Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)

Overview

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI), also called Artificial Insemination (AI), is suggested for couples having fertility problems. The process of insemination allows the woman to become pregnant by increasing the number of sperm reaching her reproductive tract to enhance chances of fertility.

The procedure is followed with a donor’s sperm or your partner’s sperm by collecting them in the laboratory dish. After studying and separating fast-moving sperm from slow-moving sperm, the healthy ones are washed and concentrated. During concentration, only highly active, healthy sperm are placed inside the woman’s uterus when she is ovulating to facilitate fertilization.

IUI treatment is required for individuals who want to use donated sperm for getting pregnant, are unable to perform vaginal intercourse due to some reasons or have a condition that does not allow the man to have sex with the woman (say, HIV). IUI is sometimes combined with superovulation to increase the number of eggs.

The reasons for IUI treatment are:

• Any problem in the woman’s cervix, preventing sperms from travelling into it.
• When a man produces poor and low quality sperm or no sperm at all. Doctors generally recommend ICSI in such cases.
• If a man fails to release sperms out of the penis, instead releases it in the urinary bladder. In that case, sperms retrieved from them are washed and concentrated in the laboratory before placing it in the woman’s uterus.
• In cases of unexplained infertility.
• If the woman does not have a male partner, but is still looking forward to having a baby.

Before the Treatment

There are certain preparations and careful coordination before Intrauterine Insemination procedure.

• X-rays of your fallopian tubes and the uterus are done to enable the doctor analyze if you have at least one functioning fallopian tube, if not both.
• If results show scarring, polyps, intrauterine adhesion in the fallopian tubes or the uterus then you need to get a treatment before IUI. The doctor may not approve of an insemination procedure for you in certain cases.
• You and your partner are tested for sexually transmitted diseases. Although, this is not compulsory everywhere, but you may have to undergo the test as per your hospital requirements.
• Doctors may suggest you fertility drugs if you do not have regular periods. This helps you release eggs at the time of ovulation.
• Use an ovulation monitoring kit at home to check if you are ovulating adequately. Check your own urine for lutenizing hormone which is responsible for any drop or increase in egg count. Start checking with the kit at least 11 days after you started periods, so that you can refer the results to your doctor on time for the IUI procedure. The doctor may examine you for ovulation by himself if he feels the kit fails to produce desired results.
• Once the doctor feels that you are about to ovulate or you have already started ovulating, you are asked to schedule an appointment.
• If you are using your partner’s sperm, then he is asked to come to the clinic to produce semen as advised. The doctor then retrieves sperm from it. If in case, you are using a donor’s sperm, the clinic readies it beforehand. Sperm taken from your partner are also washed to separate healthy sperm from non-active sperm. The chosen sperm are concentrated in the laboratory before the insemination procedure.
• Most IUIs are performed 2-3 days after the woman starts ovulating.

How it is performed

The procedure of Intrauterine Insemination is performed in a few minutes. A catheter (a small, flexible tube) is inserted through the vagina, the cervix and into the uterus. The selected sperm is placed into the woman’s uterus at the time when she is ovulating. The sperm then moves into the fallopian tubes, where the sperm and the egg fuse together and the embryo is formed.

Recovery

Since IUI is a less invasive procedure, the recovery time of Intrauterine Insemination is just a few minutes to a few hours. The woman may feel a little discomfort like cramping just after the procedure, but it stops in a few minutes or hours. There is almost no risk of infection from IUI. Remember, the success of Intrauterine Insemination is determined by the woman’s age, any medical concerns associated with the reproductive system, etc.