Economy Class Treatment

To save money during fertility treatments, because we have unexplained infertility and because IUI #1 with clomid resulted in a brief pregnancy, but mostly to save money for now, F and I have decided to continue with clomid IUI for three-four cycles, alternating IUI cycles with no treatment cycles both because my cycles are unmonitored and to prevent cysts and other side effects of clomid like a thin lining and hostile cervical mucus. But, today is CD 1 and I am pissed that we are in what feels like economy class treatment, embarrassed to look at my chart and see how horribly mistimed IUI #2 was, uncertain that I even responded to the 50mg dose of clomid this time, and scornful toward the use of ovulation predictor kits. I understand that Fertility Treatment is a process of trial and error, that F and I have chosen a treatment plan based on what we feel and Dr. A feels is ethical and necessary at this point, for our diagnosis. We took our time to decide if we wanted to bring a child into this world, into our lives. It was never a given. Two years later, we did not enter fertility treatment easily or without dilemma. Again, we have taken our time. But, today I am feeling impatient. No, Mom, I will not have an October baby. No, I will not have a November baby either, because this cycle is a non treatment cycle, which means it will be a looong cycle and so, No, there will be no December baby, no 2011 baby.

I am waiting for the Nurse Coordinator to call me back with thoughts on or even answers to these questions:

Is it normal to surge for more than three days?
How can we best time the next IUI if this occurs?
Why did I experience late or delayed ovulation with clomid?

In the meantime, just for a fun pseudo-statistical comparison (for me anyway), let's review the following cycle charts: an average ovulatory cycle, a clomid only cycle, clomid IUI #1 and clomid IUI #2

an average ovulatory cycle:

the one and only clomid only cycle:

clomid IUI #1:

clomid IUI #2


The second chart shows my first and only clomid cycle. As you can see, I got my first + opk on cd 13 and ovulation could have happened any time between Cd 13 and 15. I seemed to have responded similarly to clomid with IUI #1, even though I did not confirm ovulation by temping. Bloodwork 7dpiui showed progesterone levels consistent with ovulation. With an unmedicated cycle, I normally ovulate between cd 17 and cd 20, but rarely before cd 18 and sometimes as late as cd 22. Clomid seemed to shorten my follicular phase. However, as you can see on the most recent chart, I ovulated somewhere between cd 17 and cd 19 with clomid, more like an average, non-medicated cycle when compared to the other charts. See what a mistake I made, all those + opks after insemination.

Conclusions: Something is not working.