from the start. My husband had a vasectomy 15 years ago and we tried a reversal. The odds were about 5% but vasovasectomy is a quick, simple surgery and relatively cheap so we took the gamble. Unfortunately he had to many sperm antibodies. We then looked into IVF with ICSI but his urologist said that we should have donor semen available as a back up. We figured if we were going to need a donor then we might as well try IUI first. So far we've done 4 clomid cyles and about as many natural cycles. I had a bad reaction (several huge cyst and the possibility of uterine torque) to clomid my first cycle so I was scared to use it again. Currently I'm half way thru my 2ww, but I don't have a lot of faith in this cycle. Does your family know that your twin are by a donor? If so, what was their reaction? Will you ever tell your twins? We haven't decided if we are going to tell our family. I know our immediate families would be thrilled for us, but we worry that friends might snicker. I don't know anyone that has used a donor so I really don't know how people react.

We did tell our immediate family and a few close friends. True friends shouldn't snicker. When our twins get old enough I will tell them. They already know that mommy has to go to the doctor to try to get a baby in her tummy, and that I have to take shots. Both of them were in the room when I had two of my inseminations. It also all depends on how your husband feels about whose told. Some men are sensitive, and may not want others knowing they can't father a child. My husband has had a difficult time dealing with this, and is hesitant about having anymore children this way. Although, he has been a great father to our twins, I think he is still haunted by his inability to biologically father a child. You should be finding out something soon wasn't your IUI on 6/22? I'm praying for you a BFP!

Lena, haven't heard from you in a while, how are you? Any news? I missed my July 7th appointment, and still haven't called to make another, I'm still torn right now about whether to just give up or not.

Hey you! I was just thinking about you last night, wondering what you had decided to do. The decision you are going through really is a tough one and unfortunately you are the only one who is going to know what will be the right answer. Don't expect that answer to come overnight. We went through this last year. After 7 failed IUI and a failed vasovasectomy we were just too disappointed to continue. That's when we looked into Int'l adoption. But of course, being the cursed people we are, Russia closed adoptions at that time. I honestly don't know how many more IUI cycles we are going to try. I go tomorrow & Sat for IUI and we are just taking it one cycle at a time. At the beginning of each cycle we decide if we are going to pursue it or not. It been a lot easier on me because I know that I can take a break for a month or two. I know that eventually those breaks will get longer and longer until its just not an option for us anymore.

Hey! I'm just back from vacation! We went to Fort Mountain State Park in North Georgia, and I started AF while we were there :-( . This is my first AF since miscarriage on June 1st. I will probably schedule another appointment with RE soon. I hope he will let me try 2 or 3 IUI's without any meds. I'm sorry to hear that your June IUI didn't work, I was praying 4 U. How many IUI's does this July cycle make for you? My husband and I looked into Intl. Adoption in 1996. We had applied through an agency called Villa Hope in Birmingham, AL and had decided on adopting a baby girl from China. However, they told us at the agency that they preferred we be completely finished with reproductive medicine B4 we continued. We decided to try 1 more cycle and then pursue the adoption. That's when I got pregnant with my twins - that last cycle. I'm still praying for you, I know how it feels to want a baby so desperately.

I hope you had a great time on your vacation. If your state parks are anything like our state parks here in Cal, they are all beautiful. I can't believe you got af while on vacation! When I was a teenager, my family would go waterskiing every labor day with 6 other families. Invariably, I would get af the day we were leaving every single year. It was such a drag! I had my IUI's last week and dh came to the Sat IUI. It was his first time (I usually go during the weekdays) so he's way more into it this cycle. I was really tired yesterday and he is convinced its because I'm pg, even though I told him its way, way to early. Of course, I've once again convinced myself that I"m not pg. I must do this to minimize the pain when af shows.

Hi Lena! It's been a while since I've been to the forum here. It's been hectic, I just started a new job on September 7th. I've had some very devastating news. The second week in August my husband, kids and I went fishing and when we got home my husband asked me to get something out of the glove compartment in his truck. It was there I found a copy of a letter written by my husband to the fertility clinic in Birmingham. In the letter my husband revoked any prior consent to artificial insemination that he had given. What breaks my heart the most was the date of the letter - June 3rd - 2 days after my miscarriage, and the fact that he saw no need to tell me he was doing this. Can you imagine my surprise had I made it to my July 7th appointment? At a time when I needed his support the most, he was cutting me off from all future hope of ever having anymore children. I believe our marriage is salvagable, however, it will require me to put alot of hopes and dreams to rest. I've always had the thought that maybe I was being selfish because God has already blessed me with 2 beautiful, intelligent children. More than some people get. I can't help but feel like my body is so useless now that I know that it will never carry another baby. I hope you are pregnant by now. If not, I will continue to pray for you - double now that I don't have to pray for myself. :-)

Twinsmommie, I'm so, so sorry. I can't even imagine how your emotions must be pulling you in every direction right now. I'm sure you and your husband have a lot to discuss. Its not an easy path, but I'm glad to hear your marriage is salvagable. My dh actually did something similiar earlier this year and put in the position where I had to chose between him and a baby. I understood his position that he was frustrated by all of failed attempts and adoption problems. He has a 30 yr old son so he felt his need to be a father was fulfilled but my need to be a mother wasn't. I offered to move out and that really opened his eyes to how important this is for me. He now supports parenthood 100%. I'm nearly 10 wks pg right now and he is ecstatic. We have our 3rd u/s today and that's all he could talk about this morning. He has purchased baby clothes and toys, and is obsessing about names. (All really bad ones) I wish you and your husband the best and will keep you in my prayers during this difficult time.