What can you expect from intrauterine insemination?

Intrauterine insemination is historically the first method of artificial insemination. In 30s an intrauterine insemination was done during a natural cycle by injecting into the woman’s uterus the whole unprocessed semen.

Intrauterine insemination is historically the first method of artificial insemination. In 30s an intrauterine insemination was done during a natural cycle by injecting into the woman’s uterus the whole unprocessed semen.

Initially the fantastic results of the use of intrauterine insemination were reported – almost every second attempt ended with pregnancy. But eventually it turned out that the most common result of this treatment is a painful shock caused by the hitting of the ejaculate into the abdominal cavity, which was often complicated by the inflammation in the pelvic area called pelvioperitonitis. The actual pregnancy rate in this case was very low – no more than 5-7% per attempt.

Today we know that there are some necessary conditions for the successful procedure of intrauterine insemination: tubal patency, a moderate decrease of semen. The possibility of fertilization is increased by ovarian stimulation and semen processing, which allows you to concentrate the sperm and simultaneously increase its mobility. Ultrasound monitoring performs the exact calculation of the time of intrauterine insemination. The risk of negative complications is reduced by reducing the amount of injection that contains “concentrate” of sperm and thorough prevention of an inflammatory process.

If all the conditions above are met the actual pregnancy rate after intrauterine insemination is not more than 22-25% with the husband’s sperm, and not more than 45% if the sperm donor is used (for four cycles). There is no sense to make further attempts. In general, intrauterine insemination is a possible step in the fertility treatment complex, but it is much less effective than IVF.