# IUI when not ovulating ..



## katedoll (Jun 3, 2007)

Hello IUI friends

I've been on clomid for 5 months now and 21 day progesterone tests show I'm not ovulating.
I've got an appointment in October with my consultant - do you think I can suggest IUI, or do you have to be ovulating to have IUI?

If clomid hasn't got my ovulating, do you know what the next step is?

Thank you for reading this.

ps My DP sperm analysis was OK, but some sperm anti-bodies which the consultant seemed to dismiss but the report from the people who did the SA said it could affect conception.  My tubes are OK, but have PCOS.

Thank you for any help you can give.


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## Tripitaka (Aug 3, 2007)

Hi KD

Sorry to hear of your problems.  Without meaning to sound harsh I would say that if you're defs not ovulating then IUI will be a complete waste of time, money and emotion.    No ovulation means no egg waiting to be fertilised so unless you spontaneously ovulate, or can successfully trigger ovulation IUI won't be any help to you.

I have to be honest and say I have no idea what the alternative is - are you sure you're not ovulating at all? It's quite common to have occasional anovulatory cycles where you don't ovulate, but that you might on other occasions?  You need to talk in depth with your cons 'cos I have no clue about other tx for stimulating ovulation... have you had your egg reserve checked? Have they tried you on different doses of clomid?

I've just had one round of clomid and all I've got to show for it so far is is a big cyst on one ovary.  Cycle abandoned and now here I am spotting on CD20... I'm normally 32 days-ish.  It's all so confusing trying to think what it all means and what other options there are isn't it.

Sorry to not be able to offer more help - I really hope you find some useful info and a good way forward through all this.  
T x


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## professor waffle (Apr 23, 2005)

Hi there

Although you might not respond to clomid there are other drugs available to stimulate ovulation. These are mostly FSH injections & have to be carefully controlled & monitored to avoid over production of follicles. You may find that you are offered OI (ovulation induction) with these type of drugs to see how you respond to them, PCOS can quite often affect clomids ability to make you ovulate whereas the other drugs work in different ways.

If you don't respond to OI then I don't know what the next step would be, I guess they would test your FSH levels to see if you have the ability to produce eggs at all or whether you're menopausal.

All is not lost though, if the injections work for you (& they do for most women) then IUI is possible. A friend of mine with PCOS had the same lack of response to clomid but fell pg on OI on it's own & didn't need IUI in the end.

Good luck hon

Gill
x

PS - do you have a cycle of periods at all?If your cycle length is longer than 28 days you may be ovulating late in the cycle (past day 21 or near enough to it not to show good levels when the blood test is done). I ovulate around day 19 in my cycle so it's entirely possible for you too


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## Tripitaka (Aug 3, 2007)

Hurrah - a post from someone who sounds like they know more than I do on all this (not hard  ).  Hope my message dind't sound too negative - not at all intended that way. Just meant that you need to get to the bottom of your ovulation pattern and making sure you do ovulate for it to be worth attempting the whole IUI thing.

Good luck and be sure to let us know how you get on.

T x


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## katedoll (Jun 3, 2007)

hiya Tripitaka and Prof Waffle
Thank you so much for your replies so quickly - I am constantly amazed at how many people view this website, and given the number of different threads how many people follow the threads.

~Thank you Prof Waffle - my consultant had said that injections to stimulate ovulation would be the next step, so what you suggest makes sense.    I have heard it may be successful, but my consultant wants us to do that and just have bms rather than producing a sample and then 'basting', which I would rather as at least then you know 'good'   are getting there. 


Interesting you say that PCOS can affect clomid's ability to work. I've not heard that before.  I've had my FSH levels tested and seemed to be OK, so not postmenopausal (that was a big relief).

Tripitaka - was your cyst really big then? I've got multiple cysts on my ovaries and have had numerous scans of them, but no one seems that bothered and just says it is PCOS it is OK.    Did you get any pain?  I have had excruciating sharp pain on one ovary from clomid, but perservered.

Hey Prof Waffle I see what you mean about your friend falling preg on OI on its own, not with IUI.  That is obviously what my consultant is wanting us to take as a next step.  

Ok, I feel much more confident now of what to ask for at our next appointment.  

Best wishes to both of you - Tripakata, I see you are in the States? How does it work with tx and paying for it over there?

I am often in the chat room at the evening, do you ever go in?


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## Tripitaka (Aug 3, 2007)

Hello again.

So, call me a drama queen on the 'big cyst' thing, but 40mm sounds pretty big to me (almost double the size of a follie ripe for triggering!).  Strictly speaking I think they have to be more than 60mm to be  classed as large...

I guess knowing it's there has made me tune in more to any pains in the ol' body, but I do seem to have had quite a few 'ovary pains', esp on the left side (where the cyst is/was) but nothing terrible - just the odd sharp twinge really.  Hope your pains don't get to bad - excrutiating sounds bad enough. Poor you.  

So yes, I live in VT now and thank gads we get good health insurance through DH's work.  Wouldn't like to be paying for all of this ourselves - mind, the insurance only covers meds and diagnostic testing, no actual fertility procedures tho.  I think it's running about $300/IUI attempt at the mo... costly enough, and that's assuming that the ultrasounds are all covered at $350 a pop (nobody seems sure 'til the claim is put in)!    IVF of course is a whole lot more but hopefully we won't get that far.

I don't often venture into the chat rooms any more - 5 hour time difference usually means I'm there at the wrong time and nobody's there when I go! Mebbe see you in there sometime tho.

TTFN and good luck once again.
T x


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## professor waffle (Apr 23, 2005)

Clomid can actually cause problems with cysts so with PCOS it's an added probem. I don't have PCOS but did have cysts on 2 cycles of clomid.

OI sounds like a good route for you, at least you know then the optimum time for BMS & you know you WILL ovulate.


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## CAROLE-ANNE (Dec 29, 2005)

I was exactly the same was on chlomid for a year and showed no sign of ovulating in this time, have PCOS and endemetriosis.


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## dolphin1 (Sep 26, 2007)

hi i'm new here and i read your msg i know how you feel  but i have been through it 
i started of on clomid years ago i have severe pcos where i haven't been ovulating but still had periods at the time i had a laparocopy which said my tubes were clear and i had all the 21 day tests aswel nothing happend untill now i started speaking to my consultant gyny and i told him i wanted to try the injections now what that does is the nurse gives you tablets to make you bleed then on day to you go and have a scan to make sure you have no cycts on ur ovaries then they start giving you the progastone injections while keep monitering you then if it's good they give you the pregnil injection then they put the sperm inside and see what happens i have had quite a few goes of iui none assited were me and my husband have gone away afterward and done it natural and it did work twic but i had one ectopic and then i miscarried at 8 wks.

there is a lot of heartach but you won't know unless you try speak to your consultant i hope i can help or have helped.


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