IUI Week 3

If you're just joining the series, this is post #3 of 6.  If you'd like to start from the beginning, scroll down to the bottom and click "IUI" which will pull up all posts associated to our IUI process.  Once the refreshed view generates, scroll to the bottom and read up.  As I stated in the series introduction, please don't make any assumptions, ask any questions or post any comments until the series is complete...you never get the full picture until the puzzle is finished.  Thanks!

Day 15
Today was the big day...insemination.  We woke up before 7...on a Sunday...and arrived at Dr. K's office about 10 minutes to 8.  We pulled into the parking lot and were the only car.  Luckily, the front doors of the office building were unlocked and we proceeded to the 2nd floor.  As we stepped off the elevator, the clinic doors weren't open and the lights weren't on.  Oh no...did we go to the right place at the right time on the right day?!  Sigh of relief...a few minutes later, Dr. K's nurse came in and opened the clinic.

The technician called JPug back once she arrived and he did his thing.  It would take the technician about an hour to wash his sample so we left the office and enjoyed a quick breakfast.  Once we returned, we waited in the office for about 15 minutes before Dr. K's nurse, Jamie, escorted us back into an exam room.  She answered a few questions we had and reviewed the results of JPug's sample.  Good news...the numbers were improved from the previous 3 samples...still below the target numbers but literally 100% better than they were previously so JPug and I were pleased...guess the medical food is actually working :)  Jamie provided a gown, asked me to change and returned about 10 minutes later to complete the procedure.  The procedure is similar to a yearly exam...slightly uncomfortable but no real pain.  Once she was all set up, she inserted a catheter into my cervix and inserted the sample into my uterus...insemination complete.  I laid back on an elevated table for 15 minutes and we were free to go about our day.

Now comes the hardest part...waiting.  We'll wait two weeks before we take a pregnancy test.  Right now, two weeks seems like FOREVER.

Day 20

Today I began another medication, Endometrin, to ensure the lining of my uterus stays thick enough to support implantation and a maturing embryo.  I’ll continue to take the pills once a day until we take “the test”.  If it’s negative, I’ll discontinue the Endometrin and allow my body to cycle.  If it’s positive, I’ll continue taking the pills through my 10^th week of pregnancy.  The pills are literally the biggest I’ve ever seen but at this point there’s no denying I’ll do whatever it takes to give a potential baby Pug the best chance to come on board and stay on board for a full 9 months.

Going through the process…the hurry up and wait…I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting.  On one hand, it sucks that we couldn’t conceive naturally and we had to turn to modern medicine for assistance but on the other hand, modern medicine is literally giving us the hope that we will one day have our own, biological child(ren).  The advances in medicine, understanding of the reproductive process and steps doctors can take to make positive changes…the whole process is TRULY AMAZING.