How Intrauterine Insemination Complements ART Advancements
Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a fertility treatment that involves directly inserting sperm into a woman’s womb. Intrauterine insemination is a type of artificial insemination that is a procedure for treating infertility.
In this procedure, sperm that have been washed and concentrated are placed directly in your uterus when your ovary releases one or more eggs to be fertilised.
Women who have healthy, normal fallopian tubes but are unable to conceive for unknown reasons are treated with artificial insemination (AI), often referred to as intrauterine IUI.
This could be the result of mechanical issues with sexual activity; for instance, a man may have structural issues with his penis following surgery or trauma, or he may not be able to get an erection when semen has been frozen because a male partner is not present, or before cancer treatment, artificial insemination may also be utilised.
The process of AI involves the insertion of a male partner’s semen through the female’s cervix and into the uterus at or just before the time of ovulation. AI can be performed during a natural menstrual cycle, or in combination with ovulation induction if the woman has irregular menstrual cycles. Only doctors can perform AI under the Assisted Reproductive Treatment Act of many climes.
If a pregnancy is not achieved after a few AI attempts, the use of IVF or ICSI may be discussed. You may be offered IUI if: -You are unable to have vaginal sex – for example, because of a physical disability or psychosexual problem -You have a condition that means you need specific help to conceive. For example, if one of you has HIV, it is not safe to have unprotected sex.
The link between intrauterine insemination (IUI and IVF are two types of artificial fertility treatments to help you get pregnant when nature isn’t doing the trick on its own. During IUI, sperm are injected directly into your uterus.
IVF is a multi-step reproductive technology that involves egg stimulation, retrieval, lab fertilisation, and transfer. The purpose of intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a fertility treatment that involves placing sperm inside a woman’s uterus to facilitate fertilisation.
The goal of IUI is to increase the number of sperm that reach the fallopian tubes and subsequently increase the chance of fertilisation. Sperm quantity and IUI. After washing, there should be at least five million motile sperm for the IUI to be successful.
After washing, samples containing one to five million motile cells had considerably reduced success rates. How painful is intrauterine insemination? IUI is minimally invasive, and patients do not even require pain medication or anesthesia during treatment.
Patients may experience a slight pinching experience (similar to that experienced during a routine pap smear) and a little cramping as the catheter is passed through the cervix.
What duration does it take sperm to reach the egg after IUI? Once the sperm enters the reproductive system, it can take about 30 to 45 minutes to reach the egg. For this, it is important to have healthy sperm that have the right kind of motility to reach the egg and fertilise it.
Once inside the body of a woman, healthy sperm can live up to two to five days. Preparing for intrauterine insemination, do not ejaculate for at least three days prior.
The healthier sperm are available to meet the egg, the higher your chances of IUI success. If your partner is submitting his sperm sample, it is recommended to avoid ejaculation for at least three days (but no more than five days) before the sample day.
Dr Taiwo Orebamjo is an experienced Consultant Obstetrician and a medical administration expert from the Kingston Academy of Learning and Career College Canada. He is a post-graduate of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, London. The Research Fellow in assisted conception at the St. George’s Teaching Hospital in Tooting, London, is also the Consultant Obstetrician &Gynaecologist, Medical Director, at Parklande Specialist Hospital & Lifeshore Fertility and IVF Clinic.