Can IUI be used after tubal ligation?
A tubal ligation is a surgical procedure meant to permanently prevent pregnancy in women who do not want children. Also referred to as having your "tubes tied", tubal ligations involve a surgeon sealing or clamping shut the fallopian tubes so eggs cannot enter the uterus for the purpose of implantation. Since this surgery stops fertilized eggs from implanting in the uterine wall, intrauterine insemination would not work for women who have had a tubal ligation.
Can In Vitro Fertilization Be Used After a Tubal Ligation?
IVF therapy involves your doctor prescribing hormone-stimulating drugs to induce ovulation and then removing eggs from your ovaries. Eggs are placed in a lab dish where sperm is used to fertilize eggs, waiting for embryos to develop and transferring these embryos into the uterus for implantation. Unlike IUI, in vitro fertilization can be used by women who have had a tubal ligation since eggs are fertilized outside the body and then placed in the uterus. In addition, women choosing IVF over tubal reversal surgery to achieve pregnancy avoid the expense and discomfort of having another, more extensive surgery that may or may not be successful.
How Can IUI Help Women with Infertility Problems?
For women who have not had a tubal ligation and are having trouble conceiving, intrauterine insemination may be recommended following a fertility evaluation by our doctor. IUIs are minimally invasive and involve a fertility specialist inserting a flexible, very thin catheter into the cervix so that washed sperm can be injected into the uterus. The procedure takes less than two minutes and is sometimes used in conjunction with ovulation induction drugs. About five to seven days following an IUI procedure, your doctor will check your estrogen and progesterone levels using blood tests. Two weeks after an IUI, your doctor may ask you to take a pregnancy test. Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) often use IUI with ovulation induction medications to achieve pregnancy when PCOS cannot be resolved by taking birth control pills, progestin therapy or making certain lifestyle changes.
New York Reproductive Wellness is here to help you increase your chances of getting pregnant through a variety of alternative reproductive technologies. Call us today to schedule a consultation appointment with our fertility doctor.
