How do you improve success in Intrauterine Insemination?

This is one of the questions we are often asked; whether IUI, intrauterine insemination, can challenge IVF. One of the reasons why IUI fails is because it aims towards minimising the number of follicles grown. It is important to know for which conditions we are doing IUI. The two main conditions where IUI seems to work very well is in unexplained infertility and in male factor infertility where the sperm counts are mildly low.

How do we improve the success rate of IUI?

Change the drugs: the drugs that are used are either Clomiphene, Letrozole or HMG, and there is very good evidence that FSH injections which we give at Fertility Plus, give a much better success rate to intrauterine insemination.

Increase the number of follicles: it is common sense to realise that the more follicles or possibly eggs that you have will in fact give a better chance of fertilisation and thereby pregnancy, and that is something which we aim to look for, though this will slightly increase the chance of twins.

Timing: the timing of IUI generally should be just before ovulation and 24 hours after, and some doctors believe they can do it at 36 hours, but the accepted timing is between 24 and 36 hours.

Continue to have sex: it is also recommended that to continue to improve the chances the couple Also continue to have sex. This allows them to supplement and improve the chances of pregnancy.

Sperm: lastly often if there is a poor sperm count, the chances of pregnancy are reduced, and thus we have to think about a slightly new technique which is that of a consecutive ejaculate, and that is something where the man produces once again within 30 minutes, and some reports would suggest that there is a slightly better chance of pregnancy.