Well, we WERE taking a break, but....?

[Hulahoop]

hey, all.

i've been taking a break from the forums AND my monitor ANd my temping and generally just trying to relax from ttc madness, because we have a forced break this month since we'll be away for hte holidays when i think i will ovulate.

well, we decided to continue the cervix looking, and yesterday and today, my cervix has been WIDE open, with lots of mucous (alhtough it's not yet egg white). today is only day 10, though, and the earliest i've ever surged is Day 11. so now we're like, maybe we should give it one try before we leave tomorrow morning. BUT....my OPK is not showing a surge, and it has every other month (but....every other month, we didn't get pregnant, so i'm wondering if maybe we should get out of our routine). i'm just wondering if any of you would go ahead and do it when some signs line up, but there's no surge...? we could have a midwife come late tonight and do it. the other question....since timing may be early (but really, who knows?), would you do IUI or vaginal?

thanks in advance. i'm completely torn!

[frog]

Fresh or frozen?

[Hulahoop]

Sorry...frozen. Until now, it's always been IUI at the clinic. And we may only be able to get washed sperm, so it may have to be an IUI.

[simcon]

I can't think that there'd be any advantage to doing a vaginal insem over an IUI with frozen, no matter what the timing was--some sperm inevitably don't make it through the cervix, up into the uterus, so I don't think you'd be improving your chances with a longer route for them. (if it was a choice between a fresh vaginal insem and a frozen IUI, I think that one would be worth weighing in terms of timing)

[frog]

If you can get unwashed, I'd do the ICI. But, as you said, if you can only get washed, IUI it is!

[Hulahoop]

thanks, everyone!

our midwife suggested i wait until i get my egg white mucous and then do an ICI (cause of the timing issues with IUI). i went to the bathroom after our conversation, and lo and behold, there was the egg white!

i'm thinking we'll try it once tonight or early tomorrow morning.

[simcon]

I must be missing something...

Is that there are fewer sperm in an IUI sample? Or do unwashed frozen sperm live longer than washed ones?

Just curious!

[frog]

Originally Posted by simcon

Is that there are fewer sperm in an IUI sample? Or do unwashed frozen sperm live longer than washed ones?

The latter.

ETA: Hulahoop, I'm SO EXCITED for you. Why I'm this geeked about your cervical mucus is totally lost on me, but whatever.

[Hulahoop]

Thanks, frog! I know, i swear, i'm so in love with my cervix and mucous right now!

Simcon, unwashed sperm does live longer than washed sperm, which is why you can get better coverage (timing wise, at least) with an ICI vs IUI. but you are totally correct about the ways that IUI is better than ICI, as far as getting the sperm up htere in the right place. but IUI frozen sperm can live as little as 6 hours (according to our midwife and our clinic), while unwashed frozen ICI sperm tend to live closer to 12 hours, or even more. Our midwife has a cute way of explaining that with IUI, the sperm are just thrown in the uterus with nowhere to hide, and your body can think they're not supposed to be there and attack it (obviously, they're supposed to get there eventually, but the body isn't used to them getting shot up there so fast). whereas with an ICI, they can sorta hide out and make their own way. plus, they have the semen to help them along.

sometimes, when i do IUIs, i worry that my body is killing the sperm before they can do their thing. that, plus my early scheduling this time, make ICI a better option in this instance. plus, hell, i've always done IUIs and i'm still not pregnant, so i figure i'll mix it up.

plus, it's the winter solstice! yay!

[ProudMamaSF]

I do want to chime in and say that we used frozen IUI sperm for ICI and got pregnant...and my dear friend also has had FIVE pregnancies- each on the 1st try- using frozen IUI sperm for ICI at home...

Hulahoop, best of luck and tons of babydust..it often seems like the "off" cycles are the ones that take. The cycle that DW got pregnant we insemmed on a totally different schedule than the previous 2X and got lucky...hoping the same for you!