What did it?

After freakin' eight tries it's natural to try to figure out what did it. What was different? For us there are two differences.

1. The IUI. This is the most obvious culprit. I can now prance around and declare that it was the IUI that made us pregnant. Except I seriously don't think it was. The timing was so poor and washed semen probably lives eight hours (lucky number eight), maybe up to twenty four. So no, I'm not doing the IUI dance of impregnation. Maybe it did it, probably not.

2. Ovulating like a Mofo. Yes, the one thing I'm sure of is that my body decided to ovulate like a mofo this time. I got to have mild cramping and lovely GAS for two days around ovulation. M. and I decided that in the very least I was getting some good eggs out there.

What really did it? Here's the secret. Summer. It was our first summer cycle and M. had talked to a psychic when we first headed down the TTC path who had a feeling that summer would be good.

And the other contributing factor? Irony. Yes, irony made us pregnant. M. and I had just decided to finally burst our TTC isolation and start working to join with others to alieviate our pain. We got our support group together and, WHAMO.

So much time in TTC is spent trying to figure out what level of intervention to move toward. Three cycles of IVI, then three of medicated IVI, then injectibles, then IVF? Or do you keep going with IVI? Clomid or not clomid? Progesterone? B6? Trigger shots? There is this never ending urge to tweak the process constantly. It's maddening.

In the end, it appears the most likely culprit was our old pal, the 5cc syringe stuck up my vagina along with a nicely sized sample. In the end it was just me, the cats, M., and the final scenes of Casablanca on the DVD. Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Oh, and summer and irony.