Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a procedure in which the male partner’s sperm is collected and then processed to concentrate and isolate the best moving sperm and place them directly into the woman’s uterus. The insemination process itself is performed in a Pap smear-like fashion. A speculum is placed into the vagina, and when the cervix is visualized, a thin catheter is placed through the cervix and into the lower part of the uterine cavity. Once there, the sperm is injected and allowed to swim naturally from the uterine cavity into the fallopian tubes where it is expected to meet and combine with the female’s eggs. Intrauterine insemination is most effective when combined with some form of ovulation induction to promote additional egg development beyond the one egg that is typically produced each month.
What is intrauterine (artificial) insemination?
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4 Comments
Is this typically effective in PCOS patients? I have taken medication (CLOMID) to help stimulate ovulation but no positive results… Was looking at other alternatives.
Inseminations are most effective for those patients that have a less than great semen analysis. It is also used in cases of unexplained infertility in which there may be a subtle male component to the infertility, or when proper timing is difficult to achieve for other reasons. Depending on the situation and your age, expected success rates could range from 10-20% per month.
Would this be a good option for repeat miscarriages due to trisomies? Would it “wash” out the abnormal sperm and give better chances at having a healthy embryo instead of a chromosomal abnormalty? My husbands count and mobility are good but the morph is the issue. Lots of abnormal and 3 losses within 6 months. Last was trisomy… Any other options besides IVF with PDG??
Natalie, Regular trisomies are not always due to abnormal sperm. They are most commonly due to abnormalities in the division of the embryo cells. It would depend on your particular situation to see if PGD would be needed, but IUI is more related to getting pregnant, and is not a therapy for repeated miscarriages. — Dr. McCoy