What is Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)?
Intrauterine insemination (IUI) — a type of artificial insemination — is a procedure for treating infertility. As the name suggests IUI is a method of assisted reproduction in which a lab prepared semen sample is deposited inside the woman’s uterus. The onus is on to keep the fertilisation process as natural as possible. The deposited sperm is made more effective by increasing its concentration and thus has higher chance of fertilising the egg.
Application and Procedure of IUI
IUI treatment is used mainly in following cases:-
- Mild male factor infertility
- Male ejaculatory problems
- Unexplained infertility- It happened when doctors can not ascertain a specific cause for inability to get pregnant.
- Unreceptive cervical mucus- In this case the mucus that surrounds the cervix prevents sperm from getting into your uterus and fallopian tubes.
- Serodiscordancy- It means both the parents are infected with either HIV or hepatitis.
The rate of success of intrauterine insemination treatment in first cycle is around 18%-20%.
Intrauterine Insemination procedure involves instillation of washed and concentrated semen sample into a woman’s uterus, around the time the egg is ready for rupture or has ruptured within last 24 hours. The hoped-for outcome of intrauterine insemination is for the sperm to swim into the fallopian tube and fertilize a waiting egg, resulting in pregnancy.
Normally in one menstrual cycle a woman grows one egg but in cases where medication is given there is a possibility of more than one egg which increases the chances of success. Depending on the reasons for infertility, IUI can be coordinated with your normal cycle or with fertility medications.
Preparation of semen sample and precautions
The method for preparing the semen sample depends on sample itself. Generally, the sample is prepared by what is known as double density method. It is advisable to report to the clinic, at least 1-2 hours prior to your procedure so that enough time is given to prepare the sample and have a sample with good count and motility.
In majority of the cases of IUI, anaesthesia is not required. Although, it is perfectly safe and a personal choice, if one wants to get it done under sedation or anaesthesia.
A urine pregnancy test or blood pregnancy test will suffice to determine the success of IUI procedure. Your doctor will guide you after the procedure for the next steps depending on whether the treatment has been successful or not.
Embark on your fertility treatment with the pre-eminent fertility specialist in Gurugram, India- Dr. Puneet Arora. Your dream of extending your happy family is bound for success under her and her qualified team’s expert advice and care.
Achieve Your Dream Family with Expert IUI Treatment
Entrust your fertility journey to Dr. Puneet Arora, the leading IUI specialist in Gurugram, India. Her qualified team provides personalized care to help you build the family you’ve always wanted.
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