Intrauterine Insemination IUI treatment, commonly known as Artificial Insemination, is a type of ARTs fertility treatment. IUI is considered the primary fertility treatment for infertility factors, viz. PCOS or other ovulatory dysfunction, mild male infertility, unknown infertility, light endometriosis, uterine infections, etc. IUI can be helpful for single women or same-sex women yearning for conception.
Studies reveal that 15% of couples or individuals encounter infertility while attempting to achieve pregnancy. In that case, fertility treatments, namely IUI, IVF, and ICSI, are the most aspiring treatments. Infertile couples who regularly try for conception for over a year have a 2% chance of success per month, but with IUI, the success rate is 10-15%. If your doctor has recommended IUI treatment, then you’re probably curious about the success rates of IUI treatment. Let’s understand how different variables influence the success rates of IUI treatment.
What is IUI Treatment?
IUI treatment assists with natural conception. In IUI treatment, the sperm sample is collected from the male partner or donor; it is then washed and concentrated. During ovulation, the sperm sample is placed inside the uterus using a catheter tube through the vaginal opening. This process will allow healthy sperm a head-start to fertilize the eggs. The sperm will swim up to the fallopian tube and fertilize the eggs.
The IUI treatment is similar to natural conception; the only difference is that the sperm sample is artificially inserted inside the uterus. However, only certain sterile individuals or couples can benefit from this treatment.
One of the advantages of IUI treatment is that it is the most non-invasive and affordable ARTs (assisted reproductive techniques) fertility treatment.
Who are favorable candidates for IUI Treatment?
Following male and female infertility can be overcome with intrauterine insemination:
- Women with PCOS and/or ovulation abnormalities
- Males with low sperm count, poor sperm motility, and abnormal sperm morphology
- Mild male infertility factors
- Sterile women with healthy fallopian tubes or one of the two fallopian tubes is blocked
- Male with erectile dysfunction or ejaculation problem
- Mile endometriosis in women
- Women with cervical mucus
- Unknown cause of infertility
- Fertile Women with donor sperm are also ideal candidates for IUI treatment
- The intended father has a genetic disorder.
What is the Procedure for IUI Treatment?
The IUI treatment starts with the diagnosis of infertility. The fertility specialist will evaluate the underlying cause of infertility through blood tests, ultrasound (for hormonal and ovulatory evaluation of women), and semen analysis for male partners. Suppose the male semen parameter shows mild male infertility due to low sperm count or poor motility, and the woman is healthy enough to bear pregnancy. In that case, IUI is considered for fertility treatment. An IUI treatment proceeds as follows:
- Ovarian stimulation with medications and/or injections facilitates multiple egg production per menstrual cycle. This step is optional, If the aspiring mother has no ovulatory or hormonal dysfunction, then the ovulatory medications are skipped, and a “natural cycle” is followed for the treatment. Usually, women require some assistance for proper and controlled ovulation.
- Trigger shot for timely ovulation stimulation 36 hours before the IUI procedure.
- Semen Collection and preparation: The semen sample is collected from the male partner or donor, which is washed, capacitated and healthy sperm are concentrated for insemination.
- The prepared sperm sample is placed in a catheter tube. The tube is inserted inside the uterus through the cervix via the vaginal opening. The sperm sample is injected into the uterus cavity, which will swim to the fallopian tube to carry out fertilization. This procedure is similar to a pap smear test for women and does not require anesthesia for most cases. The procedure is pain-free; after the procedure, minor cramping and discomfort are normal.
- After three weeks of IUI treatment, pregnancy is detected.
Success rates of IUI for fertility Treatment
The success rate of fertility by IUI treatment varies individually. The average success rates of IUI cycles fluctuate between 5-15% depending on age, infertility factors, fertility drugs, and overall fertility health. Fertility drugs like Clomid, Letrozole and gonadotropins have only a 4-6% success rate for conception in sterile couples. If more than one infertility factor is present, success rates decrease significantly.
Note: The success rates are the chance of establishing pregnancy per month of the one IUI cycle.
IUI Success rates by age
The age of the intended mother is the most influential factor in determining the success rate for IUI treatment. Since the fertility of women declines with age owing to poor egg quality and decreased ovarian and uterine reserve, hence the probability of conception with IUI cycles also declines with the age of the women. Furthermore, more IUI cycles are required for older women to conceive. Likewise, older women are recommended for IVF treatment in most cases. Medication may increase the success rate.
