Artificial insemination (IUI / Intrauterine Insemination) is a fertility support method for infertile – infertility couples. This method selects healthy sperm and pumps it directly into the uterus at the time of ovulation to increase your chances of becoming pregnant. IUI is considered to be relatively safe, the process is simple and highly effective.
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What is artificial insemination IUI?
Artificial insemination / IUI (Intrauterine Insemination) is a popular fertility aid. This is done by pumping sperm directly into the uterus at the time of ovulation. Before pumping, the doctor will take a sample of semen, select sperm with good mobility and flexibility and stimulate the egg to increase the chance of conception.
IUI significantly increases the pregnancy rate and is one of the optimal solutions for infertile couples – infertility. Depending on the cause of infertility, your doctor may combine artificial insemination with fertility drugs or closely follow your wife’s menstrual cycle to increase your chances of becoming pregnant.
Cases where IUI can be performed
Artificial insemination is a solution that increases the chances of successful conception. Currently, this technique is applied in many cases such as:
1. For men
Men can perform artificial insemination in the following cases:
- Ejaculation abnormalities: Men who experience retrograde ejaculation, low urinary closure, pathological / psychological impotence, and spinal cord injury (nerve damage that prevents men from ejaculating) have The risk of infertility and infertility is high. Therefore, most men who have problems with ejaculation are encouraged to do IUI to increase their chances of conceiving.
- Poor sperm quality: After being released into the vagina, sperm must travel through the cervix, uterus and fallopian tubes to “meet” with the egg. However, men with low sperm counts, thin sperm , malformed sperm , poor mobility and vitality can completely destroy the cervix.
- Anti-sperm antibodies : Anti-sperm antibodies are specific immune cells in the male body capable of destroying and fighting sperm. These antibodies can bind to the sperm’s head or tail, impairing motility and lead to an inability to form fetal zygotes. As a result, most men with anti-sperm antibodies will need to intervene with IUI if they want to have a baby.
- Infertility with no known cause: In fact, there are many infertile couples that have no known cause. In this case, artificial insemination is the optimal solution. To increase fertility, doctors often combine this technique with ovulation stimulants.
2. For women
For women, artificial insemination is usually performed in the following cases:
- Desire to be a single mother: Currently, many women do not want to get married but still want to have children. In this case, artificial insemination uses the donor’s sperm to pump into the uterus. The sperm selected must pass certification and be frozen before use.
- Endometriosis: Endometriosis is a common benign gynecological disease in women. It occurs when endometrial cells grow outside the uterus, causing damage to the fallopian tubes and fallopian tubes. Simultaneously disturbs oocyte ejaculation and affects peristalsis of the oviduct, leading to a decrease in the ability to conceive and an increased risk of infertility – infertility. In this case, the IUI technique is often combined with fertility drugs.
- Cervical abnormality: The cervix is the organ that intersects the vagina – the uterus and has a fairly narrow diameter. At the time of ovulation, the mucus in this organ tends to be thinner in order to allow the sperm to easily “swim” into the uterus. However, due to a number of reasons, the cervix can secrete thick, dense, or narrowed mucus caused by scarring after surgery. These factors disrupt the sperm’s movement and lead to infertility – infertility.
- Semen allergy: Although rare, a small number of women are allergic to sperm (usually due to the protein in the sperm). In these cases, it is almost impossible to get pregnant spontaneously because after sex, the vaginal mucosa and cervix tend to become inflamed, red, burning and obstruct the ability of “sperm” to move.
- Ovulation Abnormalities: Ovulation in women is one of the factors that determine the chances of conceiving. Women who have regular periods, stable menstrual cycles are easy to watch the time of ovulation and have a high natural ability to conceive. In contrast, some women may not ovulate, menstrual cycle is irregular, … due to increased hormones androgens and many other reasons. In this case, IUI is the optimal solution if a couple wishes to have children.
- Anti-sperm antibodies in women: Anti-sperm antibodies not only appear in men, but also in women. When sperm is released into the vagina, the female body produces antibodies to counteract and destroy the sperm. As a result, the sperm can hardly pass through the cervix and “meet” with the egg.
Conditions for performing artificial insemination
Artificial insemination is a method that helps increase the fertility of couples who are infertile – infertility. However, to perform this method, both men and women have to meet some of the following requirements:
- Men must have normal or mild to moderate abnormal semen. To perform IUI, the sperm count after washing must be 1 million motile sperm / ml or more.
- Females have at least 1 healthy ovarian and ovaries are still active. In addition, IUI is preferred only to women under the age of 40.
Artificial insemination is not carried out in the following cases:
- Women aged 40 and over
- Endometriosis is moderate to severe
- Clogged both tubes or had both tubes removed
- The ovaries reduce oocyte release activity
- Men with low sperm count, many malformed sperm (40% or more)
The procedure of artificial insemination IUI
IUI is a relatively simple method. However, to increase your chances of getting pregnant, this technique is often used along with some supportive measures depending on the cause of infertility – infertility.
1. Preparation steps
Before the sperm is pumped into the uterus, the following preparation steps are required:
– Ovarian stimulation (ovarian stimulation):
Ovarian stimulation is a method of using hormonal drugs in the form of injections or oral therapy to help the eggs develop, ripen and release. This technique helps increase the success rate of artificial insemination. However, stimulating the ovaries can cause an egg to mature more than usual (> 4 follicles) and lead to multiple pregnancy.
– Retrieve sperm:
Men can collect sperm at home or at a medical center by masturbation. In case of taking at home, follow the instructions of a doctor and bring sperm to the hospital within 30-60 minutes.
