Help Needed... Clearblue OPK, Timing, and IUI!

Amazing817 · February 2014

Hi All,

So we are in the process of our IUI #1. I took Clomid day 3-7 and then our RE told me to use the Clearblue Digital OPK which we had been using for over a year. I tested yesterday on d9 and it as blank circle which stands for low (which I expected) and then this afternoon d10 I tested as they instructed us to test in the afternoon and its High with the shaking smiley face.

So this is my issue: Our RE wrote on the protocol sheet Peak with a smiley face around it is when we need to call to let the office know we would be in the next am, however I am just at High. So I am thinking that it means I still need to wait to go in. However, when I talked to his nurse earlier in the week she kept talking about color changes and I told her I had no idea what she was talking about because we go by the High or Peak smiling face. Then she said when you get a smiley you come in, but I don't know if she realized that there are two different smiley faces. She was so confusing me.

Am I correct that I have to wait to test another day to see when it changes to Peak or should we go in first thing tomorrow am? Problem is you can't call first in the am you just need to go in at 7am for his sample. I hate to call the doctor on call as I am embarrassed that I am messing this up but at the same time I don't want to mess up our first IUI.

Thoughts on this?!?
Thanks!

ky29 · February 2014

Are you not being monitored?

Amazing817 · February 2014

Apparently by the standards that you all have mentioned on here no.

When we met with the RE last month after my SIS and talked about moving forward this month with the IUI I asked about being monitored and if I had to come in for multiple days, etc just trying to get a feel for everything that I had read about.

He stated that they just did my bloodwork and my US from that day all looked great. I had to call his nurse when I started my cycle to make them aware and also so they can start the insurance paperwork. I questioned her several times regarding being monitored and she stated that I just go in the morning for our IUI. I asked about getting additional blood work and an us to check on everything but she said it wasn't standard procedure.

Our RE office is one of the largest and most known hospital in the state and in the Northeast for that matter. I wouldn't think that they would be doing anything wrong as they aren't a rinkadink doctors office but I did question it and they told me that what I was asking for wasn't standard for an IUI but with an IVF I would be highly monitored.

Here is the a copy of the IUI paperwork that they gave us.
https://fertilitycenter-uconn.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/OPK-IUI-FORM-11-29-102.pdf

alya219 · February 2014

I would call the doctor on call and double check. It is better to get a clear answer from them then to do something wrong. I did the same thing for my first IUI. I was doing the Gonal-F shots and had no idea that I didn't start them til day 3 so I was a nervous reck when they didn't call me back on day 1. I felt silly but at least I understood and didn't miss anything.

Most on call doctors are pretty nice about it.

rox825 · February 2014

I'm sorry that I can't help to answer your question, because I don't know. It's possible that if you had tested a few hours later you would've had a peak reading, or it's possible that you might not until the following day. This is the problem with using OPKs to time IUI. Like PP suggested, call and ask to speak with a dr this morning if you haven't already, not a nurse.

I think that sometimes fertility practices don't monitor clomid patients as much as they do inject patients, but I do think that it's still pretty standard practice to do at least a mid-cycle US after any meds and use a trigger shot to best time IUI. If you were just doing TI that might be a different story, but for IUI timing is crucial. Even if you have insurance and even if you're just on clomid, you're still spending $ on co-pays and clomid can do a number on your body (thin lining, multiple follicles) so if you're going through the expense financially, physically, and emotionally, wouldn't you want to make sure that you have the best chance possible of a good outcome? That's the benefit of monitoring and the trigger shot. Using your natural LH surge to time IUI is tricky because it takes many hours for LH to show up in your urine, and depending on what time you test, who knows when the surge actually started- 4am, 10am? And only testing once/day you could miss the surge altogether. I don't doubt that it's a reputable fertility practice, but it sounds like they may not be taking their clomid patients as seriously as their inject/IVF patients. In your shoes I'd probably want to look into finding a new practice if this cycle doesn't work. Good luck.

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