Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)

Intrauterine insemination (IUI) involves placing carefully prepared sperm directly into the uterus, close to the time an egg is released (ovulation).  IUI is one of the simplest and least invasive fertility treatments.

Who may benefit from IUI?

• women who have at least one normal healthy Fallopian tube, to allow the sperm and ovulated egg to meet and for fertilisation to occur
• women with cervical mucus problems which may prevent sperm from entering the uterus
• couples with ‘unexplained infertility’
• single women having treatment with donor sperm
• women in same sex couples having treatment with donor sperm

For whom is IUI not suitable?

• women with damaged Fallopian tubes
• men with very poor quality sperm

What does treatment involve?

Following an initial consultation, treatment assessment, follow-up appointment and treatment planning appointment:

• the majority of IUIs at MFS are carried out during a woman’s natural cycle, where only one egg is usually produced, so reducing the risk of a multiple pregnancy
• women who do not ovulate regularly are given either fertility tablets (clomiphene) or injections (hMG/FSH), or a combination of both, to stimulate their ovaries to produce more than one egg
• ultrasound scans enable MFS staff to predict the day on which the egg is released. A hormone injection, human chorionic gonadatrophin (hCG) may be given to initiate ovulation or to boost the natural LH surge. This injection allows even more accurate timing of ovulation and increases the probability of pregnancy
• the sperm sample - whether it is partner sperm or donor sperm - is prepared. The process selects only the highly motile (active) sperm
• partner sperm needs to be produced at MFS two hours before insemination. Alternatively it may be possible for a sample to be frozen and stored in advance and stored for future use
• a fine plastic catheter is passed through the cervix, via which the sperm are placed into the uterus
• a pregnancy test may be done 14 days after IUI insemination to confirm if the treatment has been successful

What is included in the IUI treatment cost?

• treatment planning
• monitoring ultrasound scans
• preparation of the sperm
• the IUI insemination procedure
• pregnancy test
• six week scan and/or follow-up to review the treatment cycle

What is not included in the IUI treatment cost?

• initial consultation or follow-up consultation (as appropriate)
• treatment assessment or repeat screening (as appropriate)
• cost of fertility drugs
• fee for freezing sperm (if required)
• fee for donor sperm (if required)
• the HFEA levy for using donor sperm (if required)

How long does IUI treatment take?

An average of four to five weeks from the beginning of the treatment cycle to pregnancy test.

Costs

Cost of IUI at MFS: £850

Go to the MFS Cost Estimator^©

More information

• Success rates with IUI

Also, go to the MFS Patient Treatment Information page and download the following infosheets:

• IUI
• Fertility Treatment with Donor Sperm