What is Intra Uterine Insemination (IUI)?
Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a form of artificial insemination technique where IUI Specialist will place washed, prepared sperm into your uterus (womb) and near to the egg at time of ovulation.
The entire process of IUI is done by an IUI specialist at an IUI clinic. Typically the best IUI clinic in Indore are the ones who have expertise in IUI as well as IVF stimulation protocols. Most IUI clinics in Indore are operated by IVF specialists.
This procedure is often combined with ovulation inducing fertility drugs to increase the chances of conception and Transvaginal Ultrasound (TVS) to predict ovulation.
Whom does IUI Benefit?
IUI is usually suggested by an IUI Specialist in cases of :
- Unexplained Infertility. IUI is often performed as a first treatment for unexplained infertility along with ovulation-inducing medications.
- Endometriosis-Related Infertility. Due to disturbances in hormonal level as a result of endometriosis, IUI is attempted by stimulating ovaries using medication.
- Mild male factor Infertility (Subfertility) – If Male Partner‘s semen analysis, may show below-average sperm concentration ( Oligozoospermia ), weak movement (motility) of sperm ( Asthenozoospermia ) , or abnormalities in sperm size and shape (morphology – Teratozoospermia ). IUI can overcome some of these problems because preparing sperm for the procedure from any good IUI Clinic or IUI Center helps separate the highly motile, normal sperm from those of lower quality.
- Male partner has infections like Hepatitis, HIV etc- Sperm preparation by repeated washing with culture media removes serum from sperms therefore making them infection free. This reduces the chances of transmission of infection from male to female partner. Usually such semen samples are prepared by Double Density Gradient method. Make sure that you choose the best IUI Clinic to prepare the IUI sample because it takes good experience to prepare HIV positive samples so that the viral load is minimal.
- Cervical factor infertility. The mucus produced by the cervix around the time of ovulation is supposed to provide an ideal environment for sperm to travel from your vagina to the fallopian tubes. However, if the cervical mucus is too thick, it may impede the sperm’s journey. IUI bypasses the cervix, depositing sperm directly into your uterus and increasing the number of sperm available to meet the awaiting egg.
- Infrequent Cohabitation / Couples staying away from each other- In cases where the male partner is away from home a lot (Duty in Army, BSF, travelling due to work etc), sperms can be cryo preserved and used for insemination at the time of Ovulation.
- Semen allergy. Rarely, women have an allergy to proteins in their partner’s semen, so ejaculation into the vagina causes redness, burning and swelling where the semen has contacted the skin. A condom can protect you from the symptoms, but it also prevents pregnancy. If your sensitivity is severe, IUI can be effective, since many of the semen proteins are removed before the sperm is inserted.
- Donor sperm. For men who have Azoospermia, their female partner can use donor sperm to get pregnant, IUI is most commonly used to achieve pregnancy in such cases.
Your IUI specialist doctor might perform a Tubal Patency Test to evaluate the tubes prior to suggesting IUI
How is IUI Done?
The sample of sperm provided by the male partner at any IUI Clinic, this sample is “washed” and filtered using special techniques. This ensures that only the highest-quality motile sperm are used for the procedure.
The procedure for IUI is very similar to a transvaginal ultrasound scan. The washed sperm specimen is drawn into a sterilized IUI catheter which has a syringe attached to it. The IUI catheter is introduced to the patients cervix and then the IUI specialist injects the content of the syringe into the patients uterus.After this, the IUI doctor withdraws the catheter and removes the speculum. The patient is now allowed to straighten her legs and relax for about five minutes. This completes the intrauterine insemination.
The woman can now get dressed and resume her regular activities. IUI happens to be a very convenient procedure as the woman is not advised bed rest or leave of absence.
Make sure that you choose the best IUI Clinic in Indore to undergo your IUI procedure. A good IUI doctor will make sure that your cycle is planned well with minimal visits to the IUI clinic. And the best IUI center will make sure that they prepare the IUI sample in the most efficient way and use the best IUI catheter for the process. The success of IUI depends on the timing of the procedure.
How Should one prepare for upcoming IUI?
Intrauterine insemination involves careful coordination before the actual procedure.
- Preparing the semen sample. Your partner provides a semen sample at the IUI clinic, or a vial of frozen donor sperm can be thawed and prepared. Because non sperm elements in semen can cause reactions in the woman’s body that interfere with fertilization, the sample will be washed in a way that separates the highly active, normal sperm from lower quality sperm and other elements. The likelihood of achieving pregnancy increases by using a small, highly concentrated sample of healthy sperm.
