IUI (Intrauterine Insemination):
Can it get you pregnant?
Commonly referred to as artificial insemination, the idea behind this form of assisted conception is to get the sperm closer to the uterus so that the sperm can get closer to the egg.
The sperm is actually prepared so that the best ones are kept and injected into the uterus, or womb.
Check out this video to see how Intrauterine Insemination is done!
As long as you don't have any problems with the following, than Intrauterine Insemination could be a good solution for you:
- blocked or highly damaged fallopian tubes
- ovarian failure (menopause), or highly reduced ovarian reserve
- Advanced endometriosis
- Severe male infertility issues (involving low sperm count, motility and morphology)
- and, you stand a much better chance if you are under the age of 41 (the average age fertility severely declines in a lot of women).
Check out this short video about Intrauterine Insemination
If you have unexplained infertility and you are ovulating normally, usually this type of treatment will be performed for up to 3 or 4 cycles. However if you suffer from PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) than they might try a couple of additional cycles if you had no luck on the first few attempts.
What does an iui procedure involve?
Firstly the female is usually issued some medication to help stimulate the development of multiple eggs, for instance your doctor may prescribe you with medication like Femera or Clomid to take from day 3 to day 7 of your cycle (day one of your cycle is the first day you get your period).You will probably go for a follow-up appointment between day 10 and 12 of your cycle to make sure an egg, or number of eggs are developing.
Usually your doctor is happy if up to two eggs are developing, but any more is not desirable, you don't want to have multiple pregnancy complications.
They will check your egg size to see how they are maturing as a result of the medication issued, and going by the size they can indicate when you should ovulate, and time the IUI procedure accordingly.
The male will be required to provide a semen specimen which can be produced at home or at the doctor office by masturbation. The male is asked to abstain from any ejaculating 2 to 5 days beforehand to ensure good volume and better quality.
The semen is then 'washed' to separate the sperm from the rest of the components that make up the semen. The best ones are selected for insertion.
Before the sperm is inseminated into the female the vagina and cervical area will be gently cleaned by way of a speculum.
There are actually two types of ways the sperm can be placed inside the female, both are placed by using a sterile flexible catheter:
1. The highly motile sperm is placed into the cervix, known as ICI (intra-cervical insemination), or;
2. The highly motile sperm is placed higher into the uterine cavity, giving you a better chance known as IUI or intrauterine insemination.
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