All that you need to know about IUI (Intrauterine Insemination) Treatment for Pregnancy

Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a procedure to treat infertility where sperm are directly place in the uterus around the time when a woman’s ovary release one or more eggs to be fertilised.

The outcome of intrauterine insemination is that the sperm swims into the Fallopian tube and fertilise the egg, resulting in pregnancy. This type of artificial insemination is used in couples who have the following:

*Unexplained infertility: It is performed as a treatment for unexplained infertility.

*Endometriosis related infertility: For endometriosis related infertility, performing IUI along with medications is used as first treatment approach.

*Male factor infertility: Semen analysis may show a below average sperm concentration, weak movement or abnormality in the sperm shape & size. IUI can overcome such problems as preparing sperm for this procedure helps separate the normal sperm from the lower quality one.

*Ovulation related infertility: IUI may be performed for women who have problems with ovulation or reduced number of eggs.

*Cervical factor related infertility: A woman’s cervix produces mucus at the time of ovulation which provides for the sperm to travel from the vagina to the Fallopian tubes. But when the cervical mucus is too thick, it can affect the sperm’s journey and prevent it from the reaching the egg.

How does IUI help?

The IUI is a non-invasive and less-expensive fertility treatment as compared to in-vitro fertilisation. However, IUI isn’t effective in the following scenarios:

*Moderate to severe endometriosis

*Removed Fallopian tubes

*Severe Fallopian tube disease

*Suffering multiple pelvic infections

*In men who produce no sperm

The success rate for the IUI treatment is dependent on age, underlying diagnosis, usage of fertility drugs and any other fertility concerns.

Preparing for IUI treatment

The IUI treatment involves the following before the actual procedure takes place:

*Taking the semen sample: The semen sample is provided by your partner. As the non-sperm elements in the semen can cause reactions in the body which interfere with a woman’s fertilisation, the sample is washed in a way which separates the highly quality sperm from the low quality along with other elements. This improves the likelihood of achieving pregnancy.

*Monitoring signs of ovulation: As the timing of the IUI is crucial, you may need to use a home urine ovulation kit that detects the body’s release of luteinizing hormone.

*Determine timing: Most IUIs are done one or two days after detecting ovulation.

Pregnancy results

A two weeks gap may be required prior to taking a at-home pregnancy test. Testing too soon could result in a false-negative where the pregnancy hormones aren’t yet at a measurable level or a false positive where ovulation inducing medicine can indicate a pregnancy.

In case you aren’t pregnant after two weeks with your home kit, you might try other fertility treatments or the same therapy with an interval of three to six months.

References

1. Ayeleke RO, Asseler JD, Cohlen BJ, Veltman-Verhulst SM. (2020). Intra-uterine insemination for unexplained subfertility. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
2. Allahbadia GN. (2017). Intrauterine Insemination: Fundamentals Revisited. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov