Starting the IUI process

I describe the different tests and procedures I had to do before the IUI procedure so if medical stuff is not something you like to read feel free to skip this one.

Originally written sometime at the end of January 2023

So how am I going to have a baby? I have started the process with a fertility doctor to do an Intrauterine Insemination (IUI).

The first step to this was talking to my family doctor about my intentions. She then sent a referral in to the fertility clinic for me. From there I was set up with a consult with the fertility doctor. My consult was on January 20th, 2023. We talked about the medical stuff surrounding fertility and what I want out of this. She explained the process and timeline as well as answering all my questions. Before I left we found out I was at the perfect point in my cycle to start the process right away.

First step in the process is making sure I can have a baby. This involves a urine test, a lot of different blood test as well as a couple ultrasounds. So the day after my consult I was peeing in a cup at Life Labs, the community laboratory services up here in Canada. A couple days later I hit day one (first day of my period) of my cycle. From there I could do blood work and set up the two ultrasounds. The first ultrasound was to check if I have any ovarian cysts or uterine fibroids. The tech pointed out different things to me but until I sit down with the doctor again I won’t know what is going on in there!

The other thing I did was I ordered a Comprehensive carrier DNA test. This was a little pricey, especially since it was a US company so the Canadian exchange was steep but it’s worth it. The important thing about this screening is it tests for over 550 genes to check to see if I am a carrier of any genetic disorders. On their own they aren’t harmful but if I am a carrier of anything and the donor sperm I choose is also a carrier then it could be harmful to the baby. So by getting these results I’ll be able to avoid the donors that could also be carriers. I already got the test, spit in the tube and sent it back. Now I’m just waiting for the results!

In the next week or so I have one more ultra sound and one more blood test before I follow up with the doctor to go over all the results

Originally written on February 2, 2023

I had another ultrasound yesterday. This one was called a Hysterosonogram and it involves a bit more than the baseline ultrasound. For this appointment I had to take an antibiotic the night before and I also took some Ibuprofen an hour before arriving for the procedure.

The procedure involved inserting a 2mm catheter into my uterus and then inserting the vaginal ultrasound transducer to watch as sterile saline is slowly injected into my uterus. They do this to look for any polyps, fibroids or scar tissue. After that they add some tiny bubbles which allows the fallopian tubes to come into view and to see if the tubes are open.

I would describe this procedure as uncomfortable but not painful. The procedure was also preformed by a doctor and ultrasound tech so the doctor was able to tell me right away that I had a “textbook” uterus and everything looked great. I'm very happy! I’m really looking forward to hearing about the results from the other tests.

Originally written on February 8, 2023

Today I got my results for the Comprehensive Carrier test. It showed that I am a carrier of five disorders. All five are autosomal recessive which I have no idea what that means! I sent the results to my dad since he is very knowledgable about this stuff and he told me non of these will be passed down to my child as long as they filter out the donors that are also carriers. This made me feel so much better spending the money on this testing if it helps ensure I will have a healthy baby.

I’m looking forward to going over these results as well as the the rest of my test results with my doctor on March 9th!