Tips for Trying to Conceive

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Home Forums Vaginismus Support Group Vaginismus Post-Procedure Tips for Trying to Conceive

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    Heather34
    Participant

    Hi everyone! Over the weekend, my hubby and I did a toast to our procedure anniversary – 6/27. Thank you so, so, so much to Dr. Pacik and all the amazing staff! This year, the THREE of us thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

    I want to start this thread to also discuss getting pregnant. Some of the things that I did to help the process was:

    1. Tracking period. I tracked the first day of my period each month along with exactly how many days it lasted. This helped me to understand my cycle length.

    2. Tracking ovulation days. I used the Clearblue Advanced Digital Ovulation Tests. http://www.clearblueeasy.com/advanced-digital-ovulation-test.php I believe these helped a lot not only to know when I was ovulating but to also understand my cycle that much more. I also used the Ovulation Calculator http://www.babycenter.com/ovulation-calculator

    3. Lubricant. We used Pre-Seed http://www.preseed.com/ and Conceive Plus http://www.conceiveplus.com/

    4. Make love. We had intercourse on the days that I ovulated. We tried to make it very fun but there was some stress as the months passed and we hadn’t conceived yet.

    5. Getting Creative. I read the following article: http://www.babble.com/pregnancy/having-trouble-getting-pregnant-at-home-artificial-insemination/

    Having Trouble Getting Pregnant? Stop having sex! (Here’s why.)

    If you and your partner have been trying and trying (and trying) to get pregnant, I’ve got what’s going to sound like a strange recommendation: Stop having sex. Yes, you heard me correctly: no more sex – at least not for procreation. (I actually do want you to have sex, but only for pleasure, as in, remember when it used to be fun?) Instead of making yourself miserable and ruining your sex life as a whole, you can change up what you’re doing and still get pregnant. It’s true – I did it twice.

    Here’s the deal: If you’re trying to get pregnant, stop going about it coitally. Variations on the home “turkey-baster” method can be surprisingly effective, and you make it a lot easier on yourself and your man if he just hands you a syringe of sperm at the right time. And, as an added bonus, you can keep your love life for when you’re actually in the mood.

    I found this out in a strange way: by helping a lesbian couple have two boys – without having sex. Both times we did it at home; both times I went upstairs to do my business, then I’d hand over the full syringe (here’s the exact process, if you’d like to know), the two moms took it into the bedroom, and one applied it for the other. Although the biological mom was 34 and 37 for the two attempts, in both cases she got pregnant right away. Granted, sperm and eggs vary in strength and viability, and there’s a lot of luck involved. But done properly, making a baby doesn’t have to require either sex or medical intervention.

    If you’re going to try this at home, here are a few tips to increase your chances:
    • Try at the best times: You’ve probably read up on this, but in case you haven’t, here’s a fertility calculator and some methods of assessing your fertility. My baby mama and I also tried the saliva fertility tester, but, like the woman on this Berkeley parents’ thread, we weren’t sure how indicative it was, as we ended up conceiving despite bad “ferns.”
    • Gather the sperm but don’t get in a panic: Not that you’re likely to dilly-dally, but you also don’t have to sprint to the bedroom. Sperm in a syringe will live for hours before they dry up (for our second child, it sat around for a half hour before being used). Interestingly, however, once sperm enters the cervix, their lifespan increases to 3 to 5 days (and they can swim 3mm per minute).
    • Deliver it the right way When applying the sperm in the vagina, the goal is to slowly coat the surface of the cervix. From there, the sperm should make their way inside the cervix and eventually into the fallopian tubes where fertilization occurs. Here are some step-by-step instructions.
    • Try to orgasm: Here’s where intimacy comes into play. Research shows that having an orgasm during insemination increases the chance for fertilization. The convulsing of the cervix causes it to dip down and collect more sperm, helping it get where it needs to go. Having the orgasm with your partner can also help turn what could be a clinical experience into a bonding one.

    6. Syringe Method alternating with Making Love. After reading this article, we decided to make love plus try the syringe method as well and alternated the days. We started making love for fun and pleasure again and using the syringe method more on my ovulation days. On the month I conceived (August), we made love plus used the syringe method on my ovulation days.

