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Artificial Insemination (IUI)- is it the answer if natural sex is not helping to conceive ?

Artificial Insemination (IUI)- is it the answer if natural sex is not helping to conceive ?

by Dr. Uday Thanawala

Posted on 14th April, 2023 at 6:39:42 AM


Intrauterine Insemination commonly termed as IUI – is a medical procedure that helps an in to enhance their chances of conception. Basically, in this treatment, a practitioner would inject washed and processed seminal fluid containing highly motile spermatozoa straight into the uterus, of a woman.

The treatment makes the travel of the sperm to your fallopian tube or uterus an easy procedure. IUI treatment is often recommended in various scenarios.

Which specific kind of infertility gets treated by Artificial Insemination?

The treatment has proven to be effective enough in treating an array of infertility issues.

  • It can work as an aid to resolve male infertility problems. Yes, you read it right! For men, who do not have a sufficient amount of sperm count are often suggested to undergo IUI treatment. This procedure separates the good spermatozoa from the seminal fluid and we bypass the cervix and introduce it into the uterus.
  • In males with a sexual dysfunction where coitus is not possible, IUI can help them in their goal to father a child.
  • In couples where the husband's semen does not have the potential to result in a pregnancy, one can resort to using sperm from a sperm bank and do an IUI with donor sperms
  • At times husbands are traveling and absent for a large part of the year ( like Shippies). One can take the sperm sample and freeze it and use it for IUI when the husband is not present
  • In an attempt for fertility preservation – sperm samples are collected from people before they undergo chemotherapy- and can be used later to impregnate the wife with IUI or IVF.
  • At times with ovulatory disorders when we are stimulating the ovaries and monitoring ovulation – to increase the chances of pregnancy we time the ovulation and at the time of expected rupture – we inseminate the sperms in the uterus- to increase the likelihood of the sperm to catch the egg.
  • Many times in couples where no reason is found for infertility – unexplained infertility – IUI is offered with reasonable success.

Is the IUI procedure painful?

It involves douching the vagina clean with saline and then inserting a very thin silicon tube in the cervix – through which sperms are injected. It causes as much discomfort as vaginal sonography or a vaginal examination. The trick is to keep all pelvic muscles relaxed during the procedure.

What is the success rate of Intrauterine Insemination treatment?

The success rate is around 10 – 15 %

Contraindications –

  • IUI treatment would not work in case if the fallopian tube of the woman is blocked and is not indicated in these cases.
  • Genital Infections

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