Intra Uterine Insemination (IUI)

The deliberate introduction of sperm into a female uterine cavity in a way other than sexual intercourse is intended to achieve pregnancy by means of Intra Uterine Inseminaton. If you and your partner talk to a doctor about helping with infertility, he may suggest an "artificial insemination" technique. This is an easy procedure with little side effects and can help couples who could not get pregnant for certain reasons. Leading Reproductive Medicine consultant  Dr Vivek Vijayakumar offers the best IUI Treatment in Kochi to help women who deal with infertility.

A fertility clinician inserts purified semen directly into the uterine cavity .Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a simple procedure among the assisted reproductive techniques.The objective of IUI is to increase the number of active and healthy sperm reaching the fallopian tubes and thereby increase fertilisation chance.

The procedure is suitable to deal with various problems of fertility. IUI is often indicated when the sperm count is extremely low or if sperm is not strong enough to swim in the cervix and fallopian tubes. Doctors often propose artificial insemination also if they cannot figure out why a couple is infertile. Your doctor will use ovulation kits, ultrasound, or blood tests to check if you ovulate artificially. Your partner then has to give a semen sample.

You will recommend that your partner avoid sex between two and five days in advance of the procedure to ensure that his sperm count is high. You may be allowed to collect a semen sample at home if you live close to the clinic. If not, in a private room will be provided for that. It helps when you live near the clinic as within one hour of ejaculation the sperm must be ' washed ' in a laboratory. The ' washing ' process in a lab removes dead sperms and other components in the semen which increases the likelihood of getting pregnant.

Sperm is liquefied for 30 minutes by technicians to room temperature and a harmless chemical is added to separate the most active sperm. They collect the best sperm with a centrifuge. Those sperms are carried in a tube called a catheter and are injected into the uterus through vagina.This procedure of about 10 minues duration is relatively less painful. Your doctor will sometimes put you on fertility medications such as clomiphene citrate or gonadotropin injections few days before the procedure. 

Post-Procedure precaution after IUI is very much important. A doctor may prescribe some progesterones via a vaginal suppository. IUI is a simple and economical alternative to more complex, more costly and more invasive reproductive aid (ART) techniques. This procedure is used to treat sperm. In cases of mild-moderate male factor infertility, mild endometriosis, and unexplained fertility problems, IUI is recommended for use as first-line treatment. Evidence suggests that IUI should be carried out for four to six treatment cycles to maximise pregnancy chances. IUI is less aggressive than many procedures for ART. The risk of twin or triplet pregnancies is the principal risk associated with IUI. Where IUI is used with hyperstimulation of the ovary, the inseminated woman may have mature oocytes at the time of insemination in her Fallopian tubes. The pregnancy rate was 8 percent to 17 percent in those cycles when fertility drugs and IUI were combined. Only 4 percent of women have become pregnant without fertility drugs each cycle in an evaluation of IUI studies and unexplained infertility.