    7. Syringe Method Tips

    a. Research, Research, Research: I read this 26 Page Forum full of success stories of women who conceived using this method. In it, they also cover what method did you use to track ovulation; what method of insemination did you use; how many times per cycle did you inseminate and what was the timing relative to ovulation; did it work and how many cycles did it take; and anything else people should know) http://babyandbump.momtastic.com/assisted-conception/458990-home-artificial-insemination-success-stories.html

    b. The Logistics of how we personally did it:

    What method(s) did you use to track ovulation: As mentioned above, we used Clearblue Advanced Digital Ovulation Tests as well as Ovulation Calculator (see links above)

    What method(s) of insemination did you use We purchased 10ml needless syringes and sterile cups from Amazon.
    http://www.amazon.com/10ml-Syringe-Only-Luer-Lok/dp/B00BQDFGBS/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1435603831&sr=8-3-fkmr2&keywords=10ml+needless+syringe
    http://www.amazon.com/Dynarex-Specimen-Containers-Sterile-Individually/dp/B004K6EEI4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1435603891&sr=8-2&keywords=sterile+specimen+cups
    My husband ejaculated in the sterile cup. He immediately gave this to me. I coated the 10ml needless syringe with pre-seed (in advance). I then sucked up his sperm with the syringe and inserted it. I did this while lying on our bed with a pillow under my butt and my legs elevated (resting on our headboard). I then held the syringe in and reached orgasm as was recommended on the site (this is said to help suck up the sperm into the cervix). I then removed the syringe and inserted one of the larger sized dilators (coated with pre-seed). I did this in case we did not insert the syringe deep enough. Then, I left my legs elevated for around 30 minutes.

    How many times per cycle did you inseminate and what was the timing relative to ovulation (e.g. 2 days before and day of)? I believe it was 2 days before, day of ovulation, and 2 days after.

    Did it work? If so, how many cycles did it take? On the month that we tried this, August, it worked and we now have our beautiful 2 month old son.

    8. What others have said about their experiences with syringe method

    Testimonial 1:
    1. If you used a donor (rather than your spouse), how did you find your donor

    Used my spouse

    2. What method(s) did you use to track ovulation

    OPKS and fertility friend (bbt)

    3. What method(s) of insemination did you use

    We used a needless syringe and a cup. I also used preseed. I put some preseed into the syringe as well, sucked up the sperm right away, and slowly injected it in. I laid there for about an hour…yes with the syringe still in, legs up, bum propped up. After the hour I’d slowly remove the syringe and roll over and sleep. Some of the times I orgasmed, others I didn’t. And two times this cycle we inseminated in the morning, and after the hour I just got up and carried on with my day!

    4. How many times per cycle did you inseminate and what was the timing relative to ovulation (e.g. 2 days before and day of)?

    We did it every other day for four days, and I either ovulated on our third or fourth insemination (fertility friend says 3rd).
    5. Logistics. Where did you meet your donor and how did the donation occur?

    He’s my husband! He did it right beside me in our bed! He’s a paraplegic so can only ejaculate using a powerful vibrator.

    6. Did it work? If so, how many cycles did it take?

    Yes!! This would have been our 11th cycle of trying, our 3rd cycle of REALLY trying (temping and timing) and our 1st cycle of clomid! It was also the first cycle my DH ejaculated 4 times, every other time it was usually just twice.

    7. If you used a donor, what is the relationship you have (or intend to have) with your donor?

    He’s my baby daddy.

    8. Anything else you think people should know?

    Not particularly, because if they’re anything like me telling them to have patience, your time will come, will just irritate them! Haha. But I must say, I honestly never ever ever thought it would happen for us! And here I am!

    Testimonial 2:
    Hi there!

    I had bookmarked this thread for the past 6 months and kept reading it all the time to get a positive feel. I am very thankful to all of you for your posts which landed me a BFP! Here’s my input.

    1. If you used a donor (rather than your spouse), how did you find your donor
    My spouse

    2. What method(s) did you use to track ovulation
    Used IC’s but the time it worked I used Clearblue digital ovulation sticks. They are much easier to use and the first time I used them I got pregnant!

    3. What method(s) of insemination did you use
    Used syringes, non spermicidal condom, sterile cup. I had problems getting the semen from the condom directly, so I transferred them to a cup and then drew it in. Inseminated asap and lied on pillows for 1 hour

    4. How many times per cycle did you inseminate and what was the timing relative to ovulation (e.g. 2 days before and day of)?
    Once on the night of lh surge and twice the next day

    6. Did it work? If so, how many cycles did it take?
    Yes it did! Took 3 cycles and first with clearblue digital opk’s. Used conceive plus too.

    8. Anything else you think people should know?
    This method surely works!

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