Moving on to IUI

Yeah, so I'm not pregnant.  That spotting was the arrival of early AF.  I'm actually fine with it, it's just kind of funny to me how I will convince myself that I'm pregnant with every twinge during the 2ww.  I'm not even a super optimistic person by nature.

What's helped me to feel better about the BFN, is having a solid plan for this month, which I do feel more optimistic about.  I'm definitely moving on to IUI.  I'm glad that I started with the at-home inseminations;  I just needed that privacy.  However, I don't have the patience to keep doing them.  I can see how having life divided into two week increments can become exhausting.  I'm doing ok with it so far, but it's only been two cycles.  I don't think it will take too many more before I start getting stressed, so I want off this ttc train ASAP.  Additionally, I have enjoyed the lower cost of at-home inseminations, but if I have to do more of them to get pregnant, it seems like it might end up being just as expensive.  I do also have a concern, which I think I said in a previous post, that if there is a fertility issue, the RE is not going to be investigating that until after some failed IUIs.  I could go to him and say that I've had 10 failed at-home inseminations and he would probably just tell me that I need to do IUI.

Moving on to IUI also means switching donors.  The donor who I was using for at-home inseminations only has raw vials available, which can't be used for IUI.  Technically, I know I can have them washed at my RE, but it's one more cost and I don't know how that will affect the count.  More importantly though, he's almost sold out anyway.  He's super popular.  So, I moved on to one of my other donor choices, who was actually my original first choice.  For those of you who have seen the pics, this is the blonde.  Actually, I had a very strong emotional reaction to seeing his baby pic for the first time.  As soon as I saw it, I felt like "that's my baby!"  He meets all of my basic requirements, but I will admit that he is an anonymous donor.  I do feel a bit guilty about this, but I just could not find another willing-to-be-known donor who was a good fit.  There is the possibility that this donor could switch to WTBK at some point, so I will keep my fingers crossed for that.  The good thing about him being anonymous is that it makes him less popular.  It seems like he should have vials available for awhile, which is important because I may want to purchase some sibling inventory, just in case.  The really good news about this donor is that he has crazy-high sperm counts.  The vials that I ordered are about 100 million motile for an IUI vial!  To put this in context, this sperm bank guarantees 10 million motile for IUI vials.

So, the tank will be here Friday, which is a bit earlier that normal, so that I can take it to the RE for transfer a few days before the IUI.  I should be due for the IUI later in the week of August 20th!  Hopefully, 100 million motile sperm being placed directly into the uterus will do the trick!  I find myself thinking about the potential due date and astrological sign every month.  So, if this cycle works, it will be a 5/17/2013 due date, which is on the cusp of Taurus and Gemini. So, if they're a few days late, which seems common, they will be a Gemini.  It would also mean a May-August maternity leave.  Trust me, I know that maternity leave is not like a vacation, but I think I would rather spend my summer taking care of a new baby than being at work!