Intra Uterine Insemination IUI:

Among the fertility treatment options suggested at North Cyprus IVF, IUI (Intra Uterine Injection) is the least invasive option. Simply, this treatment is the placement of a number of washed sperm directly into the uterus with a catheter. The main purpose of this treatment is to maximize the probability of fertilization by increasing the number of sperms which reach the fallopian tubes.

IUI (Intrauterine Insemination) is a fertility treatment suited for younger couples with infertility problems. By its nature, IUI is a non-invasive procedure which does not necessitate any surgical procedures. The medication protocol used in an IUI cycle is rather very mild. The purpose of the mild medication protocol used in IUI is to slightly stimulate the ovaries to release a few good quality mature oocytes as opposed to a single egg released in a natural cycle. Sometimes, the IUI procedure can be carried out without using any medication at all. This is called a natural cycle IUI. However, we recommend at least a mild use of medication in order to give you a higher chance of success with this procedure.

IUI is performed by inserting a very thin flexible catheter through the cervix and injecting washed and processed sperm directly into the uterus. A semen sample will be washed by the lab to separate the semen from the seminal fluid. The procedure itself is a very quick procedure which only takes seconds. The catheter is inserted very slowly and carefully through the cervix in order to minimize the amount of discomfort. The sperm is released into the uterus, which, compared to natural intercourse, minimizes the distance required for sperm to swim in order to reach the oocytes, which are found in the fallopian tubes once ovulation has taken place. The sperm will still need to find its way around the oocytes and fertilize, therefore, totally immotile sperm samples will not be suitable for the IUI procedure. As long as the sperm sample has a minimum level of motility, the chance of fertilization following an IUI procedure will be considerably higher than conception through intercourse as with IUI there will be multiple eggs present and the sperm will be assisted in its journey.

In order to increase the possibility of sperm reaching and fertilizing the egg, we encourage women to use hormone supplements to stimulate the overlies towards the increase of egg production. In other words, sperm would have a higher chance to reach and fertilize an egg if there are more of them.

A number of sonograms will be needed during the medication period in order to follow up the development of follicle. (An ovarian follicle is a cellular structure in the ovary where immature eggs develop and than ovulate.) When the follicles reach the expected level of growth an injection called, human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG), is performed in order to stimulate the release of eggs from the follicles after 35 hours. Once they have been released the IUI treatment can be applied.

IUI has many advantages such as, being a non-invasive and a low cost fertility treatment. However, its success rate is remarkably lower than IVF treatments. It is mainly because, IVF treatments give us the chance to bring out the eggs, fertilize them in the lab setting and grow them in an incubator until they are qualified enough for implantation.

Note: If you are using your partner’s sperm during the IUI procedure, it is important to have 3 to 5 days of abstinence before providing the sperm sample. Abstinence periods less than 3 days can affect sperm’s motility levels negatively as the sperm cells won’t have enough time for optimal maturity. Abstinence periods more than 5 days can negatively affect live sperm count.

Additionally, thanks to our new MicroSort gender selection technologies, it is possible for us to offer gender selection for family balancing through the IUI option. This offers a less invasive method of deciding the gender of your child.

Our patented MicroSort sperm sorting method allows us to sort the sperm into X and Y bearing cells, which are responsible for creating female and male offspring, respectively. By sorting the sperm into X and Y chromosome bearing cells, we can inject the sperm sample carrying the desired sex into the uterus during the IUI procedure, thus, help you obtain a pregnancy with a baby of desired sex. Please see our “Gender Selection” section for more details.

Who is a Suitable Candidate for IUI Treatment?

Generally couples with below mentioned conditions choose IUI;

• Younger couples in their 20s who have never had any infertility treatments before and whose eggs and sperm have identified to be viable for conception can be suitable candidates for IUI treatment. The younger the couple is, the higher the chance of success with IUI treatment. Also, when the couple is young, they still have many years ahead of them before they reach a critical age for infertility, therefore, they might be more willing to accept a lower chance of success with IUI rather than undergoing more invasive procedures first.
• Couples with a slight male infertility problem where the motility of male partner’s sperm is found to be insufficient for natural conception through intercourse. With IUI, chances of conception will be higher since the sperm is assisted in int journey towards reaching the egg.
• Young single female patients may chose this method of treatment using donor sperm to be a single mother without involving a male parent.
• Couples with male ejaculation dysfunction may also prefer IUI as a treatment option.
• Women under the age of 35 usually have higher chance of success with IUI treatments than women over the age of 35, but the average success rate for IUI ranges from 15-30% in one cycle. The specific chance of success for each patient will depend on ovarian function, oocyte quality, sperm parameters and uterine conditions.
• It might be a good idea for younger couples to try IUI treatment for pregnancy before opting for more invasive procedures. However, we as North Cyprus IVF specialists, recommend that patients in their 30s do not lose any time with IUI or other non-invasive procedures and go straight for a procedure which is likely to yield a much higher chance of success.

Please contact us for more detail on IUI – Artificial Insemination.