IUI Dr. Assisted - Does this make sense?

Jen727BF

So my DP hasn't ovulated yet (shes late), but the signs are starting to appear. So she called the Dr.'s office since we are having the Dr. do the insemination this time. Since she will probably ovulate on a weekend, we have to give them fair warning today, etc. Well the nurse, who is the main contact for IUIs, told my DP that she should not inseminate for 48 - 72 hours post getting a +opk! I'm upset, because no where in my research have I come across this. Most women on these boards start post +opk 12 hrs to 36 hrs, give or take. Further, the nurse told her not to test more than 1 time a day for ovulation. WTH is going on?

Anyone heard of this 48 hrs to 72 hrs insemination? I know they are the experts, but I'm feeling really upset right now.

Thanks.

cassie_nicole

that seems long to me too! for non-trigger cycles we went in the the day after a +OPK and for the the trigger cycle we went in 36 hours post trigger. they also told us to only test once a day at 9am but of course we didn't haha we tested all day.

Jen727BF

Thanks Cassie! Yea, she did not take a trigger shot and is not on medication. I told her we were ignoring the only test 1x a day too! But, the nurse pretty much said there is no way they are opening on Sunday to do the insemination. So we have to decide if we want to go in Monday morning and Tuesday morning. I think Tuesday is too late and Monday may work, but I'm not sure about that either.

Sara&Kinda

If she has been temping for a while, you should be able to tell the usual window of time between a positive test and when she ovulates based on charting and seeing the temperature shift. My wife's surge is a bit shorter than most (more like 12-24 hours versus 24-48 hours). If she surges tomorrow, you could be okay for Monday though. Good luck!

jenmar

My RE does the IUI either the same day or the following day. I also have shorter surges and my BFP resulted from IUI just 4 1/2 hours past positive opk. If you get a positive on Saturday and they will not open on Sunday, I would think that going in on Saturday would be better than waiting till Monday.
Good luck!

mommylove

That does seem long, unless they've verified she's ovulating that late...
We got pregnant with our son doing an IUI at our OB's office and they always time insems 24hrs past +OPK.
The testing with OPK's only once per day is not all that unusual...in fact, its really correct according to even the directions on the OPK packaging. However, I do believe testing more than once a day is beneficial...for instance I would catch my surge rather late if I only tested once (as recommended with FMU) because I usually catch my surge in the evening. But even so I only test twice per day, once with FMU and the once in the early evening.

Jen727BF

Thanks all. I appreciate everyone input. Quick question: can we use IUI sperm the way we use ICI? Doing AI at home if possible, since Drs. office has advised they are not opening Saturday or Sunday because its Easter weekend.

mommylove

Yes, you can do a simple at home insem using IUI sperm. :-)

Shaeley Mae

It's always seemed to me that REs do insems too late in general, but that sounds REALLY late.
I hate to put a negative spin on your RE experience (and this really isn't my style), but they DO get paid for each cycle. Perhaps they're padding the number of cycles it takes to conceive ....?
I think you should tell them that you're confused by their advice, and make them explain it to you.

Either way, good luck!!!

beyondobsessed

I think it sounds too late to chance it. I think you would have an equal chance of success if you just did ICI at home this cycle.

Jen727BF

That is what we are going to do ... take the chances and do it at home. I am just really disappointed in this Drs. office... We believe they flat out lied to us re: 48 - 72 hrs. I agree Shaeley, I think they just want to get the money from doing the procedure... even though they know that the sperm we bought would be wasted & its not like the sperm are cheap!!!

GoSpuds

I'm using an RE. Here were my instructions:

Test for +OPK in the morning. If positive, call between 8-9am as so they can schedule my insem for the next day.

I had a +OPK on March 29th, My IUI was March 30th around 10am

so... yeah... I think you should talk to your RE about it, maybe switching is an option if you have more than one in your area.

Flowergirl

With only OPK's on an unmedicated cycle, my Dr. does 24 hours past positive OPK. He instructed me to test twice a day at about 7am and 7pm. Since I have done about a jazillion :rolleyes: OPK's in my lifetime, I know that I always get a positive with 2nd morning urine at about 11am, so he was fine with that - he did ask me to still test a second time every evening.

With the trigger shot, he did the usual 36 hours after.

Shaeley Mae wrote:

It's always seemed to me that REs do insems too late in general

^^ Shaeley Mae, their timing seems late but you have to remember they put the swimmers exactly where they belong there is no time needed to frantically swim to their goal - which can take a good 6 hours to actually get there! They can be put there even after the egg releases and will still be there in plenty of time!

soon2Bmommy

I deffinatly have to test a few times a day. Some cycles my surge only last for a 12 hrs or so and if I only tested once a day I may miss my surge all together. Also unless they have a reason for 48-72 hrs, that seems a lot longer than normal. although I have seen some doctors use 36-48 hrs past + opk, but never 72 hrs. Good Luck!!!

TheOtherLovingMoms

Wow 48-72 past +opk sounds crazy to me!! Our re does ours roughly 35 hrs past trigger shot. I would be doing at least 1 of them at home around 30 hours past +opk

GoSpuds

I was curious if the original poster ever talked to their Dr's office about this yet? The fact that the concensus is 24hrs post +OPK really makes me worried for the other ladies who are using this RE.

Hadley

There are some studies on Pub Med on 42 and 48 hour insems. The guys who do the Microsort (gender sorted sperm) were doing this timing protocol. They were saying they had higher pregnancy rates at 42 hours than any other timing protocol. Google "42 hour IUI" and "48 hour IUI" and you can see some data.
You can also google the Huntington Reproductive Center and Dr. Potter (one of the Microsort IUI doctors) and see how he says he has best success with IUI at 42 hours after trigger.

The funny thing when you look at the timing protocols on studies, they all have about the same pregnancy rate. 12 hour doesn't look really any better than 24 hour on studies versus 42 hours.

72 hours is crazy! lol. The nurse was clearly wrong on that one

I think the best thing for a clinic to do is be flexible, look at the individual woman's cycle history, and be willing to insem on the weekends if necessary. I think also think women should not be afraid to change up their timing if things aren't working. Don't get in a box where you think only one certain thing, because the data will show you that a lot of different things are working for different people.