Are You a Candidate for Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)?
One of the most common types of treatment for some types of infertility is intrauterine insemination, commonly called IUI. Physicians use this procedure to place sperm directly into the uterus. This shortens the trip to reach a Fallopian tube and boosts the number of sperm that will be able to get close to an egg and result in conception. There are a number of reasons why an individual might be a candidate for this type of treatment at fertility clinics in New York City.
Who is a Good Candidate?
The Mayo Clinic reports that IUI is most helpful in these circumstances: - Use of donor sperm. IUI is the most common procedure used for a woman who requires donor sperm.
- Fertility without an explanation. Many fertility specialists commonly perform IUI, along with medications to induce ovulation, as an initial treatment.
- Infertility linked to endometriosis. IUI is also usually the initial treatment in women with this disorder. Doctors combine it with medications to get the best egg.
- Male subfertility. Fertility specialists also refer to this as mild male factor infertility. Abnormalities in sperm size, shape, motility, or concentration trigger use of IUI. Separating normal sperm from those of a lower quality during this technique yields higher odds of conception.
- Cervical factor infertility. IUI overcomes cervical mucus problems by bypassing the cervix.
- Allergy to semen. Although it is a rare circumstance, some women are allergic to a partner’s semen. Insemination removes many semen proteins before sperm insertion.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, an ideal candidate for this type of insemination is a women who is younger than 30.
New York Fertility Clinic Success Rates
This type of intrauterine procedure is just one of ways fertility specialists help women who have difficulty achieving conception or completing a pregnancy. After visiting a fertility clinic, NYC women could opt for other techniques such as in vitro fertilization, embryo transfer, surrogacy, or egg freezing. It is not unusual for a women to try more than one technique before achieving success.
According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, when physicians perform IUI monthly using sperm that is fresh or frozen, success rates can reach up to 20 percent per cycle. This is significantly more successful than older types of fertility treatments that placed sperm into the vagina. The IUI rate depends on whether a woman is taking fertility medications, her age, the infertility diagnosis, and other miscellaneous factors. Fertility specialists typically recommend three cycles of IUI before considering a more aggressive type of treatment like in vitro fertilization.
For women on fertility medications, IUI raises the chance of twins, triples, or more versus not taking the medications. IUI at a New York fertility clinic does not increase the rate of birth defects in children.