Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)

Hello Everyone!

I am Dr. Ruchi Malhotra . And today I am going to discuss about IUI. What is it, what are its indications and what are its goals, what are its contraindications, what are its success rate and how does it differ from IVF. I will cover all these questions.

Now let's know what is IUI and why is it done? It is planned in that way, best sperms are placed inside the uterine cavity of the woman. It is an advantage that it gives a head start to the sperm to reach the eggs very quickly to give the results of pregnancy. On the basis of certain indications IUI is done. First when the sperm count is less or the absence of sperm and that is why donor sperm is used. Then there could be a problem of PCOS in which eggs are there but they are not released. In such situations also, IUI helps or there could be some cervical factors. In which sperms are not able to reach. There could be other factor like vaginismum in which proper intercourse cannot happen. So, these are the basic indications in which IUI is used.

There are certain contraindications where IUI is absolutely contraindicated. The indication when the tubes are blocked and if it is blocked, even if we placed the sperms inside the uterine cavity, it will never be able to fertilise the egg. Then there is absence of egg like premature ovarian failure or periods stops very early. In such cases IUI is not going to help. In menopausal women, IUI is not going to help. Or there could be severe tuberculosis of uterine cavity in which linings are not there, in such cases also, IUI is not going to help. So, these are contraindications where we should not do IUI. Now let's talk about the procedure. Treatment starts from the 2nd day of the periods in which injections or the tablets are given to the patient to let the eggs formed. Now this is done by follicular monitoring which is done by transvaginal ultrasound scan. In this growth of the follicle is seen.

Sometimes injections could be use to increase the size of the egg. We need to give a trigger to release the egg in paritonial cavity. And approximately at 36 hours, IUI is done. After that we collect the semen sample after the sterile condition. Semen preparation is done in the lab. We wash the semen and remove all the unhealthy components to take out the best sperm. This we place in uterine cavity. This increases the chances of pregnancy pretty much. Now the success of IUI depends on lots of factors. Success rate of IUI is 15-20%. IUI can be done may be for 5-6 times. And if it does not succed than one can go for IVF. So, if you have any question you can contact me at FSIVF & Research Center through Lybrate.