The IUI success rates by age:
| AGE (in years) | IUI Success rate (per cycle) per month |
| 20-30 | 15-20% |
| Less than 35 | 11-15% |
| 35-37 | 10% |
| 38-40 | 9% |
| Above 40 | 3-5% |
IUI with fertility medications may increase the chances for success in older women by 2-4%. After 3-4 IUI cycles, the success rate decreases for all ages, and among the repeated IUI cycles, the 3rd and 4th cycle has the highest (90-95%) success rate.
IUI Success rates for women with PCOS or ovulatory dysfunction
Women with ovulation abnormalities require medication to stimulate and/or regulate ovulation. Different medications and injectables are administered to women to encourage and control ovulation during IUI treatment. Depending on the stimulation medication, the success rates for IUI treatment vary. Clomid, Letrozole and gonadotropin are common hormonal medications used in IUI treatment for ovulation stimulation. The IUI success rates are determined by whichever medication or injections work for patients.
Moreover, IUI treatments in conjunction with stimulation medication show higher success rates than IUI in the natural cycle without any medication. Because ovarian stimulation with medication encourages more egg production for fertilization during ovulation, it also helps to control and predict the time of ovulation.
For women with PCOS, IUI With Clomid or Letrozole has a 6-10% success rate per month, and IUI with gonadotropin has a 15-20% success rate per month.
IUI success rates for women with mild endometriosis
For mild endometriosis, IUI treatment can be helpful for conception. But, with the increase in the severity of the endometriosis, the IUI success rate decreases invariably. The success rates for IUI with mild endometriosis are about 2-6.5% per cycle for natural cycles and 10-11% with medications or injectables.
IUI success rates for women with blockers or damaged fallopian tube(s)
The success rate for IUI treatment in women under 35 years of age with one blocked or damaged fallopian tube is about 11-12% per cycle. The success rate depends on the degree of tubal damage or blockage. If both the tubes are blocked, then IUI can’t be helpful, and iVF is recommended to the patients.
IUI success rates for male factor infertility
IUI treatment can facilitate fertilization in case of mild male factor infertility. Men with at least 7 million motile sperm per mil of the post-wash semen sample are ideal candidates for IUI treatment. The IUI success rate for males with a 9 million motile sperm count is 15-16% per cycle. As the total motile sperm count decreases, the success rate for IUI decreases exponentially.
Therefore, in cases where men have very low motile sperm count, then IVF with ICSI treatment is recommended for the couple. Moreover, fresh sperm is preferred over frozen sperm for the IUI cycle.
IUI success rates for unknown infertility
If everything seems normal such as eggs are good, the uterus is healthy, fallopian tubes are not blocked or damaged, and sperm analysis is normal, then, in that case, the IUI treatment has a success rate of 7-10% per cycle. IUI with medication has significantly higher success rates (15-25%) for unknown infertility.
How to maximize the success rate of IUI treatment?
There are some factors that may improve the success rate for IUI:
- Healthy Diet
- Supplementation
- Exercising
- Avoid smoking and alcohol
- Anti-inflammatory medications
Risk of Multiples with IUI Treatment
IUI treatment is almost the same as natural pregnancy except for insemination; hence the risk factors are low, considering the mother is healthy. However, there is a possibility of multiple pregnancies in IUI treatment. This is because ovaries are often stimulated for multiple egg production in IUI , which may lead to multiple fertilization. However, an expert fertility doctor can attentively monitor your follicles and strategize the medication accordingly, reducing the chance of multiples.
The risk for multiple is about 0.5-2.5% per IUI cycle. But, this factor varies significantly with the medications, dosages, and overall fertility health.
IUI success rate at Risaa IVF
Senior doctor Dr. Rita Bakshi has successfully performed hundreds of IUI. Under her supervision, we have achieved maximum IUI treatment success rates of 25-30% and low risk for multiple. Our fertility specialist has vast experience in fertility treatments and patient care. Risaa IVF provides best-in-class fertility treatments, such as IUI, IVF, ICSI, etc., at cost-effective prices. If you want to know more about IUI treatment, success rate, procedure, cost, and risks, consult our fertility experts. For more details and to book an appointment, contact us or visit our clinic Risaa IVF, Delhi.
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