Infectious Disease Screening for IUI & Warm Castor Oil Pack for Fertility

Hubby and I went to have our infectious disease screening done today. As we walk into the very quiet waiting room of the lab, the ladies up front give me a boisterous, "Heeeeeey!"  Hubby compared it to how other people walk into a bar and get greeted by the bartender and have their usual spot immediately cleared for them. He says I'm like Norm on Cheers, except in the medical world. Funny guy! 

Hey, I have no problem with being well known in this place. They know exactly which needle I like the best (the tiny black needle) and they also know not to use the crappy white tape on my arm. They know I dislike needles more than the average person and are really good at sparking up conversation to distract me. It's really helping me to get better about the whole process actually! They never miss a vein or have to try twice either. It really does make the experience as painless as possible. Good thing, because this is the 4th time I've gotten stuck with a needle in 8 days. 1 HCG test, 1 flu shot, 1 thyroid panel, and now today's infectious disease screening.

This test is required for couples using IUI and includes screening for all of the STD's, blood typing & RH Factor, as well as rubella & varicella for the woman. We are taking a gamble this time and trying to run it through our BCBS insurance with hopes they might cover it. The doctor coded our lab slips with V74.5, which I googled and found stood for "venereal disease screening" so nothing in the coding suggests "infertility." Yay!

Now granted, BCBS would surely cover this panel of testing for any hooker out there looking to see if her one night stand left her with any unwanted side effects. Do something really stupid this weekend and want to find out if you have an STD? No problem, we'll cover as many of those tests as you want us to! lol

Sorry if I sound like a Negative Nancy, but from experience I'm just guessing, that even with this non-fertility related coding, they will take one look at the office ordering this test for us "Texas Fertility Clinic" and will most likely deny it no matter what. You just never know though until you try! I said a prayer to God today to have the person receiving our claim to approve it. C'mon God help a sister out here!  Pull some strings up there pretty please!

I took my last two pills of Femara today (CD6) and will begin using warm castor oil compresses today or tomorrow. In case you don't know, these are a holistic remedy for all kinds of fertility related issues. Castor oil has been known to:

-Dissolve uterine fibroids
-Get rid of excess (old) hormones
-Dissolve non-cancerous ovarian cysts
-Dissolve scar tissue and adhesions
-Free up congested fallopian tubes
-Increase circulation to reproductive organs

I use them mostly to increase circulation in general and also prevent and clear out any cysts that may be brewing (These can be common when using fertility meds and can ruin cycles altogether). The compresses are used only after menstruation and prior to ovulation. I did have an 18mm cyst on my ovary at one point when using Clomid last year, and after using these, it disappeared completely. You can buy castor oil at any specialty pharmacy, and it's a very cost effective natural approach to increasing fertility. I believe it works, and it certainly can't hurt! Check out this great tutorial on how to do them if you think they can benefit you...