Intrauterine insemination is a common fertility treatment
Intrauterine insemination, often called IUI or artificial insemination, places the sperm directly into the uterine cavity. To have a chance of success, an IUI requires three things: the female partner can ovulate, she has at least one fallopian tube open, and the male partner can provide healthy sperm.
We use this procedure is most commonly for male infertility problems, usually related to sperm. These problems could be low sperm count, low motility, or an incompatibility between the sperm and the cervical mucus. For men with low sperm counts, IUI can directly place a concentrated sample of sperm directly into the uterus close to the fallopian tubes during ovulation. If the male partner cannot provide sperm, donor sperm can be acquired for the procedure.
Additionally, IUI overcomes problems associated with a man’s inability to ejaculate inside the woman’s vagina due to impotence, premature ejaculation or other medical conditions. IUI increases the chances of pregnancy because we place the sperm directly in the uterus, bypassing the cervix. This improves the delivery of the sperm to the egg. In cases where we don’t know the cause of infertility, IUI often works well for unexplained infertility.
Steps in the IUI process
- On cycle day 1 of your period (the first day you start bleeding), call our office to set up a baseline ultrasound appointment. This ultrasound will occur anywhere from cycle day 2-5. We insert an ultrasound probe into your vagina so that we can see your ovaries and measure the follicles as they grow. You don’t need any special preparation and the ultrasound takes about 10 minutes.
- If your cycle is irregular, we induce ovulation with oral medication such as Clomid or injectable medications.
- Around cycle day 12, you will come in for another ultrasound so that we can confirm your dominant egg follicle is of appropriate size.
- When you are ready, take your “trigger” shot to ovulate the dominant egg. Your IUI procedure will be scheduled about 36 hours after your trigger shot.
- About 1 to 2 hours before your procedure, your partner provides a semen sample. Following our instructions for proper collection is very important.
- After collection, we prepare the semen sample in the andrology lab separating the sperm from the semen fluid.
- During the IUI procedure, your doctor inserts a thin, long tube through your cervix and into your uterus. The concentrated sperm is then injected directly into the uterus.
- Take a home pregnancy test 14 days after the procedure. It’s important not to test early as the trigger shot can give you a false positive. Call our office after your test, whether it is positive or negative, for what to do next.
What are the chances of conceiving with IUI?
An IUI is a good choice for patients experiencing a variety of female and male fertility issues. Each cycle of an IUI has about a 10-20% success rate, on average, for women under 35. The chance of conceiving with intrauterine insemination depends on your treatment protocol and if you are taking ovulation induction medications:
- 6-10% with a natural cycle
- 8-12% with a Clomid/IUI cycle
- 15-25% with a gonadotropin/IUI cycle
Sometimes it takes more than one IUI cycle to achieve the ultimate goal of a pregnancy. Our Louisiana fertility specialists may want you to try several IUIs before suggesting you move on to more aggressive treatment, such as in vitro fertilization. For women under 35, our doctors generally recommend doing 3 rounds of IUI before considering IVF. However, this recommendation can go up to 6 IUIs in carefully selected patients. If you are over 35, we will likely recommend moving on to more aggressive treatment given that age has a profound impact on fertility. Checking your ovarian reserve levels, which decrease with age, is always a good idea before embarking on any fertility treatments.
Our Louisiana fertility specialists are here to help you realize your dream of parenthood. Contact us to schedule an appointment and learn if intrauterine insemination is right for you.
