[Infertility Treatment Report Part 2] From stopping the pill to self-guided fertility efforts. The struggle between the syringe method and visiting a gynecologist
Introduction🌷
Hello, I'm Tekari🌱
While working as a visiting nurse, I write about my everyday life, household budget management, and records of raising children.
This time, it's the second installment of my 6-part infertility treatment report!
Last time I provided an overall roadmap, but this time it's a realistic record of“Self-guided fertility efforts after stopping the pill,” and “trial and error after jumping into a local gynecologist.”about.
Click here for the previous article👇
“Those days when my period wouldn't come at all and I was abusing pregnancy tests”
“The syringe method that saved us from a sexless marriage and the burden”
“Side effects of hormone medication and the agonizing pain of a tubal patency test”
I wrote down the anxiety and trial and error from when I first started fertility treatment without hiding anything.
I hope this will be helpful for those who are currently struggling at the same stage.
1. Stopping the pill and the days of panicking over erratic basal body temperature
I had been taking low-dose birth control pills for about 4 years until February 2024.
After discussing with my husband that we wanted children, I stopped the pill. I started measuring my basal body temperature every morning from March.
However, my basal body temperature graph was beautifully erratic.
Having been told in a past ultrasound that I might have “Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) in my left ovary,” anxiety hit me all at once, wondering, “Am I actually ovulating properly...?”
The unforgettable “D45” early testing incident
I was especially panicked around “D45 (45 days from the start of my period),” a few months after starting fertility efforts.
It was significantly later than my usual cycle, and my heart was bursting with expectation, thinking, “Could this be... am I pregnant?!”
I grabbed a Do-Test (pregnancy test) and ran to the bathroom.
The result was... perfectly stark white (negative).
“Wait, so is my ovulation just extremely late...?”
Having believed the rumors that even early tests would show a faint line, I could only sigh in shock. My period used to come naturally when I was on the pill. It was a moment where I keenly felt the frustration of not being able to control my own body as I wanted.
2. First visit to a local gynecologist! “Timed intercourse” and medication side effects
Even when it reached D46 and my period still hadn't come, I made up my mind and went to a local OB/GYN for my first visit, hoping for fertility testing.
When the doctor checked with an ultrasound, they said, “Your ovulation was quite late. If we keep going like this, the number of times you can try in a year will decrease, so let's consider ovulation induction medication.”
From there, my “general fertility treatment (timed intercourse)” began in earnest.
The baptism of medium-dose pills (Planovar)
First, I had to take medium-dose pills (Planovar) for 10 days to force a cycle reset.
I had been overconfident, thinking, “I've taken low-dose pills before, so this will be easy~,” but...
Days 1-2: Severe nausea and malaise (couldn't let go of antiemetics!)
Day 3: For some reason, my weight suddenly increased by 2kg
Although I didn't actually vomit, I was attacked by a persistently unpleasant nausea that made my chest feel sick, and I keenly realized, “Hormone medication really takes a toll on the body...”
Clomid and ovulation pain
After that, I also experienced a cycle of taking the ovulation inducer “Clomid.”
I'm grateful that the follicles grow well, but perhaps because they grow too much, the ovulation pain became excruciating...!
Furthermore, depending on the dosage interval and my physical condition, I was sometimes hit with headaches and strong nausea, making me realize how difficult it is to take medication while working.
3. My husband's “egg-chan” first semen analysis
In parallel with timed intercourse, we decided to have my husband undergo a semen analysis (egg-chan test).
Looking at the results paper that came back, although the semen volume (4.8ml) and the percentage of normally shaped sperm (4.5%) cleared the WHO standard values, the “sperm concentration” and “motility rate” were below the standard values.
Sperm concentration: 6.89 million/ml (Standard value: 16 million or more)
Motility rate: 25.29% (Standard value: 42% or more)
The doctor said, “It can be thin or thick depending on the condition at the time. Saving it up too long isn't good either, so let's start with a re-examination,” and my husband was prescribed herbal medicine (Hochuekkito).
Seeing the sperm wiggling under the microscope for the first time, I didn't take it that seriously at the time, thinking, “They're a bit thin, but there are some that are moving energetically!”
We had no idea at the time that this test, which we lightly thought, “Well, it'll be fine next time!”, would later become a major turning point...
4. The “syringe method” that became our couple's savior
While proceeding with timed intercourse, something everyone faces is“The pressure of timing it to match the ovulation day”I think.
Me working as a visiting nurse, and my husband tired from work.
Even if the ovulation test (Clearview) came back positive, putting pressure on each other by saying “Tonight is the night!” was stressful for both of us. There were also times when my husband would get sick and run a fever, and I would often feel discouraged, thinking, “I'm sorry for forcing him...”
That's when we introduced“The commercially available syringe method”was.
▷▶▷[Rakuten Ichiba] Click here for the syringe we used!
This was a huge success for our home!
We could easily say, “Can we do the syringe method today?”
It became overwhelmingly easier for my husband, who said, “I'm not in the mood, but if it's just about providing the sample, I can do that!”
We were able to agree as a couple that “Conceiving through intercourse is best, but having peace of mind for each other is the most important thing.”
It's important to confirm our love, but as a tool to avoid prolonging fertility efforts and destroying our relationship as a couple, the syringe method really saved us.
5. A realistic account of the tubal patency test (intense pain and relief)
As part of my fertility testing, I also underwent a tubal patency test (tubal insufflation/hydrotubation) to check if my fallopian tubes were blocked.
Since the clinic didn't have X-ray equipment, they used carbon dioxide gas and water, checking with an ultrasound and a stethoscope... and let me tell you, it was painful!!
Two points of agony
1. The moment the balloon is inflated: They told me, "You might feel a bit of pressure," but it was far more than just pressure—it was a deep, intense pain like severe menstrual cramps.
2. The moment of hydrotubation (injecting water): This was the hardest part! It felt like menstrual cramps so bad they'd make you want to curl up in bed, and I had to focus entirely on exhaling and staying relaxed.
The test itself only took about a minute, and fortunately, I got the best possible result: "No tubal obstruction (no issues)!"
After the test, I suffered from a mysterious side effect (vasovagal reflex) where the carbon dioxide gas irritated my diaphragm, causing "excruciating pain in both shoulders," but the relief of knowing there was no definitive physical reason for my infertility was immense.
Summary: A time of feeling our way forward
The latter half of 2024 was a period where we simply faced our bodies and fumbled our way through repeating "timed intercourse," the "syringe method," and various tests and medications.
At the time, there were so many days I wanted to cry, wondering, "Why isn't I ovulating?" or "Why did I get my period again this month?" but looking back, I feel it was a valuable time that built the foundation for us to cooperate as a couple (such as introducing the syringe method).
However, after this... our journey with fertility treatment would reach a major turning point.
The next installment, Part 3, will be about "The discovery of male infertility (idiopathic spermatogenic dysfunction) and how we as a couple came to terms with it." I will share the results of my husband's semen analysis and the real struggles we faced as we fought and talked through it while crying.
Thank you for reading until the end.🌷
Click here for the next article👇
📖 [Summary of all 6 episodes] Click here for the fertility treatment report magazine