INTRAUTERINE INSEMINATION (IUI)

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) is one of the less expensive fertility treatments where many patients achieve success compared to the most popular In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) artificial insemination procedure performed now days. It may be the ideal options for couples having difficulty conceiving.

The obvious question would be details of the process involved in IUI, which, Dr. M. Loukya MBBS, MS OBG, FMAS, FRM, Dip. In ART & Reproductive Medicine (Germany), would like to provide general treatment timeline for better understanding and expectation from the procedure cycle.

IUI is short for intrauterine insemination, called by some, “artificial” insemination. Unless a patient has blocked tubes which prevents sperm from getting to the egg, IUI is often the first step for couples with fertility problems. If there are sperm issues or if the woman is 40 or over, the doctor may advise that the patient is moved straight to IVF.

With IUI, the partner’s sperm (or donor sperm when necessary), is injected high up into the uterus to essentially give it a “leg up” on where it needs to go, which is to the egg so it stands a chance of fertilizing it. Depending on a particular case, the fertility doctor may recommend that the patient do a natural IUI or combine it with medications that stimulate the ovaries to produce more eggs to increase the chances of getting pregnant. There a few different kinds of medications: some are taken orally while others will be injected.