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Insemination Timing

Hello all!

I've read SO many things about how to time inseminations but I'm still a little confused. I'm hoping one of you can help!

If I'm only getting one vial per cycle, should I inseminate the day before ovulation or on ovulation day?

Thanks!

Comments

  • Jessie127Jessie127 Posts: 6

    Hi @futuremomma ! I know this isn't an exact answer for you and it quite long winded, but I have done a lot of research on this as well and this is what I have found. Once you get a positive LH test you can ovulate anywhere from 12-48 hours after the spike with the average being about 24hrs. From there the egg is alive for only 24 hours, but after 12 starts to degrade. From what I have read, there is a lot of conflicting information on how long frozen donor sperm lasts one it has been inseminated. NWCB says 12-24 hours, while other sperm banks say up to 72 hours. To be on the conservative side, I would say 24 hours. It is also best to have the sperm waiting for the egg, and not the other way around.

    All of this is to say that it really depends on when you think you actually ovulate after your positive LH test. Luckily about 12 hours after my peak LH, I get ovulation cramps and lots of egg white cervical mucus, so I'm pretty sure I ovulate sometime around then. However, if you ovulate more towards the 36-48 hours after + LH, this can make a difference to when you want to inseminate. Have you tracked BBT? For me this helped narrow down actual ovulation day as I always have a dip in my temps (indicating ovulation) on my peak day and then a steady rise afterwards.

    If you can't really narrow down your exact ovulation time in the 12-48 hour window and you are only using 1 vial, I would say inseminating at 18-24 hours past LH positive would be a good place to start. This seems to cover most of the ovulation window. If you do ovulate around the 12 hr mark, the egg would still be viable when you inseminated @ 24 hrs. past +LH. If you ovulate closer to the 48 hr. mark, and if the sperm actually lasts 24+ hours, it would be there waiting for the egg when it released.

    I hope some of this helps, I know it can be very confusing trying to figure all this out! Good luck!!

  • futuremommafuturemomma Posts: 13

    @Jessie127 This information is SO helpful!! Thank you so much! I've never tracked my BBT before but I'm going to try to do that. I experience cramps when I think I'm ovulating but from the last few cycles it varied on the time after my peak. Does the time I take the test to determine LH matter? Should I be taking it in the morning? I've been taking it mid-afternoon.

    Again, thank you SO much for this help! I'm new to this!

  • Jessie127Jessie127 Posts: 6

    @futuremomma I'm glad this helps!! I am happy to share what information I have, I know the first time doing an insemination can be very stressful when trying to figure out timing. BBT can be hard to do since it needs to be taken at the same time every morning before getting out of bed. It works for some people and not so much for others. I would definitely take LH more than once a day especially if your LH rises quickly or you could miss the peak. Once you start to see your LH rise, I would start testing at least 2x per day. I know some people who test LH every time they go to the bathroom, but it is best if it is done with a 2-3 hour urine hold with limited liquid intake. If you only take it once a day you could have surged any time during that 24 hour period between tests, making it harder to pinpoint when exactly the LH surge happened and when you should inseminate. I have a slow LH rise so I do one with SMU (second morning urine) and one in the afternoon/evening, if your LH spikes suddenly you might want to test more often once you start to see the tests getting close to positive. I was told not to use first morning urine with the 2 line LH tests because LH usually surges overnight, so you may not see it on the tests until after 9am or so. If you are using the ClearBlue advanced tests, then you should follow the directions on the package and do it with FMU until you get the flashing smiley face. After that you can test more often as long as it is a 4 hour urine hold(as per ClearBlue instructions).

  • futuremommafuturemomma Posts: 13

    @Jessie127 it is very stressful to time this all perfectly! And thank you so much again for all of the information. It’s super helpful!

    I’m using the clear blue 2 line tests. I realized today that I didn’t test yesterday using my FMU, but I did test a couple of times yesterday. I tested again this morning with FMU this time and it’s not showing up as very high. However, this morning I’ve been having some ovulation pains in my left ovary. The app Im using is predicting my ovulation on Wednesday.. Im starting to wonder if I should inseminate today or tomorrow. I haven’t seen my LH surge on a test yet but I also could’ve not taken one in time/correctly. And if I’m having ovulation pain I’m thinking that means I’m ovulating today? Is it normal to have ovulation pain 2 days before ovulation?

  • Jessie127Jessie127 Posts: 6

    Hi @futuremomma, no problem it is great to have someone to share this with! We seem to be on a similar schedule, I should be doing my insemination at the end of this week as well. Since you are using the 2 line ClearBlue and not the digital/advanced, it is fine that you didn't use FMU. It is better to test after 9am as LH usually surges between 12am and 8am. I would not go off what the app predicts at all, that is just a general guess based on the "average" cycle. I would only trust the app if you have been using it for multiple cycles and it has "learned" your specific rhythm. Are you seeing a progression at all in the color of the test lines? Is it getting closer to positive? I would definitely wait to inseminate until you start seeing the LH surge, that is what triggers your body to release the mature egg.

    You can have ovulation pains almost anytime during the ovulation window and it doesn't necessarily mean that is when the egg is being released. It could be that your body is just gearing up for ovulation, and that is why you are getting some pain. It is different for everybody, you could actually be ovulating 5 days from now or 2 hours, who knows. Are you having any other signs like egg white cervical mucus? Without EWCM and positive LH, I wouldn't go solely off of O pains because it could be anything, not necessarily ovulation.

    Have you tracked your LH before, do you usually have a quick, short LH spike? For me, once my LH test turns positive (usually in the late morning) I will have positive LH tests for that day and also the next. If you are testing multiple times per day I don't think you missed the LH surge, unless it surged really fast and then dropped quickly... This is where knowing your cycle and how your LH typically surges really comes in handy! With only one vial I would wait until you see LH positive and egg white cervical mucus before inseminating.

  • futuremommafuturemomma Posts: 13

    @Jessie127 okay that is super helpful, thank you! I think I’m just so excited/worried because this is my first time trying an insemination! I do typically have a short LH surge but not short enough to have missed it with how often I’ve been testing. I need to just relax a little bit and keep testing and tracking everything!

    For some reason I’ve been really feeling like I’m going to ovulate tomorrow instead of Wednesday so today I’m being overly aware of everything and testing my LH a lot!

    That’s so great that we will be inseminating around the same time! Hopefully we will be tracking our pregnancies together! :):)

  • Jessie127Jessie127 Posts: 6

    @futuremomma Yes, definitely keep testing and tracking! I know it is hard to be patient, especially when you are excited and want to get the timing just right. My first insemination I was tempted to insem a day early because of a temp dip, but my LH wasn't completely positive yet. I'm glad I did wait because the next day I had a blazing positive LH, EWCM, and O pains. The right time will come!

    I hope so too! Good luck, I hope this is the month for both of us! 🤞

  • futuremommafuturemomma Posts: 13

    @Jessie127 we will have to keep each other updated!

    I’m about to make a new post to log my journey! We inseminated late Monday night! Ahhh!

    Wishing us both the best of luck!

  • Jessie127Jessie127 Posts: 6

    @futuremomma Yes, please keep me updated! Yay, I'm glad you figured out the timing and did your insemination! I hope everything went smoothly. My peak came early so I inseminated today and will do another tomorrow. 🤞 for a BFP for both of us!

  • futuremommafuturemomma Posts: 13

    @Jessie127 Yes!!! We’ve got this!!! 🙏🏽🤞🏽

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