- Monitoring for ovulation. Although IUI can be opted even without taking any ovulation inducing drugs, but IUI specialists encourage women to take medications to stimulate the ovaries to increase egg production in order to improve the chance of pregnancy. An ultrasound will be used to monitor the size of the follicles (follicles develop into eggs). Hence you should be prepared to couple of visits to the IUI Clinic for getting an ultrasound done.
- Determining optimal timing. Most IUIs are done a day or two after detecting ovulation.A hormone called human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG), is administered to stimulate the release of eggs from the follicles.Your IUI doctor should have a plan spelled out for the timing of your IUI. At our IUI center in Indore our IUI doctors time the IUI in such a way that it results in maximum success rate of IUI cycle.
Risks and Complications?
Intrauterine insemination is a relatively simple and safe procedure, and the risk of serious complications is low in IUI . Risks include:
- Infection. Fewer than 0.5 percent of women experience infection as a result of the IUI procedure.
- Spotting. Sometimes the process of placing the catheter in the uterus can cause a small amount of vaginal bleeding. This does not usually have an effect on the chance of pregnancy following IUI cycle.
- Multiple pregnancy. IUI itself is not associated with an increased risk of a multiple pregnancy — twins, triplets or more. However, when coordinated with ovulation-inducing medications, the risk of a multiple pregnancy increases significantly. A multiple pregnancy has higher risks than a single pregnancy does, including early labor and low birth weight.
Chances of Pregnancy after IUI cycle?
We at our IUI center in Indore try to provide the best success rate in IUI to patients by timing the IUI cycle well and preparing the semen sample using standard protocol to maximize IUI success rate.
What is the Cost of IUI Procedure?
An entire IUI Cycle involves:
- Planning the type and dosage of medicines and injections based on your Last Menstrual Period.
- Ultrasound monitoring for monitoring Follicular Growth and ovulation. Also called Ovulation Study.
- Administration of injection for timing ovulation during IUI.
- Semen Sample preparation by appropriate method (Double Density Gradient or Swim Up)
- Insemination at appropriate time.
The cost of all these procedures are usually combined in an IUI Package. The cost is variable as it depends on the dosage of medication administered during the cycle.
Please refer the following Quick Reference Chart for knowing the cost of IUI procedure at Indore Infertility Clinic
Please refer the following Quick Reference Chart for knowing the cost of IUI ( Intra Uterine Insemination) procedure
Cost of Treatment
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FAQs
IUI or Intra Uterine Insemination is the first line of treatment offered to patients with ovulatory dysfunction or mild issues with sperm motility and sperm count. During the IUI cycle, semen samples are processed in the lab and injected into a female partner using a special catheter.
IUI treatment usually does not have any side effects, however some patients may show symptoms like hot flushes, headache, nausea and breast tenderness due to the fertility drugs. These symptoms and side effects usually subside after the IUI cycle.
IUI treatment is inclusive of the cost of medication during the stimulated IUI cycle, cost of follicular monitoring, cost of the injection for triggering rupture of the follicle as well as semen processing charges. The cost of IUI in Indore Infertility Clinic is appx INR 8500.
If IUI is advised with Donor sperms, then the cost of Donor sperms needs to be separately borne.
Infertility specialist orders a few basic test to assess the reason for infertility. If the preliminary test report come out to be normal, patients may be advised to try timed intercourse or IUI treatment.
Infertility doctors are specialist who deal only with infertility. They have typically undergone specific training and or fellowship in reproductive medicine. They have more experience in cases of infertility and are well aware of the advances in IVF and assisted reproductive technology treatment.
Unexplained infertility affects close to 20% of Infertile couples. When all the reports of the couple comes out to be normal and yet the patient cannot conceive, it is termed as Unexplained Infertility. However, patients should always consider laparoscopic evaluation before reaching this diagnosis.
From time of first consultation to pregnancy couples should at least give four to six months. For some couples who are in good general health and aged less than 35, it may take just two to three months. However some couples especially where the maternal age is more than 35 and or male partner has poor semen parameters, the time to pregnancy could be close to six months.
No. Gender selection through pre implantation embryo biopsy as well as prenatal testing for gender is a punishable crime in India. No IVF/IUI centre in India will test the gender of the embryo before embryo transfer.
Fertility Drugs are researched over years and show no significant rise in abnormality in the resulting baby. Nor does the ultrasound waves cause any abnormality. IUI is very safe if done under proper guidance from good IVF doctor.
Your consultant IVF specialist at Indore Infertility Clinic would be Dr. Gajendra Singh Tomar. He specialises in IVF for advance maternal age, recurrent implantation failure, high risk pregnancies as well as surrogacy.
