Artificial Insemination or Intrauterine Insemination is a fertility procedure that involves directly placing the highly concentrated and active motile sperm using a catheter into the womb. The IUI is performed to improve the number of sperm to reach the fallopian tubes during ovulation to improve the odds of conception.
It is often seen that there is a double pregnancy rate with IUI in comparison to timed intercourse. The success rate of pregnancy with IUI is up to 13 percent. The success rate is up to 20% in cycles where up to 2 or 3 follicles are present.
A tubal patency test or HSG is conducted for the female partner and semen analysis for the male partner is conducted before starting the IUI treatment. It is not recommended for women if both of their fallopian tubes have been blocked.
You can start taking the fertility medications from the second or third day of treatment to help ovaries to grow follicles. Ultrasound scan is conducted to keep track of the size of the follicle and an injection is given to release eggs from the follicles to get insemination timed. The processing of semen samples is done and a catheter is used to place semen into the womb directly. It takes up to 10 minutes for the procedure and it doesn’t involve any pain.
Intrauterine insemination consists of proper coordination before starting the procedure:
It takes around 15 to 20 minutes to complete intrauterine insemination at the doctor’s clinic. The procedure mostly takes a few minutes and it doesn’t need any pain reliever or medication. A specially trained nurse conducts this procedure. You need to wait for a few weeks before taking a pregnancy test at home.