Our goal at Arizona Associates for Reproductive Health is to provide you with excellence in reproductive health care as we accompany you on your journey to parenthood. We provide numerous infertility treatment options here in our center, including Intrauterine Insemination (IUI), a non-surgical option and type of artificial insemination that increases the chances that a sperm cell will fertilize an egg.
The Benefits of Insemination
Intrauterine Insemination differs from traditional artificial insemination, offering you several unique benefits to increase the chance of fertilization and subsequent pregnancy. One of these benefits is a technique known as sperm washing, where a man’s semen is collected and “washed,” separating the sperm from the semen. This sperm washing process helps to increase the success rates of insemination, and is universally acclaimed by reproductive endocrinologists (fertility specialists).
Starting the IUI Process
We invite you to set up a consultation with one of our fertility doctors to discuss your IUI treatment options. At your first visit, we will review your medical history, discuss fertility testing options, and perform a physical evaluation. This will help us to ensure that you are ovulating and in good reproductive health. We will also review ovulation induction (the use of fertility medications with IUI), a process that will help to ensure that you produce multiple eggs for fertilization. In addition, we may evaluate our male patients’ fertility to determine sperm count, motility (movement), and morphology (shape and size).
The IUI Procedure
You will have the option of using your partner’s sperm or donor sperm during IUI. During the insemination procedure, the sperm will be washed and placed into a small volume of sterile medium. This is injected directly into your uterus via a soft, thin catheter, which will feel similar to the sensation you experience during a Pap test. Side effects are usually minimal and you will be able to resume normal activity immediately.
IUI Success Rates at our fertility clinic
We see outstanding pregnancy success rates across our fertility clinics in Scottsdale and Phoenix when combining ovulation induction (fertility medications that encourage the release of more eggs from the ovaries), and IUI with insemination. However, Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) success depends on a number of personal factors, including your age, your fertility and health, and your partner’s fertility and health status. Depending on your age, we may recommend that you commit to trying 3 to 5 cycles of controlled hyperstimulation (a fertility medication regimen) with insemination to attain the best chances of success.
Dr. Patel explains the difference between Intrauterine Insemination (a.k.a. Artificial Insemination) and In Vitro Fertilization. Dr. Patel explains the process and the likelihood of success.