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At-home IUI - Page 2

post #21 of 35
3/14/10 at 2:36pm
Thread Starter 
We have ordered from TSBC and PRS and both asked for "dr authorization" so we had our midwife sign. We have been having it shipped directly to our house in batches of 3 months right when it's time to insem, then storing the other 2 months at a local fertility clinic to save on shipping.
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post #22 of 35
3/26/10 at 2:26pm
Hi, I have done one at home IUI and had problems with getting all of the sperm out of the catheter. Any advice on how to make sure all comes out? The only way I can get it all out is to push the plunger down quickly which I keep reading is not good.

FYI we use the Z cat catheter from ZDL Inc/Dr Zavos

TIA!!
post #23 of 35
3/26/10 at 10:31pm
Thread Starter 
Basically, unless you flush out the catherter with saline, there will always be a tiny bit left, as I understand it. And that's fine.

My partner freaked out when she saw how much one time, so we asked our midwife if there was anything we could do. It's hard to describe, but our midwife showed us to get just a tiny bit of air behind the sperm and use that to get the bulk of it through. Of course, the air never enters the catheter itself, or the uterus (of course), but is just used as a bit of a cushion. Without guidance this just sounds like terrible dangerous random advice on the internet though, so maybe someone else has a better resource!
post #24 of 35
3/26/10 at 11:50pm
Milletpuff--so to get the air behind the sperm should you pull back the plunger on the syringe a bit before attaching the catheter and drawing up the sperm?
post #25 of 35
2/17/11 at 1:28am

I found another place, which seems very reasonable.  http://shop.inseminationsupplies.com/main.sc  I have heard that on ebay you can find a lot of ovulation & pregnancy tests very inexpensively.  wave.gif  Hope this helps.  We are going to try this in the next few months after we get all the testing and I visit the OB.  Most likely will have to get on Clomid or fertility injections, @ 35 me eggs have left me body, so that lessens the chance of me getting pregnant.

post #26 of 35
3/4/12 at 4:50pm

I realize this is a very old thread but I'm hoping someone will be able to answer me... do you need a slip tip or lock tip syringe to attach to the Tomcat catheter? 

post #27 of 35
3/4/12 at 5:11pm
Slip tip
post #28 of 35
3/4/12 at 5:15pm

Thanks! So it doesn't actually attach, it just slides on? Our catheter is in the mail but it didn't come with the syringe so i'm trying to buy one on ebay. 

post #29 of 35
3/5/12 at 5:44am
I guess it's just friction. I don't think 1 cc syringes come with locks, now that I think of it.
post #30 of 35
3/5/12 at 7:26am

Steele Tig, not sure what bank you're using, but our sperm (from TSBC) came with syringes that slipped right on to the catheters. One piece of advice- put the catheter on the syringe FIRST, then draw up the sperm directly into the catheter. If you draw the sperm into the syringe, then attach the catheter, you'll have trouble getting it all out.

 

It's been three years since we've done this, but we're actually starting again this week, so feel free to send me a private message if you want to chat.

post #31 of 35
3/6/12 at 7:18pm

Thanks, our sperm was purchased from Fairfax but it's been in storage at a local fertility lab to be used with an RE so it came with nothing.  

post #32 of 35
3/10/12 at 12:44pm

Okay, another question, lol... my friend (the midwife) suggested buying some sterile saline to flush the IUI catheter with to make sure all the sperm gets into the uterus. Has anyone done this? 

post #33 of 35
3/10/12 at 12:53pm
We didn't but I could see the value in it.
post #34 of 35
3/13/12 at 7:39am
Don't do it- I'm pretty sure you'll kill some sperm! Our bank specifically warns against rinsing the syringe with anything, as even water can kill sperm.

If you put the catheter on the syringe first, before you draw up the sperm, then use the tip of the catheter to draw all the sperm out of the vial, you should then be able to plunge the syringe and fully empty the catheter into the uterus.

We did have a situation once where somehow some air got in to the syringe, and not all the sperm was emptied out. My DP then removed the catheter from the syringe, drew back on the syringe to pull in a tiny bit of air, reattached it, and then reinserted it and plunged. Does that make sense?
post #35 of 35
3/14/12 at 5:00am

From what I recall, saline is safer than water (water follows salt, if the saline has the same amount of salt as semen, balance is maintained.  If the sperm cells have more salt than the surrounding water, water rushes into the cell trying to achieve osmotic balance and the spermies explode), but we did like Angela said.  We drew up through the cath and kept the cath pointed down so the bubble stayed at the top to push everything back out, and not go into the body.