What is Intrauterine Insemination, IUI?
Today, with advances in Assisted Reproductive Technology, we are fortunate to have a variety of proven fertility treatments available. One of the most common fertility treatments is IUI. This relatively simple technique has helped millions of couples finally overcome their fertility issues, and at an affordable price. But what is it exactly, how does it work, and who does it help? Today, Superior A.R.T. has all the answers.
What is IUI?
IUI, or intrauterine insemination, is a fertility treatment where healthy sperm are placed directly into a woman’s uterus, allowing sperm to more easily reach and fertilize an egg(s), increasing the likelihood of fertilization and conception.
Because IUI is relatively simpler, requiring less advanced technology than other fertility treatments such as IVF or ICSI, it is therefore generally less expensive, less time-consuming, and is often recommended as the first treatment before progressing to other treatments if required.
When is IUI usually used?
IUI is usually used and effective in the following scenarios:
unexplained infertility
mild endometriosis
issues with the cervix or cervical mucus
mild decreased sperm count
decreased sperm motility
issues with ejaculation or erection
The scenarios in which IUI is not commonly effective and used includes:
women with moderate to severe endometriosis
women who have had both fallopian tubes removed or have both fallopian tubes blocked
women with severe fallopian tube disease
women who have had pelvic infection
men who have severe decreased sperm count
All things considered, your doctor will help you determine the best option to help you successfully conceive. Depending on each couple’s condition, sometimes beginning with only IUI is enough, but sometimes one may have to explore more advanced treatments such as IVF or ICSI.
How does IUI work?
At the start of an IUI cycle, a doctor will prescribe suitable oral or injectable medications to help stimulate your egg production. While on medications, you will receive regular transvaginal ultrasounds and/or blood tests to monitor your egg growth and endometrial thickness. After an egg grows to 18-20 millimeters or more, it will be generally considered as ready or mature, and you will receive an injectable medication known as a “trigger shot” to begin final stages of egg maturation.
36 – 42 hours after your trigger shot, you and your partner will come back to the clinic. If you aren’t using donated sperm, your male partner will provide a semen sample. The sample will immediately be taken to the laboratory and washed to remove debris, immobile sperm, and substances in the semen that can irritate your uterus or kill the egg. It also makes the good sperm more concentrated. After the sperm are ready, a minor surgical procedure for IUI can then begin. Like a routine pelvic exam, you will lie on an exam table, and the sperm will be injected into your uterus through a thin, long flexible soft tube (catheter). Though it may sound painful, the entire process is relatively painless and takes just around 5-10 minutes to complete. After complete IUI procedure, you will take rest 30 minutes before discharged.
About 14 days after the IUI procedure, you can take a pregnancy test at home or at the clinic. The doctor may ask you to come back to the clinic for a blood test to detect the level of the pregnancy hormones.
Looking for Fertility Clinic in Thailand that provide Egg Freezing, ICSI, IUI, IVF Services? Superior A.R.T. was founded in 2007 by a group of leading Thai Infertility specialists in collaboration with Australian world leading fertility and A.R.T. treatment providers, Superior A.R.T is a renowned fertility clinic offering comprehensive fertility and genetic services by a team of experienced treatment providers and researchers specifically specializing in Assisted Reproduction Technology – A.R.T. Superior A.R.T. is committed to making your dream of having a healthy baby come true.
