Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) Treatment Procedure for Infertility

Understanding IUI Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) is artificial insemination that involves injecting sperm right into your uterus around the time of ovulation. Sperm from a donor or sperm from your partner can be used in this technique. The technique is performed under close observation and is timed to occur during ovulation. IUI is beneficial when the female partner has endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), or ovulatory failure, or when the male partner has been identified as having a poor sperm reserve.

Procedure: For cases of unexplained infertility, mild endometriosis, or mild male factor infertility, IUI is recommended as the initial line of treatment.

IUI often does two things:

• Pre-injection medicine helps accelerate egg growth, increasing a woman's fertility more than she would be without it.
• The sperm is then injected into the uterine canal, removing the need for it to swim through the cervical opening and into the uterus on its own and facilitating easier contact between the sperm and the egg.
• Before being booked for insemination, the male partner will be required to produce a sample of semen during the operation. At the doctor's office or at home, this is accomplished by masturbating into a sterile container.

To separate the sperm from the seminal fluid, the semen is "washed." The seminal fluid contains components that may irritate your uterus, thus this must be done prior to the sperm being put into the uterus. The process of "washing" sperm may also increase its capacity to fertilise an egg.

It merely takes a few minutes to inseminate. An expert in reproductive medicine will use a speculum to access the vagina, introduce a tiny catheter through the cervix into the uterine cavity, and inject sperm into the uterus through the catheter. Most likely, the patient won't experience any pain during this treatment.

How is IUI different from IVF?

• The following are some key distinctions between IUI and IVF:
• In IVF, fertilisation takes place in a petri dish, outside of the human body. IUI involves injecting cleaned semen into the uterus of the woman.
• IUI cycles only have a 10–20% success rate while IVF has a success rate of between 6–72%.
• IUI cycles are less expensive than IVF cycles.

Before deciding on sterilisation techniques, some couples prefer to investigate more conventional or unconventional approaches. We invite you to have a consultation with one of our fertility experts at Embrion IVF Centre if you are trying to get pregnant and seeking a resource to help your efforts. According to your infertility problem, type of infertility, and financial considerations, we help you choose the best fertility treatment.