Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is an artificial insemination procedure used to treat infertility.
Cleaning and concentrated sperms are put straight into your uterus around the time your ovary releases one or more eggs to be fertilised.
The aim of intrauterine insemination is for sperm to enter the fallopian tube and fertilise an egg that has been waiting to be fertilised, resulting in a pregnancy. Depending on the reason for infertility, IUI treatment can be used with your usual cycle or with fertility medications.
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Why is it done this way?
The capacity of a couple to become pregnant is influenced by a variety of circumstances. In most cases, intrauterine insemination is utilised in couples who have:
Donor sperm: Certified labs collect frozen donor sperm specimens, which are thawed before the IUI treatment.
Unexplained infertility: IUI is frequently used in conjunction with ovulation-inducing medicines to treat unexplained infertility.
Endometriosis-related infertility: The first line of therapy for infertility caused by endometriosis is to use drugs to obtain a good-quality egg, followed by IUI treatment.
Mild male factor sterility: Because sperm preparation helps differentiate highly motile, healthy sperm from those of lesser quality, the IUI procedure can overcome below-average sperm count, weak sperm movement (motility), or anomalies in sperm size and shape (morphology).
Infertility caused by cervical mucus: If your cervical mucus is overly thick, it might obstruct the sperm’s trip. The cervix itself might obstruct the pathway for the sperm. The cervix might thicken as a result of scarrings, such as that induced by a biopsy or other operations. IUI works by bypassing the cervix and putting sperm straight into the uterus, boosting the amount of sperm accessible to meet the awaiting egg.
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Ovulatory factor infertility: IUI can be used to help women who are unable to conceive due to ovulation issues, such as a lack of ovulation or a low quantity of eggs.
If you have a significant sensitivity to semen, the IUI process may be an option since many of the proteins in semen are eliminated before the sperm is implanted.
Evaluation and Tests
Women must have an X-ray exam called a hysterosalpingogram before starting the IUI procedure to ensure that they have at least one unblocked fallopian tube.
Male partners who supply a sperm sample for IUI must undergo infectious disease testing. Before initiating donor sperm inseminations, a woman must be checked for infectious illnesses if she is utilising sperm from a sperm bank. HIV, HTLV I, RPR (a syphilis test), hepatitis B surface antigen, and hepatitis C antibodies are the particular tests required. The tests must be completed, and our office must have received the findings before an IUI treatment may be conducted.
Test results might take anywhere from seven days to four weeks to arrive, depending on the blood laboratory you choose and the doctor who requests the testing. If necessary, women can opt out of repeat testing for following treatment cycles once testing is completed.
Procedure
To prepare sperm for IUI process, there are a variety of ways to separate sperm from seminal fluid. Chemicals in the fluid can cause excruciating uterine contractions. Therefore, semen that hasn’t been separated can’t be injected directly into the uterus.
The majority of clinics utilise a sperm separation process known as density gradient separation. The use of a viscous fluid separates motile sperm from dead sperm and other cells in this procedure. This procedure takes about two hours.
The sperm concentration is delivered via the cervix into the uterus using a thin, flexible catheter after it has been prepared. The approximate time to complete the process is 10 minutes. The patient may suffer moderate cramping following the surgery, although this should subside quickly.
Following IUI, there is a minimal chance of infection (less than 1%) and IUI side effects.
Medications to Boost Your Chances of Success
According to studies, IUI success rates are improved when the woman additionally receives modest pharmaceutical therapy. Your doctor will help you decide whether or not to use medicine to stimulate your ovaries.
The majority of patients begin with oral clomiphene citrate or Letrozole medicines, which are taken for five days after menstruation begins. Alternatively, injectable fertility medicines, which are more aggressive in inducing multiple egg releases, may be recommended. The more eggs you generate during treatment, the better your chances of success, but you also increase your chances of having numerous children.
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What you may anticipate
Intrauterine insemination is usually done in a doctor’s clinic and takes 15 to 20 minutes. The IUI procedure takes only a few minutes and does not necessitate using any medicines or analgesics. Your doctor or a suitably qualified nurse will do the operation. Choose a trusted and experienced fertility clinic in Bangalore or the metro city around you.
Results
Wait two weeks before utilising an at-home pregnancy test. If you test too soon, you may obtain the following result:
False-negative: The test may come out negative when you’re pregnant if the pregnancy progress hasn’t reached detectable levels.
False-positive: If you’re using an ovulation-inducing drug like HCG, the medicine that’s still circulating in your body might make you think you’re pregnant when you aren’t. Your doctor may recommend a blood test two weeks following the findings of your home kit since it is more sensitive in identifying pregnancy hormones after fertilisation.
If you are unable to conceive, you may attempt IUI once more before going on to other fertility therapies. To increase the odds of pregnancy, the same medication is frequently administered for three to six months.
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