IUI
IUI is a fertility treatment in which a doctor gently places specially prepared sperm directly into the uterus at the right time in the cycle, making it easier for the sperm to reach and fertilize the egg.
WHAT IS INTRAUTERINE INSEMINATION (IUI)?
For a woman to get pregnant, a man’s sperm must travel from the vagina through the cervix (narrow, lower part of the womb), into the uterus (womb) and up into one of the fallopian tubes. If sperm arrives in the tubes soon after the release of the egg from the ovary (ovulation), the sperm and egg can meet in the tube, most commonly, on the side that ovulation took place, and then fertilization may occur.
How Pregnancy Naturally Happens
For pregnancy to occur, sperm must travel from the vagina through the cervix, into the uterus, and up the fallopian tubes to meet an egg released during ovulation.
Meeting of Sperm and Egg
Fertilization can happen when sperm reaches the fallopian tube soon after ovulation, usually on the side where the egg was released.
Natural Barrier of the Cervix
The cervix naturally limits how many sperm enter the uterus, so only a small number make it all the way to the fallopian tubes.
Purpose of Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)
IUI bypasses the cervix by placing prepared sperm directly into the uterus, shortening the sperm's journey and increasing the chances of fertilization and pregnancy.
How conception takes place naturally?
Because the cervix naturally limits the number of sperms that enter the uterus, only few sperms actually make their way to the fallopian tubes. Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a procedure that bypasses the cervix and places sperm into a women’s uterus makes the trip to the fallopian tubes much shorter. This way, there is a better chance that more sperms will make their way closer to the egg. This procedure is performed to improve a woman’s chance of getting pregnant.
Women experiencing infertility may use medications to help them ovulate regularly, and IUI can be timed to occur when ovulation happens to increase the chance of fertilization. IUI is also useful for women whose cervical scarring—often from previous cervical surgeries—blocks sperm from entering the uterus, and for those taking medications that stimulate the ovaries to release multiple eggs, since combining these treatments with IUI can further improve pregnancy rates. For male infertility, IUI is commonly recommended when sperm count is low or sperm motility is poor, and it can also assist couples in cases where the male partner has difficulty achieving an erection, is unable to ejaculate, or has an abnormal urethral opening.
Once collected, the semen sample is then ‘’washed’’ in the laboratory, to concentrate the sperm and remove the seminal fluid (seminal fluid can cause severe cramping in the woman). This process can take up to two hours to complete. IUI is performed near the time that the female partner is ovulating. The IUI procedure is relatively simple and only takes a few minutes. The woman lies on an examining table and the clinician inserts a speculum into her vagina to see her cervix. A catheter (narrow tube) is inserted through the cervix into the uterus and the washed semen sample is slowly injected. Usually this procedure is quite painless, but some women have mild cramps.
The success of IUI depends on the cause of the couple’s infertility. It works best for best for men when the majority of their sperm does not move and for women whose cervix prevents sperms from entering their uterus. Overall, success rates can be as high as 20% per cycle depending on whether fertility medications are used, age of the female, and infertility diagnosis, as well as other factors that could impact the success of the cycle.
If a woman is taking fertility medications when undergoing IUI, her chance of getting pregnant with twins, triplets or more is greater than if she were not taking fertility medications. Undergoing an IUI does not increase the risk of having birth defects. The risk of developing an infection after an IUI is small.