# Hi girls!



## DillyDally (Aug 18, 2008)

Hi everyone

I am new to the forum and have already introduced myself on the main bit. I am a single woman who has found a known donor who has agreed to a private arrangement. Due to my age (24) I am hoping that AI at home will be successful. Is there any girls out there who have tried this? It feels I have a lot to think about i.e. timings and things. I have decided to use an OPK for the first time to try and pinpoint ov but I have read on the net allsorts of negative things and looks as though they can be quite confusing?!!  

I have also looked at IUI at a clinic but the prices are out of my budget   Hopefully there are some girls out there like me who are just starting out.

Thanks and hiya to u all.


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## suitcase of dreams (Oct 7, 2007)

Ooh you're so young Dilly - lucky you!  

I'm 38 and wish I'd started sooner...might have had more success....

Most of us here are going through clinics, but JJ may have tried at home first? Also try the Gay&Lesbian board - I think more of them do home insems so you should get some good advice there

re the OPKs, I found they worked sometimes for me, but not every month. Do you tend to have regular cycles? If so it will be easier....but basically start using the OPKs from about day 10 and see if you pick up surge - keep going longer than you think you need to if you don't pick it up at first...one month I ov'd on day 20 and would never have picked up surge if I'd stopped on day 15-16 which I usually did. I found the cheap internet OPKs didn't work but the more expensive Clearblue Digital ones (you get a smily face when you're surging) did....

Even if not going through a clinic, lots of us have used/are using OPKs for IUI cycles, so I'm sure others will be along with advice soon

Good luck!
Laura
x


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## ♥JJ1♥ (Feb 11, 2006)

DillyDally welcome to the thread.  I started out doing home AI's, with my known donor but we end up at a 4 different clinics together in 2 countries, pregnant/miscarraige etc etc if you scroll back through the sicgle girls thread and also ask the girls on the lesbian thread quite a few girls on there have used known donors and conceived.  
There is a lot to think about eg: sexual helath screenings for both of you - local GUM clinic will do these for you free routinely, drawing up a contract between you so that you both know what is involved and you have discussed your expactations and he has committed to availability (Nat Gamble the FF Lawyer has posted a lot about this).  I would however recommend a sperm count through his GP or £80 ish via a clinic, as we wasted months of home insems until we went to a clinic and discovered a lower sperm count so home insems were useless- and 30-40% of men now have lower sperm counts.

It is probably wise for you to track you cycle and ovulation by using temperature and cervical mucus tracking.  I would also recommend reading some of the books and gay press (Lisa Saffron) Pink parenting/D'Arcy Laine FOundation as they have workshops, sell kits and sheets on advice on home insems.

Good Luck
L x


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## some1 (May 13, 2006)

Hello DillyDally 

Welcome to our threads!

As you are using a known donor you will have more flexibility with timings as fresh sperm is viable a lot longer than frozen sperm (which clinics use).  Fresh sperm can survive for up to 72 hours compared to just 24 hours for frozen.  Your best indicator of impending ovulation/fertile time is likely to be your cerivcal mucus (TMI  , but it completely changes consistency when you are fertile, going from creamy, to stretchy with a consistency like a raw egg white).

When are you thinking of starting to try?  Also, hope you don't mind me asking, but how did you come to a decision to go ahead with this at your age? (I sound like a right old fogie asking that don't I!  )

Some1

xx


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## DillyDally (Aug 18, 2008)

Hi Some1

Well I have had failed relationships left right and centre and some were more serious than others, but I guess the point is that I have figured out that there just isn't a fairytale ending to anything and if you want something bad enough then you have to go get it, and be a strong independent woman. This is what im planning to do and I want to start trying asap lol. It feels as though my body is screaming at me (I know it sounds weird) but this baby business consumes my every thought upon waking and going to sleep, and I suppose if your body is trying to tell you something, then I guess you have to listen? I have a good stable job and a supportive family, so I guess the time is right for me. 

I have always taken notice of my cycles and im pretty regular, so hopefully   I can track my fertile times and get trying soon. I have put my donor on standby for my fertile week and im going to start using opk's for that week so I can try to find my LH surge.

Hopefully some people can recognise my thinking and im not just mad lol!!


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## suitcase of dreams (Oct 7, 2007)

Dilly, 

I guess that feeling comes to everyone at different times. I finished uni at 22 (it was a 4 year course), then took 2 years to go travelling, so at 24 I was just starting my first job, living in a grotty flat share in London with not much money to spare and children were very far away from my mind. As I got older and people around me started to have families, I realised that it was something I wanted too and I'd say I've been more than ready since my early 30s - just kept hoping Mr Right would show up....now I wish I'd started earlier as it's proving much harder to get pregnant than I ever thought it would

You're so right, there aren't any guaranteed happy endings and if this is something you know you want, then you go for it   You never know what's around the corner, so take your chances of happiness whilst you can...

Good luck with your first go!
Laura
x


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