Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is one of the first options offered to a couple experiencing unexplained infertility and mild male factor subfertility. But you need to keep in mind that it is not recommended if couples suffer from severe male factor infertility, tubal factor infertility, and advanced maternal age (older than 35). It is not costly or invasive (it doesn’t involve the introduction of instruments into the body). This procedure increases the chance of pregnancy, however, it is not considered a guaranteed treatment.
Having said that, IUI in Iran is one of the safest and most affordable ways to experience parenthood. IUI in Iran Is performed in a professional healthcare environment and all the innovations in this area such as sperm preparation, monitoring for pre-ovulatory timing, and induction of ovulation with human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) can be found. But if it doesn’t work, you can always consider IVF in Iran as a second, more effective choice.
The major difference between these two methods is that in IUI fertilization happens naturally and internally, sperms are just put closer to the egg to decrease the sperm travel time. IUI is a simple process done in the doctors’ office before which the sperms are washed and collected.
But IVF is an assisted reproductive technology in which the man’s sperm and woman’s eggs are combined outside the body in a laboratory dish. In addition, the success rate is higher in IVF and it is recommended that couples first try IUI 3 or 4 times, and if unsuccessful, they can turn to IVF. IUI is also less expensive and invasive.
IUI procedure
in this process, male sperms are directly put into the woman’s uterus. It improves the pregnancy rate because it puts more moving sperms in the uterus than could get there by sexual intercourse. In this process, the woman may or may not be using any additional medicine.
You must consult an IUI specialist to provide you with all the necessary information you need to know and you may be prescribed some medicine to take care of your mental health as well. You’ll be asked to plan a diet and stop smoking or drinking alcohol. If you choose IUI in Iran, you can be sure that IUI specialists in Iran can accompany you on this journey to deliver a healthy baby.
Doctors prescribe oral or injectable medications for ovulation stimulation and egg growth and maturation. The injectable medication will be injected where there's fat, for instance, on top of the thigh or stomach. Oral medication is usually taken for five days and injectable medication for three to twelve days which depends on ovaries response.
Cycle monitoring
To check how the ovaries react to gonadotropins, the ovaries may be checked with ultrasound or the levels of hormones in the blood may be measured. From cycle to cycle, the number of ultrasounds and blood tests varies. Most cycles have between 3 and 4 tests.
The vaginal ultrasound technique is used to do the ultrasound exam. When a vaginal probe is put into the vaginal opening, the ovaries can be seen. Follicles are cysts in the ovaries that are filled with fluid and are located where the egg grows. The egg is ready to puncture when the follicle is big enough. By using an ultrasound, the number and size of the follicles are recorded. The goal is to get a number of follicles that are big enough to produce a mature egg.
In addition to the ultrasound, blood tests are sometimes done to check the levels of hormones in the blood, such as estradiol (estrogen). You'll be given a time and place for your blood test and ultrasound. The ultrasounds and blood tests are scheduled for early in the morning, so the results are ready early in the afternoon.
This trigger shot is administrated at the clinic or sometimes patients do it themselves to stimulate ovulation.
The male partner can collect the sperms at the clinic or home but it must be delivered within 1 hour after masturbation. Then the semen is analyzed and prepared within 45 minutes. It can also be gathered during sex in a special condom.
A speculum is inserted and a small plastic catheter (tube) and introduced through your cervix into your uterus. The sperm is then injected into the uterine cavity. Occasionally, a gently placed clamp is needed to steady your cervix and allow for proper placement of the specimen. This process takes only minutes and you may leave immediately after the procedure.
A pregnancy test can be done after 14 days to see if it’s worked or not.
how much sperm is needed?
Before putting your time and money into this procedure, you need to take a semen analysis to see if IUI would work for your case or not. This test evaluates your sperm count and mobility. The only thing you need to do is to collect the sperm by masturbation or having sex with a special condom. Ejaculation is forbidden 3 to five days before collecting the sperm.
IUI depends on the sperm being able to swim and find the egg, so a high sperm count and motility are important for the procedure to work. In general, after processing the sperm sample, there should be at least 5 million moving sperm or more for the IUI to work. With a sample that has between 1 and 5 million moving cells, the chance of success is much lower, and processed sperm samples with less than 1 million moving cells are very unlikely to lead to fertilization. In vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) are better options than IUI for men with low sperm counts.
Does IUI work?
Success will depend on what caused infertility in the first place. IUI works best for people who can't get pregnant for no clear reason, for women with a cervix that makes it hard for sperm to get through, and for men who can't ejaculate well. For example, the chance of getting pregnant with IUI is twice as high as with no treatment for infertility which can't be explained.
IUI doesn't work as well for men who make few sperm or whose sperm is severely abnormal. It also doesn't help women who have severe fallopian tube disease, moderate to severe endometriosis, or a history of pelvic (lower belly) infections. These people would do better with other fertility treatments.
Overall, success rates can be better if inseminations are done every month with either fresh or frozen sperm. The success rates depend on whether or not fertility drugs are used, the age of the woman, and the cause of her infertility, among other things.
