Ask away

Recently some good friends, but new friends have asked what is involved in fertility treatments. And because I have just under six weeks until I head back to my specialist here is the chance to ask away. What is involved?
How time consuming is it?
Do the drugs affect your libdo?
What are my moods like?

Fertility treatments can be as medically involved as you wish them to be. Base line treatments start with general ultrasound viewing of the uterus and ovaries. It then depends on what the Dr views on that first scan to which direction you travel next.
A basic fertility cycle is usually clomid or another follicle stimulating hormone given on days 2-7 or 3-8 of your cycle. At day ten your dr may then request you come in for another u/s appointment (often referred to as the date with dildo cam as it is done transvaginal). From this appointment several things can happen. The first is you are asked to come back in a couple more days for another date. You could be then sent to the IVF clinic for a trigger shot (the follicle is at 18mm or bigger). Or worse case you are given another five days of drugs because nothing is happening at all.
The trigger shot is HCG, the hormone produced in pregnancy. This will cause the follicle to mature and ovulate on schedule.
Ok after the trigger shot again the tangent you take depends on your Dr and your choice. You can go it alone and do the deed starting 24hours after the shot for 3-5 days. Or 48 hours later go in for IUI.
IUI is inter uterine insemination. This is where a sperm sample from the male is collected in the morning, washed and spun to give good pure sperm. Later that day the woman then goes to the clinic collects the sample keeping it at body temp and hands it to the Dr. The dr then draws it up using a long fine plastic tube and syringe. The fine tube is then passed through the cervical neck into the uterus where the sperm is then injected into the uterine space. The woman then lies still for about five minuets, usually making small talk with the Dr.
14 days later if a period has not arrived a pregnancy test is then taken for the most accurate results.
For me personally even if the test is negative it can take 18 days for a period to arrive. So an average cycle can take 28-35 days to complete.

Medication side effects. Oh the joys. Think menopause symptoms - hot flushes, headaches, low libdo, vaginal dryness, mood swings ect. It makes doing this so much fun.

So this is base line. If base line does not have any affect after about 3 cycles, medications can be changed to see if it has a better response. From there the amount. Of cycles you attempt is up to the patient. Laparoscopy surgery may also be done to have a look inside and to flush the follopian tubes. This can often boast the chances. This requires a general antisetic and in most cases is done as a day procedure depending on the patient.

If all of this has not worked IVF or giving up has to be considered.