When iui is need

A woman may need to have iui if she is found to be allergic to her partner’s sperm or if her partner has poor sperm motility, which is when the sperm is unable to travel all the way to the egg for fertilization. Iui may also be performed if her partner has a low sperm count.

IUI process

Before a woman can have iui it is recommended that that she takes fertility drugs to stimulate the ovaries production of mature eggs that are suitable for fertilization. For iui to be successful the woman must be in ovulation and it is therefore very important to make sure that ovulation has occurred. This may be confirmed using a ovulation predictor kit that tests a woman’s urine to tell if she is in ovulation or not.

Sperm collection

Once a woman is in ovulation she and her partner will visit a doctor for sperm collection. The man will then be required to produce a sperm sample through ejaculation into a sterile collection device. If for some reason he is unable to produce sperm he may be allowed to go home and collect the sperm and bring it back to the doctor within an hour.

When the sperm is collected it is then prepared through a washing or cleaning process that involves the separation of the sperm from the seminal fluid. This process involves mixing the sperm with a chemical solution that separates it allowing for the sperm to be collected on its own.

The procedure

Once the sperm is prepared it is then ready for insertion into the uterus. This is done by the doctor by drawing the washed sperm into a flexible catheter with a syringe attached to it. With the woman lying on her back on an examination table with stirrups the catheter tip is inserted into her vagina through the cervix and into the uterus where the sperm is then released and the catheter is then removed after which the woman rests for about 5 minutes. The whole process takes about 5 to 10 minutes after which she may go back to her normal routine.

There are many things that affect the success of iui such as age of the woman, condition of her ovarian function and fallopian tubes or the sperm count of her partner but the most important factor for the success of this procedure is the timing of insemination which must be done when ovulation has occurred.

There are certain things you need to avoid after iui and how to get pregnant with iui on first try.

The IUI procedure for males is as follows.

• He presents himself to the clinic or medical facility on the day of treatment.
• He is given two containers with which to place the sperm. The first container is for the first ejaculate, and the second is for the rest. REs obtain the specimen from the first container because it is rich with semen. The sperm attach to this first ‘wave’ of seminal fluid; hence, the first ejaculate likely contains the most number of sperm.
• He goes to a room to collect his sample.
• He submits this sample to the laboratory technician for ‘washing.’

At this point, the actual participation of the male spouse is no longer needed. His sample is brought to the laboratory for processing.

• The female patient presents herself at the clinic or medical facility when her ovulation is imminent (usually 36-40 hours after she was injected with hormones).

 

• She then lies on an examination table to get ready for the actual insemination procedure. A reproductive endocrinologist or RE (a licensed doctor who practices ART) then inserts a speculum into the woman’s vagina so her vaginal walls are kept in place.

 

• The RE then inserts a catheter into the womb via the cervix and deposits the sperm in the Fallopian tube where ovulation has been detected. The goal of IUI is to get the spermatozoa as close to the ovum (or ova, in cases of super-ovulation) as possible. The RE may then elevate the pelvis of the woman to prevent leakage.

 

• The female patient may opt to stay in the clinic or facility for a few more minutes to avoid complications (which are rare), but she is typically discharged right after the procedure is performed.

 

Because infertility can be caused by irregular or absent menses, she would have greater chances of conceiving if she is prescribed with stimulants. Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is one such popular hormone medication administered to women who have mature ovarian follicles. Once injected with hCG, the female patient has 36-40 hours to present herself to the clinic for the actual insemination. This is the average timeframe that ovulation occurs (in medicated IUI).

The seminal fluid facilitates not only the ejection of the sperm, but also their mobility. The semen acts as a mode of transport for spermatozoa, and may even provide the first layer of protection against thick cervical mucus. Large semen volume, however, can dilute the sperm and therefore reduce the number of spermatozoa reaching their intended destination. To ensure that only the most vigorous of sperm are introduced into the uterine environment, a procedure known as ‘washing’ occurs.

• The swim-up method collects the most motile sperm by introducing a special culture medium placed above the semen in a test tube. The sperm that ‘swim-up’ to the culture medium are harvested and injected into the womb.
• The density gradient column collects the most viable specimen by separating the motile (very dense) from immotile sperm, pus cells and seminal plasma (less dense). Because recovery rate is high and rate of infection low, this method of sperm washing is the standard technique in use today.