Tell me about IUI and injectables please.

grazy · August 2009

I don't respond to Clomid at all, and so my gyno is sending me to an RE. I go on Tuesday. My gyno said he thinks I will respond very well to IVF. My insurance covers IVF 75%. However, I just got off the phone with the billing department at the RE's office, and she said I have to do four IUIs before IVF will be covered, UNLESS the RE can prove that I have to do IVF because IUI won't work.

Obviously, I will talk to the RE on Tuesday about all of this. But I am wondering about IUI....how did it work? What injectables did you use? Side effects? How long is the whole process?

Me and my DH read up so much about IVF, and I feel like I don't know anything about IUI! So will you lovely ladies educate me please? Thanks so much!

krissyh21 · August 2009

The injectable meds are the same as the stimming meds for IVF, there are several kinds available, I did it with Gonal F.

The stimming process is about 5-10 days depending on response. You start on cd3 and conitnue every day, you will have monitoring appointments for several days so they can track follie growth and E2 levels then you will be told to trigger with HcG (ovidrel). Your IUI is about 36 hours later.

IUI itself is simple similar to a pap, and the insert the sperm in through a thin catheter.

SIde effects for me were just some bloat. Good luck!

MBandBud · August 2009

Normally your body produces 1 follicle each cycle. The meds used in an IUI are to generate many, thereby increasing your chances. Then you trigger to release the follicles, as usually your body releases one, this trigger shot releases any mature follicles which can be indicative of eggs. 36 hours later you go in for the IUI itself and that is when they take washed sperm and use a catheter to get it into your uterus. So, essentially, it is the same process as sex, but you increase follicles, use washed sperm and go straight to the uterus with the sperm which hopefully increases the chances.

If you are not responding to Clomid does that mean you are not generating follicles? If that is the Dx, then it might simply mean you need a different Rx to generate follicles. I am all about solving the source of the problem instead of taking apart everything if it is unnecessary. GL to you and this board is a great place for questions. Lots of IUI's have happened here!!

grazy · August 2009

MBandBud-I don't produce any follicles on Clomid.

krissyh21 · August 2009

Injectables can be increased or decreased as you go so your responce should be better. It also works directly on your ovaries as clomid works on your brain (in non scientific terms) so usually how you respond to clomid is not an acurate gauge as to how you will respond to injectables.

psychmusetls · August 2009

i didn't respond to clomid at all either. I moved on to follistim/ovidrel/IUI, both BFN. the doctors don't think IUI will work for me b/c my tubes are long and awkwardly arranged so i'm moving on to IVF in december.

i loved follistim b/c i didn't get the horrible side effects i got from clomid. however, i could get very tired, and emotional. . . and i gained a lot more weight while on 2 rounds of follistim than i did in a years worth of clomid ( i did take several breaks b/c the side effects were so horrible for me so it's not like i did 12 rounds on clomid. . . )

I used an HCG trigger - ovidrel. I bloated badly from that. and of course all the psuedopregnancy symptoms are kick in the nuts.

sit down and talk to your doctor about what he thinks about with IUI for you. to me it was worth a shot b/c i have unlimited IUI's with my insurance but only 4 IVF attempts.

Good luck with whatever you decide!!

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