If you’re doing an FET, you’ve likely already completed at least one IVF cycle and either did a freeze-all, or had embryos left over after your fresh transfer; or you’re using donor embryos.
Either way, the good news is that this will be really, really easy compared to pretty much every other treatment plan up to this point.
IVF… you’ve made it all the way here! First of all, I’m sorry. I’m sure it’s been a beatdown getting here, and it probably hurts your heart. You might be feeling like a failure; like you’ve let down yourself, your husband, your family, your bank account. You might be struggling with how to reconcile this with God. You might be struggling with how to reconcile this with your own plans and dreams. It’s a lot to work through.
You’re ready for an IUI! This one is exciting. For me, this protocol felt like the first real fertility treatment. Artificial insemination – the ol’ turkey baster method – like you hear about in movies and TV shows all the time, right? Sort of.
The first line of treatment with our fertility doctor (Reproductive Endocrinologist, or RE) was an oral medication called Femara along with FSH injectables – also known as a “combo cycle.”
Many women will just do a round of Femara, the same as you would’ve done Clomid, and respond great to that. I have pretty severe PCOS and “stubborn” ovaries, as my doctor lovingly likes to say, so she thought the combo would work better for us.
So, at this point, you’ve probably already had some initial testing done through your OB/GYN, and maybe you’ve done a few rounds of Clomid, with no success.
If you’re anything like me, you’re probably filled with anxiety at the mere idea of having to see an infertility doctor and being branded “infertile.” I get it. I cried and cried and cried when we were sent off to our fertility doctor. It felt like such an ominous, daunting step, and I was not emotionally ready for it.
