How many IUIs before success ?

mskeenan

Hello again ladies ! Im on the IF board but wanted to ask how many IUIs yall had before your BFP ? I am still debating doing IVF but financially my husband and I just can't afford it . However, I don't know how much longer it's worth paying for injectables and IUIs . I have done 2 injectable cycles with TI and 2 IUI cycles .

Kelley421

3rd IUI was it for us.
We had read that success rates drop tremendously after 3-4 failed IUIs so we planned on that many. IVF was not an option for us. (Not saying after 3-4 it doesn't work, of course there is success for some on later tries)

KidShrink

First IUI worked for us, but that's likely because lots of work had just been done in there, significantly increasing our chances. Our plan was to do 2 IUIs before moving on to IVF as the clock was ticking (I was told I'd likely need another laparoscopy within 6 months given how bad my endometriosis was). I think this is highly dependent on your diagnosis though, and I've heard the same that after 3 times of the same treatment, it's time to move on to the next step. What meds are you taking? Oral or injectibles?

mskeenan

Thanks for the feedback @Kelley421 and @KidShrink ! I've been doing femara + gonal f + ovidrel . I did get pregnant on my last IUI but it was chemical . I'm not sure if I should start over and treat this current cycle I'm on as my first and do 2 more before moving on ? Such a hard decision .

KidShrink

I don't think it would hurt. If that doesn't do the trick, have you looked into different programs that may help you afford the IVF (I feel like there's been many discussions about these on the IF board), or take the time to save up? It's tough to put things on hold, but sometimes that's what necessary to be able to get to your end goal (we put things on hold twice during our year with the RE, both times to figure stuff out healthwise and get surgeries). Type A me wasn't happy, but those things needed to get figured out before we could move on.

AdorkablePixie

I got pregnant on my first IUI. I know that after your third IUI the chances of success go down, but that doesn't mean it won't work. I think, and this might sound weird, that once people have a cp they seem to get pregnant the next cycle or shortly after. I don't know why that is but it seems to be the case.

mskeenan

@AdorkablePixie I have heard that too ! Just got my beta results today - negative for me this month . I'm hoping my next cycle will be the one !! How are you feeling btw ???

AdorkablePixie

@mskeenan I am feeling good! I'm always a bit tired and my bbs are sore, but other than that I'm good.  I was very lucky and haven't gotten morning sickness, so I am thankful for that!

aceoffaith

We did 2 IUIs. The first was Femara + Ovidrel, BFN.

The second was much more involved, Femara, Follistim, Ovidrel, IUI, Prometium, BFP!

It's very draining, emotionally and financially. The number of times you IUI before IVF is as much up to your feelings as it is to the science!

Good luck, I hope you get your BFP soon

NB817

2nd IUI worked for us, but after having surgery to remove fibroids and unblocking my tube.

I think it depends on what your DX is. What is yours @mskeenan?

mrsloriw

Depends on the reason I think for the infertility...we had 6 failed iui's and our first IVF worked! In hindsight we should've started with IVF but we had male factor problems also. The drugs are the most expensive part which you can do with either iui's or Ivf. I got the meds thru WINFertility and they were at least half the cost that my insurance and normal rx plan would cover.

mskeenan

@NB817 I have pcos . Husbands sperm is good . We are about to start our 3rd IUI (after two rounds of injectables and TI) I hope it works this time !

@mrsloriw that's great you had success with IVF ! Oddly enough our insurance covers most of our meds ... But doesn't cover procedures (doesn't make any sense) so we are still trying to decide when to move on to IVF