Maybe someone here can help me!

[moosesmommy]

I have been searching the web for days now and this forum pops up every time, I hope you don't mind my joining to ask some questions! My husband and I are TTC #2, but his work schedule puts him away from home (10+ hours) during my ovulation EVERY month. He leaves a week prior and gets home a week after! I came across the fresh sperm shipping package and have considered having him ship me the "goods" a couple days prior to my expected ovulation date. I've also considered having him leave me a specimen cup for me to use for intravaginal insemination with the softcup method, (since I read that if your ovulation date is soon enough after your period, you can in fact get pregnant during your period, considering the life span of the sperm inside the woman's body) but I would want to wait until the last possible minute to do it, and I'm not sure how long the fresh sample would last.

I really hope someone here can answer my questions. I'm really getting bummed over our chances!

[happycalm]

I don't mind your question on here at all. I think you're in a challenging spot.  You have 2 different questions/scenarios, so I'll address them separately.

• Shipping fresh sperm--My partner and I considered this with a known donor at one point.  We didn't choose to do it for a couple of reasons.  We could not find any stats on the viability of the sperm after it had shipped.  We didn't look all that hard other than some internet searches, but I contacted one of the companies that offers this service and they never called/emailed me back.  I have seen comments online about sperm still being motile (moving) after 24 hours, but I found no discussions about a pregnancy actually being achieved.  Just because they can swim doesn't mean they are viable.  Mostly we were concerned with DNA degradation due to time and the preservatives that are used.  Now, having said that, dog and horse breeders apparently use this technology a lot.  Given the money in breeding, I'm guessing it must work or they would not do it. But that wasn't enough to make me comfortable since I could not find enough info about human sperm.  Still, it's not an expensive option so it might be worth a try.
• Being fertile during your period--this all depends on your cycle, the length of your follicular phase versus your luteal phase, etc.  You really, really need to be in touch with your own cycles.  Have you read Taking Charge of Your Fertility?  This would be an important first step in trying to get pregnant.  It would give you the information you need to know EXACTLY when YOU are most fertile, not based on the average woman but on your body.  Before you do anything else, I would read that book.
• I would recommend to just about any woman that she get some baseline fertility testing done before getting serious about conceiving. I'm not clear if doctors will do this because we went straight to a reproductive endocrinologist because we knew we'd need to artificially inseminate.  But I'm guessing that getting a doc to test for FSH, progesterone, etc. would not be that hard, especially since you have some extenuating circumstances you are dealing with.  A basic sperm analysis for your husband might not be a bad idea as well.  I don't think most doctors recommend testing for straight couples until after they have been trying for a while. But the interventions you might need to embark on are not o

I wish you much luck.  

[moosesmommy]

I totally forgot to mention my cycles are 28 days, period 1-7 and I ovulate generally on days 12-13. Thanks for the info.

[happycalm]

Well, I'm no expert but I guess if your husband were around on day 7 of your cycle theoretically you might still have some live swimmers around if you were to O on day 12.  It's a long shot, however.  

Also, you might check out this forum:    http://nwcryobank.com/forum/forum/5/trying-to-conceive/  There are a lot of folks, gay and straight, doing at home inseminations.  They might have more info that will help you.

[carmen358]

I agree it would be a long shot for it to last that long..not impossible though!

I'm not sure about fresh sperm shipping but I think it might be pricey? Is it possible for you to travel to him?

Alternatively, could you use a sperm bank and have him make a bunch of "deposits" and then just use them when you need them? Again, I have no idea how long this takes to set up or the cost.

[moosesmommy]

I really appreciate all the input ladies, I'm beginning to get pretty pessimistic about it. Unfortunately hubs will leave around days 3-4 and will return home around days 18-19. :( Traveling to him is impossible, he's not allowed to leave his location and non employees aren't allowed on-site.

[megincl]

We have done the ship fresh sperm thing and a doc took a look at the sample about 18 hours after deposit (it shipped across the country) and the quality was GREAT! I think, though, that this can certainly vary by person. It could be worth a try once, just to see....the kit is not super cheap, and your husband would need to get to a fedex location that has a 6pm drop off time. You also need to do weekday delivery, I believe, because you need the shipping option that has delivery before 10am. I've heard that if you put the sample in the fridge post shipping (with the ice it comes with) then the sperm can survive for up to 96 hours. Who knows?!?

If you're feeling like there are no other options, I'd definitely consider this one, at least just to give it a shot.

Good luck!

[AmyPDX]

Another idea--it sounds like his travel schedule is routine, and the problem is that it doesn't line up with your cycle. Could you talk to your doctor about "adjusting" your cycle to line up with when he's home? I think this can be done with birth control pills. Not sure if adjusting your cycle by a week or ten days would keep you two aligned for a dew months, but it may be an easy answer. Good luck!

[moosesmommy]

thanks everyone