4DPO

That's right, ladies and bois. I am 4DPO, which means that I did eventually O on CD25, after only 8 blood draws. I have reached the point where I don't even have to sign into the lab any more. They see me coming and automatically get my paperwork. It's very convenient.

Anyway, I'm rather thrilled that we managed a well-timed insemination this month, despite my ovulatory tardiness. For some reason the IUI was a bloody affair, which was odd because previous ones were almost all smooth as silk. This one didn't hurt terribly, but for some reason I bled. We had to stop for a while (with me cranked open mais oui) to wait for it to slow down so that he could thread in the catheter.

I don't mind though. Difficult embryo transfers are associated with lower success rates, but I haven't found any indication that difficult IUIs are less likely to work. I assume that the 5-10 days between insemination and implantation gives the endometrium plenty of time to relax and heal from whatever trauma is caused by the insemination. Plus, I'm pretty sure it was my cervix, not my uterus that was bleeding.

Still don't know what my plan is for next month if this doesn't work. Another IUI, au natural? IUI with clomid? or plunge straight into the final IVF? I just don't know. The clomid conflicts with my hypertension-induced terror of multiples, but as any pregnancy starts to look fantastically unlikely, so does the fear of twins recede. As far as I know, clomid carries a multiples risk of about 10% of pregnancies (my nieces are clomid twins). Injectibles carry a risk of 18-20%. IVF with double embryo transfer carries a risk of 25-33%.

I just don' t know. A chronic hyptertensive's pre-eclampsia risk with a singleton pregnancy is a terrifying 25%. My age and lack of previous pregnancies add to the risk. Getting pregnant with multiples would increase that even more.

Oh, god. I just read "The highest risk of pre-eclampsia was seen in nulliparous women with MAPs >85 mm Hg at randomization, where the incidence of pre-eclampsia ranged from 32% to 41%". I shouldn't do this at all, should I. I don't care. I have to try. But yeah, I'm seroiusly mad at myself for not doing this when I was younger and less hypertensive. Someone take the internet away from me right now.

Someone say something comforting kay?