Bad Blogger ... in the 2ww

Yes, I've been a very bad blogger.  Perhaps there's an award out there for someone like me.  lol  But seriously, I really hadn't had much to report.  But now I do.

I'm currently in the 2ww after an IUI on January 15th.  I opted to go in for LH monitoring bloodwork starting on CD 10, which was last Wednesday, thanks to 2 very wonky cycles in which I wasn't sure I actually ovulated.  I am absolutely certain based on my charts, temps and abdominal pain that I had a cyst (or 2) in November and December.  I had a quick follow up with the RE in early December and she said my charts still looked biphasic but that I could do a 7 dpo progesterone test.  Which I couldn't do because I was out of the province for 3 weeks over the holidays.

So, I just went with that cycle anticipating my call with the clinic nurse to tell me the protocol for a January IUI.  And my December cycle was bizarre.  But I did get my call on December 21st prepping me for January.  The process for an unmedicated IUI at my clinic is to call in on CD 1 and leave a message.  The nurses will call you back the next day.  My protocol is to start either OPKs or LH bloodwork on CD 10 since I've ovulated as early as CD 12.  Because of my 2 wonky cycles I opted for daily bloodwork to be on the safe side. 

I had a super nervous stomach leading up to the start of bloodwork.  Wow!  That was something I wasn't expecting at all.  But as soon as I went in for the first draw it settled.  On Friday, I got the call that I was surging, i.e. LH >30, and that I would come in Saturday at 9 am for my IUI.  Yeah!  Considering it looks like I ovulated on CD 17 in December I was relieved.  Friday was a great day until I got to my park & ride and saw the lovely ticket from the city.  Why have a park & ride if people can't park there?  Stupid.

Saturday, I was up early to get to the clinic with a 1/2 hour to spare.  They say to be there 15 minutes early but that is when they call you into the treatment room and considering snow was in the forecast I wanted to leave early.  I had time to break out a book before they called my name.

I met the nurse who wasn't sure if this was my 1st or 2nd IUI.  Definitely the first.  Apparently there were a few of newbies on Saturday.  We double checked the paperwork and the vial to make sure the donor number was correct.  I got a look at the report:
Volume = 5 mL
Total sperm count = 80 million
# sperm/mL = 16 million
Motility = 40% (this one is a little on the low side of normal and has me slightly concerned so I might follow up)

And then we got down to business.

The nurse couldn't find my cervix opening.  *sigh*  Apparently my cervix was tipped to the left.  No one has told me that before so I don't know if this is the usual thing or if it was playing jokes on us.  She used a speculum that was too short ... and caused way too much pain.  My toes were curling up.  She got a longer one and was finally able to find the cervix.  I felt the catheter go in and even though it wasn't anything I'd like to experience every day it was definitely bearable.

And then, it was done.  Short and sweet.  I was to lie there for 15 minutes and wait for the doctor to check on me before I could leave.  I have to say it was really, really weird sitting there on my back staring at the ceiling and the clock thinking about all the little swimmers making their way around my uterus.  I've never so much as had unprotected sex my entire life so it made it all the more surreal.  Dr. J. came in, not the doc I was expecting, and made sure everything was okay.  No problem.  And I was given my card for my pregnancy test on February 1st.  I'm out of town that day so I'll have to call back and schedule it for the 2nd.  Although, given my luteal phase length (13 or 14 days) if this IUI didn't work I'll definitely know before the 1st ... or the 2nd.

Out of curiosity I took OPKs on Saturday after the IUI and I got a positive in the morning and afternoon both Fir.st Res.ponse and Cle.ar Blue Di.gital.  Based on the OPKs and the abdominal pain I felt I am certain I ovulated on the weekend.  And I've seen 2 days of temp rises as well.  I'm now waiting to see if I get another temp rise tomorrow before ovulation can be confirmed.

I took Saturday fairly easy spending the morning on the couch with my cat on my lap and dealing with the low level abdominal and cervical pain and the spotting from the IUI.  By Sunday I was feeling much better, no pain left at all.

I'm really happy I chose to go with bloodwork because if I relied on OPKs alone I might have missed my surge althogether.  If there is a follow up IUI, and I'm sure there will be just based on statistics, I'll definitely go in for bloodwork again.  And now I get to move on to pregnancy tests in a couple weeks and guaranteed I'll become a POAS (pee on a stick) aholic.  ;-)