Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)
Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)
Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) is direct placement of processed highly motile, concentrated sperm, washed free of seminal plasma and other debris, into the uterus as close to the ovulated Oocytes (Egg) as possible. IUI reduces the distance travelled by sperms and also makes increased number of sperms available at the time of ovulation.
Indications
| Female Factor | Male Factor |
| Anatomic defects | Anatomic defects of the penis |
| Cervical factors | Sexual or ejaculatory dysfunction |
| Ovulatory dysfunction | Retrograde ejaculation |
| Unexplained infertility | Impotency |
| Minimal endometriosis | Immunological |
| Antisperm antibodies in cervix | Increased viscosity |
| Psychological & psychogenic sexual dysfunction | Oligoasthenoterato zoospermia |
IUI Procedure
- Fertility drugs(tablets / injections) are administered to female partner so as to stimulate the ovaries for development of multiple eggs.
- An ultrasound scan is done to monitor the size of the follicles.
- Once two leading follicles attain 18 mm in diameter an Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) injection is administered to female.
- A semen specimen is obtained from the male partner by masturbation after 2-5 days of abstinence from ejaculation.
- The semen is "washed" in the laboratory (called sperm processing or sperm washing) and the actively motile sperms are separated from the other components of the semen and concentrated in a small volume.
Sperm washing involves:
- Removes Dead sperm
- Concentrates sperm into a small volume
- Gets rid of anti - motility & anti - capacitation factors
- Eliminates prostaglandin reaction
- Removes debris, white blood cells
Three main methods of sperm washing are follows:
- Swim - Up Wash
- Density Gradient Wash
- Simple Wash
A catheter is used directly to inject processed Sperms into the uterus near the time of ovulation so as to increase the number of sperms that reach the fallopian tubes and subsequently increase the chance of fertilization.
The IUI process is safe and simple which does not require anesthesia. It is a painless procedure, requiring about 10 minutes for the process of IUI and about 15 minutes of resting thereafter. In general after the IUI one can enjoy routine life without any restriction. A urine / blood test and ultrasound will be done subsequently to determine if implantation and pregnancy has occurred.