I am going to start my first cycle of clomid, injectibles and IUI this week. I am really nervous about this....I'm afraid of side effects and scared of needles. :( Is there anything I should know about prior to taking the meds, etc? I'm going in tomorrow and I don't know what to ask.

Also, has anyone had any success with IUI combined with Clomid and Injectibles? My doctor has given me a 10-12% chance of success per cycle. My husband's SA is normal. I don't have anything wrong with me except that I had Stage I endometriosis removed last month. I'm 33 years old.

I've read about so many failed IUI's on this board, that I'm wondering if it's worth it....should I go straight to IVF (which is way more expensive). I'm so depressed about the infertility and worried about being more sad about failed IUI. :( Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

evry woman on this board has different problems, so we all react to different treatments differently. I have many rl friends who got pregnant with IUI. The needles are totally not a big deal, they do not hurt at all. Howvever, you need to stay calm and positive- it has been shown the woman who are calm and have a good attitute have higher success rates. So, get some extra messages and pedicures this month and stay happy!

The needles are nothing, don't worry about it. And very few people get side effects but you'll be monitored carefully to make sure you don't get overstimulated. The main side effect to worry about is the annoyance of getting pregnancy symptoms during the 2ww. This is because the "trigger shot" to make you ovulate is in fact pregnancy hormone. (It's also why you shouldn't test at home early, you could get a false positive and nobody wants that.) There's also going to be some bloating and tenderness because of your enlarged ovaries. It will go away.

Since you are not having an egg retrieval you probably don't need to worry about the big needle with progesterone in oil. But even this, should you go to IVF, is not much different than the small needles, though it looks scary.

I know this will not be popular, but for me the medical stuff is trivial, the real problem is the emotional aspect afterward. After IVF #1 I got a BFP but was only allowed about a second to mentally celebrate because then I found out that it needed to double at a certain rate. It didn't, but it took about a week for it to begin decreasing, in which we all knew it had failed but we couldn't move on because it wasn't official. After IVF #2 I got to the heartbeat stage but could never actually be confident. I learned at 13 weeks I'd mc'd and the embryo measured 9 weeks so I'd been walking around for weeks still thinking I was pregnant. Next time it will be even worse, if I am even lucky enough to get pregnant again.

I know there is nothing anyone can say to ease your mind if you are scared of needles, but there really is nothing to be worried about. The needles are very small and, if you feel ANY pain at all, it is only for a split second. Most times I didn't feel anything and DH had to tell me he was done with the shot. Keep in mind that this could help you become pregnant, and that should ease your worries a little bit. If this is all you have to go through in order to have a baby, it will be a piece of cake!! It's all for the BEST cause, as everyone here knows!

Good Luck and Baby Dust! :angel:

~ravae

Thanks so much for your words of encourage. Sharon, sorry to hear what happened to you. I hate the emotional rollercoaster and the uncertainty the most. I feel like my life is on hold until this infertility stuff gets resolved. I can't plan trips, etc because I may have to be doing some sort of treatment. I should try to look at the bright side and be thankful that I at least have options to me.

AF has not come yet (I think I'm about two days late....got a BFN two days ago). I can't go to my IUI appointment until AF comes. I'm always on time so I would think maybe I got lucky and am preggo if it weren't for the BFN. I'm sure AF will show her ugly face tomorrow and then I can start the IUI treatment.

Sorry, just had to vent. Thanks again for your thoughts!

Try to not make fertility treatment such a focus. We make a point of still taking our vacations and doing our normal stuff and it helps take our mind off of it. Like, we are going away in early April, so it means my next IVF will be a few weeks later than originally planned, but looking at all the time we put into this, a few weeks really in not that big of a deal.
Good Luck

:angel: xxxxxx
I am using a progesterone vaginal suppositories. They have the same effect and you don't even go through any pain. I make one dose at night before bed, from days 17 and on until I get AF or have a positive pregnancy test. So, if you are frightened about needles you can ask you doctor about them. I didn't really notice any effects of the clomid. I take clomid from days 3-7. I also take estradiol, so that I don't release my egg prematurely. I take the Estradiol on days 8-12.
I hope you get the results that you are looking for. My doctor says if you don't get pregnant after trying the clomid for three months straight, then most likely this method is not for you. So, I made sure we tried it for three months and now I am on to the intramuscular stout fertility drugs. Don't let your doctor talk you into longer, because it is super costly and you shouldn't waste your money and just go on to the next form of treatment. My progesterone suppositories are 300.00, my clomid is 85.00, because it is a high dose, and my estradiol is about 40.00. So, you can see why I am ready to go on to the next method. Although, the intramuscular hcg type of medication is extremely expensive, by the time you add up the cost of medicine that I have paid for in the last three months it would be about the same. But you might have insurance or insurance that covers infertility, but I don't have insurance so that is why I am anxious about getting this show on the road.
So, yet again good luck and think positive. Don't say if you get pregnant say WHEN I get pregnant.