IUI with donor sperm

Hi ladies, it’s been a while since I’ve been active, but I just wanted to share my journey as of yet. We started trying on our own in early 2018, I luckily got pregnant within two months, but slowly the test line faded away and I got my “period.” I was devastated, I had already imagined growing a baby and calculated the due date which ironically was April Fools day. How foolish of me to be so naive. We kept trying and trying, months of negative tests, adding supplements, naturopathic doctors, acupuncture, and whatever else I could do to possibly improve our chances. Finally, during the week of what would have been my due date, I found out we were pregnant again! A December due date. I never thought, we would suffer the same fate, but we unfortunately had another chemical.

Now, it was time to get serious, I got a referral for fertility specialist and got started with testing November 2019 with possible treatment early 2020. We decided to give it our best shot and go straight for IVF. We were all set to go, final documents were signed, however, COVID hit and delayed our retrieval until September 2020! We got 12 eggs, 9 mature, 6 fertilized, and 4 blastocysts (2 High quality and 2 fair). We transferred a fresh 5AA blast which unfortunately didn’t implant. We then tried a frozen transfer of our 4AB which also failed, and our other two embryos 5bc weren’t high enough quality to freeze. So back to square one. We live in Ontario, CA, and we’re on a IVF government funded wait list, and our turn came ip, May 2021! Second retrieval I only had 5 mature eggs retrieved using max dose stims! 3 fertilized and two made it to blast. We transferred a fresh blast that had binucleated origins and I knew may not have qualified for freeze, so gave it a chance but again failed to implant.

We still have a 4BB frozen, but I thought of switching gears, and backpedal to try a less invasive approach, as I felt maybe all I needed was a boost and that my body may synchronize better with a more natural approach, so on our follow up appointment, I asked if we could try IUI. My partner only wanted me to be happy, he agreed to us trying iui with donor sperm, as he was older and it may have been a factor. Our RE agreed to trying 3x, but I’d have to do carrier screen testing, talk to a psychologist, pick a donor, and have the sperm and paperwork processed before we could begin = more delays. Expected start September/October 2021.

This is where it gets bad…August 2021, I found out my mom and step dad tragically died, and the very next month, just last month, my partner suddenly died! I am now left to try iui with donor sperm on my own.

I had my first IUI set to occur this month, but after taking low dose injections for five days, I responded to well, similarly to the previous IVF cycles’ results, so I had to have my cycle cancelled. Hopefully, next cycle is a go.

Am I being unwise for still wanting to do this on my own? I’m not exactly a spring chicken, and don’t feel ready to jump into a new relationship after being with my partner for 15 years. I found the cutest donor and I’m excited to see if this will make the difference. I net about 70K+ a year, is it feasible? I am determined to somehow make it work, anyway.

Sorry about the long post, thank you for making it to the end. I just wanted to let it out and see what you may think about it, maybe find an IUI buddy, or a friend. All the best ladies!

The End