Why doesnt iui work

Posted at 11:53h in Comment by Becky Saer 4 Comments

IUI, or artificial insemination, is fighting for its survival. Well, in the UK at least. If you thought you’d get IUI on the NHS,  you could be disappointed. Guidelines have recommended a reduction in state-funded IUI. Why?

IUI (intrauterine insemination) is a quick, simple fertility treatment. It was once popular. But the revised NICE guidelines discourage IUI in most cases. For unexplained infertility, low-quality sperm or mild endometriosis, the advice is to have regular unprotected sex for two years. After that, proceed direct to IVF.

The only other way to have IUI treatment on the NHS is if you’re unable to have sexual intercourse, are in a same-sex relationship or have a viral infection transmittable via sex. That’s still the minority of patients.

Success rates for IUI are low (10% per cycle). Stimulated IUI, in particular, isn’t great at lowering the multiple-pregnancy risk. So perhaps downgrading the treatment was a good move. Improved success rates for other fertility treatments, and the safety of single embryo transfers, seems to show IUI for what it is: cheap, but clunky.

On the face of it, IUI appears credible as a first-step approach. Stimulate/monitor follicle growth. Inject washed sperm into the womb. Nice and simple. And more successful than intra-cervical insemination (the DIY method).

It’s all in the numbers. If an IUI cycle costs £1,000 and an IVF cycle costs £5,000 (or much less at our clinic), would you choose IUI? Not only is IVF at least twice as likely to succeed, it also produces eggs that can be harvested and screened. Sperm can be checked and optimised. Embryos can be transferred (one at a time), graded, tested and frozen. It’s a better service. And worth, many think, the extra cash.

Yet, despite all this, IUI has had a resurgence in the last two years. An impressive IUI study in 2018 looked more closely at the pros and cons of IUI. It questioned past research that dismissed IUI out of hand. And it proposed clearer recommendations on when IUI could help. More natural approaches to fertility treatments are being encouraged. The simplicity of IUI may be its trump card.

IUI may be here to stay. As fertility treatments open out to a wider group of would-be parents, IUI is, once again, emerging as a sensible first option. It may not be great at getting women pregnant. But its benefits are being reassessed, right now.

IUI stands for Intrauterine Insemination. This procedure is particularly used when the conception with the help of the natural method is not possible. There are cases in which it happens, that the eggs are of good quality but the quality of the sperms has completely deteriorated. In those situations, it becomes important to opt up for the procedure that helps to achieve the conception without the extreme surgical intervention. So IUI procedure is best in such cases. 

How Can IUI Procedure Help In Conception? 

In the IUI procedure, the semen sample is taken. From the sample, the sperms are extracted. The sperms are washed and then analysed to make sure that they are having the required traits for the healthy development of the embryo. Once the sperm is chosen then they are directly placed inside the reproductive system. And thus the fertilisation process commences. 

Who Benefits From This Procedure? 

Usually, same-sex couples are hugely benefited from this procedure. With the donor sperms, the embryos can be healthily developed. 

Also, the couples in which the reproductive capabilities of the female partner is okay, but that of the male is poor, then in those cases, it is suggested to take the IUI procedure into account instead of the IVF treatment. 

When Do The Doctors Recommend The IUI Procedure? 

If the couple wants to become the biological parents of their child, but the male participant is suffering from faulty sperms owing to the following reasons, then the IUI will hugely be recommended: 

Once the sperms are washed, then the count of the sperm should be more than 10 million. In case of the low sperm count, the doctors can try to achieve conception with IUI.

Do You Know? 

The male participants whose sperm count is considerably low are usually recommended with the IUI treatment. 

To gain successful results after the IUI treatment, it is mandatory that after washing the semen, the total sperm motile count should be more than 10 million.

If the male partner is not able to ejaculate, then the IUI treatment will be the best solution to this problem. 

If the reason for infertility is not known, then before opting up for the IVF procedure, the doctors want to try to achieve the conception with less invasive procedures.

Important information 

The sperm should stay in the cervical mucus for a desired number of days. In case the woman is having hostile cervical mucus, then the atmosphere inside the mucus becomes acidic which is not conducive for the healthy survival of the sperms. 

How Is IUI Treatment Different From IVF? 

IVF is that ART in which both the eggs and the sperm are extracted and then fertilized outside of the body. But in IUI, only sperm samples are taken and the extracted sperm is placed inside the uterus. Thus the fertilization process is carried out inside the body. 

When Does IUI Treatment Fail? 

The IUI treatment may fail due to the following reasons: 

If the eggs are not of good quality, then the embryo will never develop healthily. And if by God’s Grace, IUI turns out to be successful, then there will be high chances of encountering either miscarriage or birth defects.

Age is the biggest criterion in the success of the IUI procedure. If the females’ age is 40 and more than that, then, first of all, the IUI procedure will not be recommended. If in the rarest case, it is suggested then it will result in a risky pregnancy. 

As the problem in the quality of the egg causes faulty embryo development. In the same way, the problem in the sperm quality will also fail the IUI procedure at one point or the other. 

Only a well qualified and reputed doctor knows the importance of timing. Since they know, if the sperm will not be introduced in the uterus within 24 hours of the ovulation, then the eggs will commence getting disintegrated. 

For the proper embedment of the embryo in the uterine cavity, it is required to have the proper endometrial lining. In the absence of that, the embryo will not be able to get nurtured with stable growth.

Healthy levels of progesterone are necessary to support the pregnancy. If owing to any reason, these levels are not adequate or are deficient, then the entire IUI treatment may fail.

Get it clear 

IUI will not be recommended in the severe cases of infertility in which the women are suffering from the following: 

• Tubal Blockage 
• Endometriosis

• Previous history of the pelvic infections

What Happens When The IUI Treatment Will Get Failed? 

The failure of the IUI treatment is usually asymptomatic, meaning it does not show up associated with the symptoms. In case, the IUI treatment gets failed, then you have to undergo an abortion. The abortion will activate your menstrual cycle and you will have your periods.

In case there are chromosomal defects or abnormality in the quality of the eggs and the sperms, then it will be followed by spontaneous abortion.

DO NOT NEGLECT 

If you do not want to get disheartened with the recurrent disappointing results as far as the conception is concerned, then make sure that you track your periods regularly and consult the gynaecologist for the unusual vaginal discharge and the discomfort in the reproductive organs.

WHAT’S NEXT? 

In case you satisfy all the following credentials, then you should not consider giving one more chance to your body to reproduce with the help of IUI treatment:

• The IUI cycle has failed more than 3 to 4 times. 
• Your age is more than 35 years.

This is suggested because, with each failed IUI cycle, your ovarian cycle keeps on getting lower. 

CONSULT THE DOCTORS 

Do not take any decision on your own, rather consult the fertility experts of some reputable IVF centre. They will help you to know whether you should be relying on IVF or ICSI for a healthy conception. 

EVIDENCE FROM THE RESEARCHES 

The researchers have given proof that IVF can help in conception if the male is suffering from severe infertility problems. ICSI is also beneficial and is known to overcome IUI failure. 

YOU CAN RELY ON US!

If you don’t want to experience failure in the IUI procedure, then visit the Sofat infertility and women care centre. The fertility experts have years of experience in carrying out this procedure with ease and perfection. 

So book your appointment at the earliest for the best infertility treatment!