Everything You Need to Know About IUI Treatment

Deciding to go for fertility treatment, like Intrauterine Insemination, can be scary and overwhelming for many women. Hence, it is imperative to know every detail about IUI treatment before you can decide to go for this treatment.

 

What is IUI treatment?

Intrauterine insemination, or IUI, is a fertility treatment for the natural fertilization of a woman's egg by inserting the partner's sperm or a donor's sperm in the woman's uterus at the time of ovulation. This treatment helps them conceive naturally with some technological intervention to increase the chances of a successful pregnancy.

 

How does IUI treatment work?

Intrauterine insemination (IUI) works by stimulating ovulation and then fertilizing the woman's egg. Stimulating the ovulation of the woman is achieved by using certain medications that will be administered by fertility specialists. After this, the woman is carefully monitored to identify their ovulation period. This is achieved by monitoring the luteinizing hormone or LH, which surges around the ovulation period, and the IUI procedure is performed within 24-36 hours of the hormone surge.

 

The semen/sperm sample is collected from the woman's partner by the fertility experts for segregation and analysis. In cases of male infertility, the donor's sperm is used. During the process of intrauterine insemination, the collected sperm are transferred directly into the uterus of the woman via a catheter tube. The sperm then fuses with the female egg, leading to successful fertilization.

 

How long does it take for IUI treatment?

The Intrauterine Insemination procedure is performed on an outpatient basis that takes less than 5 minutes to perform. The whole timeline of IUI is approximately four weeks, including semen collection, usually depending on the woman's menstrual cycle.

 

Understanding the Success Rate of IUI treatment

There are various factors that affect the success rate of IUI treatment, including the woman's age, fertility drugs used, and the reason for infertility. On average, the treatment success among women who underwent one cycle of intrauterine insemination procedure ranges between 12% to 17%. Multiple cycles of IUI treatment proved to produce better success rates of conception.

 

Is there any Risk of Complications after IUI Treatment?

The risk of serious complications after the IUI procedure is relatively low, but not none. The risks associated with the IUI treatment are:

 

●       Infection: There is a slight risk that the woman may get an infection post-procedure.

 

●       Spotting: The woman may experience slight spotting of blood as a result of the insertion of the catheter. However, such spotting does not have any effect on the conception or pregnancy itself.

 

●       Multiple Pregnancy: Multiple rounds of the IUI cycle or the use of fertility drugs may increase the chances of multiple pregnancies. Multiple pregnancies may cause early labor and low birth weight in infants.

 

How much does IUI Treatment cost?

The total cost of IUI treatment will depend on the clinic and the medication used as well as any required additional surgical procedure to be performed. In India, an IUI cost lies within a range of INR 1.5 lakhs to INR 2 lakhs on average. It is normal to feel slight discomfort when the catheter is inserted, but mostly it does not hurt as it only takes a few minutes.

 

 

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) is a safe and simple procedure that can be wrapped up within a few minutes, as much time as it takes to transfer the washed sperm into the uterus via the cervix. Hence, if you want to opt for the IUI or your doctor has recommended it, it is safe and good to go. Remember to get treatment from reliable and top fertility clinics to get better outcomes.