Natural IUI, CD10 results normal?

mzl1

Hi! This is our first IUI cycle. Unmedicated. I had a colposcopy 2 years ago with 2 wide areas removed, and very little EWCM, so I’m hoping IUI is what we need. I had one 14mm follicle today on CD10, the rest were <10mm. My labs were: estrogen 143, FSH 5, LH 8, progesterone .18

Would appreciate any insight! Thanks!

wishing-and-hoping

Hi @mzl1 - I have never had blood work done on cd10 so I can't comment on those estrogen/FSH/LH/progesterone #s but a 14mm follicle on cd10 is probably right where you want to be.  They think they grow about 1-2mm/day, so if you ovulate somewhere around cd14 you'll have a good size follicle.  Typically they want 16mm+ before you trigger (though idk if you'll trigger with a natural IUI) best size being in the 18-22 range.  Good luck and feel free to join us on the May IUI board.

suzycupcake

@mzl1 I second what @wishing-and-hoping said about the follicle size and joining the May IUI thread. Those ladies are wonderful in there. Such a supportive group!  

Also, most of us get some cd3 results for those hormones, but it doesn't mean your doc did anything wrong. It's best to look at the ranges that the lab gives on your test results. If those hormones are within the normal range, then there's nothing to be concerned about. Best wishes to you. I hope that you will be a one and done! 

mzl1

Thanks so much! I will join the other form. May I also ask- they offered me a trigger vs when OPKs positive. I will likely O (by my history) Sat v Sun, and it’s best for our schedules to do this Fri. Let’s say my OPK wasn’t going to be + yet Fri morning and we did a trigger shot so that we could do IUI Fri. Does it mean a lower chance of success bc we maybe made the egg come out before it was ready? 

suzycupcake

@mzl1 Even with a natural IUI, they should be monitoring your follicle with ultrasound to see when it is mature. The trigger shot shouldn't be given until the follicle is at least 17mm. If that is made sure of, then all the trigger does is control when you ovulate so that they can manage the timing of the IUI. For example, say you went in on Wednesday cd13 and your follicle is at least 17mm. They will tell you to trigger that night and then have you come in around 36 hours later to do the IUI.

It really depends on your follicle size. The trigger overrides your body's natural LH surge to control the timing of the IUI. That's why they have you do opks at home because if you get a positive, they will most likely not have you trigger since you Ovulate regularly and have you come in to do the IUI around the same time frame. It really depends when you don't trigger because they have no idea if you are someone who will Ovulate 12 hours after the positive, 24, or 36 hours later. If you track bbt every cycle and your O date is pretty consistent, that might make it easier to decipher if you get a positive opk prior to trigger. 

In my experience, monitoring is the key to getting the timing right; both by you at home with opks and bbt, and by your doctor with u/s. 

wishing-and-hoping

I agree with @suzycupcake - procedure at my clinic would be to have you come in again for u/s probably 2 days later to re-check follicle size.  I believe that studies show using the trigger shot yields better results than a natural O because you can time things more precisely, so if you have the option, I would go with that.

mzl1

Thanks so much, ladies! Yes, I’m returning tomorrow for another ultrasound to see how it’s grown from 14mm. I will take the trigger shot option thanks to your advice.’I was just worried that “forcing” the follicle to come out before my body decided it was ready (via LH surge) would result in an immature egg being ovulated- but I suppose that’s the point of measuring follicle Size!! Thank you

suzycupcake

@mzl1 I remember I feared that too until I was told it overrides it. For me, I don't even know why I was worried because my body doesn't ovulate regularly anyway ha ha! There are so many things to learn in this journey. Hang in there!