Overview
Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) is an artificial insemination technique used to treat infertility. When ovaries release one or more eggs, concentrated and cleaned sperm is immediately injected into the uterus. The intended result of IUI is for the sperm to travel into the fallopian tube and fertilize the egg, resulting in pregnancy.
Why is Intrauterine Insemination Recommended?
There are various factors that affect the chances of conception for couples. Most couples that use Intrauterine Insemination have the following issues:
- Donor sperm: IUI is the most popular method for women who need donor sperm to conceive. Before starting the process, frozen donor sperm samples are collected from accredited labs.
- Unexplained infertility: IUI is frequently used in combination with ovulation-inducing drugs as the first-line treatment for infertility.
- Infertility caused by endometriosis: For patients struggling with endometriosis, the first line of treatment is taking ovulation-inducing drugs along with IUI. This helps ovaries to produce high-quality, mature eggs.
- Mild male factor infertility: If a man has a below-average sperm count, poor sperm motility, or abnormalities in sperm size and morphology, IUI is often performed to overcome these problems.
- Cervical factor infertility: Often, the sperm cannot fertilize the egg due to a very thick cervical mucus, or sometimes due to the cervix itself. The IUI process helps bypass the cervix and deposit sperm directly into the uterus.
- Ovulatory factor infertility: IUI is also an option for women whose infertility is caused due to irregular ovulation or fewer eggs.
- Semen allergy: Sometimes, women may be suffering from infertility due to the presence of semen proteins. During the IUI process, those semen proteins are removed before injecting the sperm.
How is Intrauterine Insemination Conducted?
There are three steps involved in IUI: before treatment, during treatment, and post-treatment.
Preparation Before the Procedure
This stage involves the following steps:
- Preparing the semen sample
- Monitoring for ovulation
- Determination of optimal timing for an IUI
During the procedure
- The Intrauterine Insemination process generally takes between 10 to 15 minutes and requires no medications or pain relievers.
- The doctor inserts a speculum into the vagina.
- Later, a healthy sperm-containing vial is attached to the end of a thin, long catheter. The doctor then inserts the catheter into the vagina towards the uterus.
- The sperm sample is then pushed via the catheter into the uterus.
- Finally, both the catheter and the speculum are removed.
After the Procedure
After the IUI process, women can resume their daily activities. Some may experience some mild spotting for a day or two.
What are the possible complications of Intrauterine Insemination?
Although IUI is a fairly simple and safe procedure, there might be a few minimal risks:
- Infection: Sometimes IUI may result in infections.
- Spotting: At times, slight vaginal bleeding can occur as a result of inserting the catheter into the uterus. However, it does not affect the chances of getting pregnant.
- Multiple pregnancies: IUI by itself doesn't put women at a higher risk of having multiple pregnancies. However, when IUI is used in conjunction with ovulation-inducing drugs, the likelihood of having multiple pregnancies increases. Premature labour and low birth weight are also two risks that are higher for multiple pregnancies than for single pregnancies.
Conclusion
For many women or couples attempting to get pregnant, Intrauterine Insemination is a wonderful option owing to being less risky. They should consult an OB-GYN or a fertility specialist if they are unable to conceive or have questions regarding conception methods. The doctor will advise them on the best course of action, including undergoing IUI. You can request an appointment easily at Apollo Fertility, Amritsar, by calling 1860 500 4424.
A woman should wait at least two weeks before taking an at-home pregnancy test. Testing too soon could produce either a false-negative or a false-positive result.
The IUI process works differently for every couple, and its success can be unpredictable. The result is influenced by a variety of factors, such as: • Age • Any underlying infertility conditions • The use of fertility drugs
Women over the age of 40 or those who have gone through three cycles of IUI without any success, often have lower chances of conceiving.
A woman must undergo a hysterosalpingogram test before starting IUI treatment, to confirm that they have at least one open fallopian tube. Before starting donor sperm inseminations, they should be examined for infectious diseases like Hepatitis C, RPR, HIV, HTLV I, Hepatitis B surface antigen, etc.
Before performing IUI on a woman, their male partner must also be tested for infectious diseases.
