Go home they say, live life as usual they say, don't test until day 14 they say. Oh my, that is easier said than done!
In the days after an IUI, there are so many things you can do to help implantation. Many of these are not scientifically proven, they are wives tales, stories, crazy things people did and got pregnant after doing it. Most likely by chance, for sure. But when you read about these tales, you do it! Just because.
Prior to my IUI, I made a trip to my local organic grocery store, picked up 2 big juicy delicious pineapples and a handful of brazil nuts. Weird shopping you list right? I hear you.
Why pineapple & Brazil nuts?
Not only is pineapple the international symbol for infertility, rumor has it that by eating pineapple core for at least 5 days after insemination, that it helps with implantation. The core of a pineapple, contains an enzyme called bromelain, which it a powerful anti-inflammatory. So it can can reduce inflammation in the uterus. A fertilized egg has to get comfy and embed itself into the wall of your uterus (implantation), but inflammation of the uterine is a well known cause of implantation failure. So damn right I was going to eat pineapple core if it was going to help me along!
If you are going to try this, cut a pineapple into 5 slices width wise and it is best to eat on an empty stomach. It is bitter, tough and gave me mouth ulcers (canker sores) but I did it anyway.
Brazil nuts are a source of a mineral called selenium, apparently it helps to thicken the uterine wall, and a healthy lining aids implantation. It also helps with blood flow, which is also critical for fertility. Brazil nuts are also a good antioxidant so can't hurt to eat them right!
Eat 2-3 brazil nuts post IUI (after ovulation) and stop at approximately day 10 (10dpiui).
Emotions run wild
Every day is an emotional day after an IUI. It is all you think about. I wake up and it's on my mind. I'm at work in a meeting and I think about it. I go to bed, I start thinking of all the possibilities. I even started playing around on pregnancy apps to predict my due date, 21st October 2021.... if I could hold on for 10 days i could gave a Halloween baby!
For the first 5 days all you can think is... did the swimmers (sperm) make up my tubes, did one make it to my beautiful 21mm egg? Some women get spotting, which is quite normal due to irritation from the hideous duckbill metal speculum they use when opening up your lady bits during the IUI. I didn't get any spotting. Seems like my cervix is tough!
I know that in those first days it is impossible to be pregnant this early on, the doctors say it, all the books say it. But any flutter feeling you have, you are still like... ohhh what was that, I felt something! Then you fart, it was just gas. Dammit. I know better!
On day 5 I did a home pregnancy hCG test. NOT to see if i was pregnant, but to test out the trigger shot. The test showed me as pregnant because the hCG (trigger) it is a pregnancy hormone. My line was extremely faint. Some women keep testing until the strip is gone, which can give you some peace of mind later in the cycle when you start testing and want to see the positive line, that it is not the trigger still lingering in your system. Most test out the shot at about 7-9 days after the trigger (which was done 24-26 hours prior to the IUI).
Then the waiting gets worse, seriously who'd have thought after the last year that flew by in a blink of an eye, that 2 weeks would feel like a lifetime.
Implantation typically occurs about anywhere from 6-12 days after an IUI (or ovulation if you are doing this naturally), so now is the time you can begin looking for signs of implantation. Some signs are; cramping and/or light spotting of brown blood (old blood). But, most women don't experience anything at all! I was checking my panties every time I went to the bathroom hoping to see a brown stain. Nothing.
Day 9, ohhh I want to do a pregnancy test so badly. But I hold strong, I know it is too early. The anxiety is insane.
Day 10, urgh why are the days dragging out. I swear I felt something today. I had some really strong fluttering in my ovaries. It wasn't gas. I was so extremely tired all the time. Also another sign. Could this actually be happening?
Day 12, I message my mum. I tell her I can't wait any longer, I have to test, I must, the waiting is killing me. I have been going to the bathroom more often, and that is either a sign that my period is coming or a sign of early pregnancy.
I bit the bullet and I tested. I peed on that stick and settled in for the longest 3 minutes. Willing it to be positive. Hoping. It can happen right?
Then the words NOT PREGNANT appeared on the little screen. They appeared in such an aggressive way. The little sticks could be so much more empathetic.
But I guess some women don't want to see positive...
Note to self... new business idea! Design pregnancy pee sticks for different circumstances. One that is for the unwanted pregnancy with a message like 'sorry it is not what you wanted, but surprise!' and 'You did everything you could, but I'm sorry it's negative'. I'm sure I could come up with better words, but right now that is all I can think of. Hallmark pregnancy tests!! Million dollar idea (I must pattern that now).
So I am not pregnant, the trips to the toilet are the dreaded preiod poos (sorry for TMI but ladies... you know what I'm putting down right!).
I stared at the stick for a few miknutes, willing it to change. But when I finally accepted it was a BFN (big fat negative), I went and laid down on my bed and cried for a while. I was so positive and sure that this was it. It was going to work. I could be that 5% chance. But it seems it was just not meant to be.
I had to start work, dragged myself out of bed, showered, turned on the computer and went about my day all while with a feeling of loss and emptiness inside.
The next day, the lower back pain kicked in. My tell tale sign that Aunt Flow was about to rear her ugly head. And like clockwork, on day 14 post IUI, she came.
So I called the doctor to advise them, because it was the day I could have gone into the clinic to get my BETA blood test if it didn't show up. She asked me if I was going to try again or if I wanted to try another approach (IVF).
Let's try again I said. Another IUI.
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