For the best quality sperm, men should stop having sex and masturbate for at least 1-2 days. Also, avoid activities that negatively affect the sperm count and quality, such as smoking, alcohol use, drug use, staying up late, and stress.
– Wash sperm:
After taking semen, the doctor will perform sperm filtration with specialized machines. This process is done with the aim of removing dead cells, deformed sperm and impurities in the semen. Then, selectively have sperm with good mobility, high strength, and strength and concentrate into a small amount of solution (about 0.2 – 0.3ml).
The filtered sperm must be kept warm at the right temperature and pump the uterus as soon as possible. Therefore, this process is usually done at the time of ovulation (high conception rate).
In addition to the necessary preparation steps above, women should keep comfortable, eat well, exercise and take time to rest to increase their chances of becoming pregnant.
2. Proceed to pump sperm
Sperm injection is done 32 – 38 hours after ovulation (ovulation) injection. This is the time when the egg has just released and is most likely to “meet” the sperm.
Steps to pump sperm into the uterus:
- Hygiene of the cervix: Before pumping sperm, the doctor will perform a gynecological examination with a speculum to check the environment in the vagina and clean the cervix. This approach helps to minimize the risk of infection.
- Sperm pump: Your doctor then uses a small, soft, sterile catheter (dedicated catheter) to pump sperm into the uterus. This technique is performed quickly (3 – 5 minutes), painless and relatively safe. When sperm is completely pumped into the uterus, the doctor removes the catheter and speculum from the vagina.
3. Care after artificial insemination
To avoid spilling sperm, women need to rest on their back in the hospital for 15 minutes and be able to return home during the day. IUI is virtually painless and irritating and doesn’t interfere with everyday activities. Therefore, women can work and work normally the next day.
After 14 days, should go to the hospital for an ultrasound to detect pregnancy. If pregnant, the doctor will advise on care, formulate a diet and recommend periodic pregnancy check-ups to monitor the health of the mother and fetus.
Conversely, if not conceived, both husband and wife should have sex normally for 2-3 months. In case there is still no “good news”, it is advisable to go back to performing artificial insemination next time. Or, in vitro fertilization may be interfered with if the reproductive health of either or both is severely impaired.
Risks of IUI
Artificial insemination IUI is a simple, safe and highly effective way to increase fertility. However, in reality, some couples may face risks when intervening with this method, such as:
1. Multiple pregnancy
Multiple pregnancy is the most common risk when performing artificial insemination. In fact, this risk is not related to artificial insemination technology but comes from the egg stimulation process. To increase fertility, the wife must use drugs to stimulate ovulation and ovulation. However, taking medications can cause a significant increase in the number of cooked eggs (more than 4) and increase the likelihood of multiple pregnancy.
Multiple pregnancy comes with many risks such as low birth weight, debilitating pregnant women, premature labor and some other complications of pregnancy.
2. Injury, inflammation of the uterus
In addition, IUI can cause damage, bleeding, and inflammation of the uterus for the following reasons:
- The facility performs poor quality, does not completely sterile the pump
- The doctor is poorly skilled, manipulating the hand to pump, injuring and scratching the cervix
- Handling unsatisfactory semen allows bacteria, viruses and fungi to enter and cause inflammation of the uterus
These risks often arise from performing artificial insemination in poor quality health facilities. Therefore, to minimize the risk, couples should intervene with fertility support methods at reputable hospitals and centers.
Success rates of IUI artificial insemination
Artificial insemination is one of the methods to increase your chances of conceiving. However, the success rate of this method is highly dependent on the quality of the wife’s oocyte and the sperm of the husband / donor.
Statistics show that couples under 35 years old and in good health have a success rate of 15 – 20% for IUI interventions. This rate can gradually decrease if both are over 40 years old and have poor reproductive health. In addition, up to 23-30% of multiple pregnancies undergo artificial insemination.
How much does IUI cost?
Artificial insemination costs about 14-20,000,000 VND / time. However, the actual cost may differ more or less depending on the implementation base, the health of the couple, the skills of the doctor, …
For the cost of this performance, you should speak directly with your doctor or counselor. Currently, there are many facilities that perform artificial insemination. However, you should choose a facility that is reputable, quality and reliable. Absolutely not performed in private clinics that operate without a license, poor professional skills and absolute sterility.
Some questions when performing artificial insemination
IUI is a supporting technology that increases the chances of conception and is the optimal solution for infertile – infertility couples. However, around this method there are still many questions. Here are some questions related to artificial insemination:
1. Need to abstain from sex before artificial insemination?
To ensure good quality sperm, you should abstain from sex for 3-5 days or at least 1-2 days. Having sex before the date of the sperm sampling can result in a drop in sperm count, poor mobility, and lead to a decrease in the method’s effectiveness.
2. After artificial insemination has to abstain from sex?
Sex after artificial insemination does not affect your chances of getting pregnant. However, to avoid damaging and stimulating the cervix (especially in the case of female bleeding), sex should only be done after 48 hours from the time the sperm is pumped into the uterus.
3. Will the sperm pump come out?
Before being pumped into the cervix, concentrated spermatozoa to about <0.5ml. Therefore, the likelihood of an outflow is very low. In addition to limiting this, women are often asked to lie on their backs in bed for at least 15 minutes before returning home.
Some cases may develop a feeling of moisture in the vagina. However, this happens because the syringe (catheter) stimulates the mucus in the cervix to liquefy and release.
This article has gathered information you need to know about artificial insemination (IUI). Hopefully, through the above content, infertility – infertility couples can choose a fertility support method suitable for their financial capacity, age and health status. For more specific advice, please contact a specialist.
