Intra Uterine Insemination (IUI)

IntraUterine Insemination (IUI) is a fertility treatment that involves injecting sperm directly into the womb. IUI can be performed using the sperm of a partner or a donor and is suitable for treating a wide range of fertility problems.

• People who need donated sperm but have no female fertility problems, including same sex couples and single women.
• Couples where there is a mild male factor fertility issue such as a slightly reduced sperm count or motility, may benefit from IUI.
• People who have a condition which means they need specialist help in order to achieve pregnancy safely. This would include the following people: men who are HIV positive and have had sperm washing to reduce the risk of passing the disease onto their child or partner. (we are not routinely doing this at Wessex Fertility so should not be advertising it)
• Couples who are unable (or would find it very difficult) to have vaginal intercourse. This could be due to a physical disability or psychosexual problem.

IUI is a commonly used form of assisted fertility treatment. The goal of IUI is to increase the number of sperm that will reach and fertilise the egg, thereby increasing the chances of pregnancy.

The IUI process below outlines the average steps in a single cycle of IUI treatment. Of course it is important to keep in mind that you may be given different drugs for your treatment, depending on what is best for you.

The first step before commencing the IUI process is to have a tubal assessment. During this assessment we will check that your fallopian tubes are open and healthy using a procedure called a HyCoSy. This involves a specialised vaginal ultrasound to detect whether dye passes through the fallopian tubes. Occasionally, the tubes will be assessed in other ways, such as through keyhole surgery, or the use of a specialised X-ray called a hysterosalpingogram.

We may recommend that you take fertility drugs to help boost your egg production. Occasionally, you can have IUI treatment as part of your normal menstrual cycle.

If you are taking fertility drugs, we will monitor you regularly with ultrasound scans to check how many follicles are developing.

Shortly before the insemination, you will be given a hormone injection called the trigger injection. This injection will help the final phase of egg maturation and will result in the egg being released, ready to travel down the fallopian tube to meet the sperm.

Sperm are washed and prepared, then the best quality sperm are selected and injected into the uterus. This process only takes a few minutes and is relatively pain free.

After insemination we will give you a date to carry out your pregnancy test and this will be around two weeks after insemination. Try not to take a pregnancy test any earlier than this as the result could be misleading.

Donor sperm can be used for intrauterine insemination. Couples may choose to use donor sperm in certain situations:

• Men who have no sperm in the ejaculate
• Single women
• Same sex couples
• Couples for whom there is a severe problem with the sperm, and ICSI has been recommended, but the couple do not wish to undergo IVF and intra cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

IUI is not recommended for the following patients:

• Women who have severe disease of the fallopian tubes
• Women with moderate to severe endometriosis
• Women with a history of pelvic infections
• Males with a very low sperm count or poor quality sperm

If you are unsure whether the above apply to you or not, speak to one of our specialists today. We can advise whether or not IUI would be the best fertility treatment for your requirements.

Many people assume that IUI is the same as IVF. However, this is not the case. IUI is known to be less invasive than IVF cycle and for some people can often be the more popular of the two treatments. During the IUI process, the highest quality sperm are selected and injected directly into the uterus.

In comparison, IVF involves collecting the eggs and sperm, fertilising them in a laboratory and then transferring the resulting embryos into the uterus. IUI, in comparison, allows the body to do more on its own. Therefore, many people consider it to be a more natural form of fertility treatment.

As with any fertility treatment, the success rate of IUI depends on a number of factors. Even so, IUI success rates tend to be around one-third of those for IVF. As with any fertility treatment, a woman’s age plays a big part in conception success. The younger a woman is, the higher her chances of getting pregnant. However, IUI success rates will differ from person to person. We can discuss the likelihood of pregnancy success for you, based on your individualised treatment plan, if you book a consultation with us today.