Intrauterine insemination (IUI)

What is IUI?

Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a procedure where the healthiest available sperm is introduced directly into the womb.

IUI is used to aid pregnancy under several circumstances:

• If the male partner experiences impotence or severe premature ejaculation
• If the female partner has problems with ovulation
• For Unexplained Infertility
• For single women and couples using donor sperm

Your initial consultation will determine if you are a suitable candidate for IUI. At least one of your fallopian tubes must be healthy enough, which we can determine through a variety of methods such as laparoscopy and dye test or HyCoSy. If you are using your partner’s sperm they will need to have a semen analysis.

The IUI programme is monitored using ultrasound scans so that ovulation can be timed more accurately. The insemination procedure is usually simple and similar to a cervical smear test. It only takes a few minutes; using a very fine catheter, the prepared sperm is deposited inside the uterus via the cervix.

Chances of Success with IUI

The success of this treatment depends on:

• the cause of infertility
• the woman’s age
• the sperm count and sperm quality of the sample (fresh sperm leads to higher conception rates than frozen sperm)
• whether or not fertility medicines are used to stimulate ovulation (this can increase your chances of success)

As there are many different factors involved, it is advised to consult our fertility experts about your individual chances of success.

The success rate for IUI is only 17% per treatment, so you may have to be prepared for several attempts of IUI procedures unless you decide at any point to try other fertility treatment options such as IVF.