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IUI is a technique which can be done in one of two ways: either by using your partners sperm or using a donors sperm, depending on your fertilty problem.

It is a procedure whereby the woman is usually stimulated to produce eggs (oocytes) using a procedure specific to her clinic. Some clinics will also initially down-regulate a woman’s cycle, which involves the administration of another drug to dampen down all other hormones in her body.

Oocyte stimulation involves daily injections of Follicle Stimulating Hormones (FSH) in order to produce a number of follicles. It is hoped that at least one of these follicles will contain a mature egg. The woman will be continually monitored throughout the procedure and scans will determine the number and size of each follicle which is developing. If too many follicles develop due to over stimulation, then the cycle may be abandoned or a follicle reduction may take place. This is to ensure that multiple births are kept to a minimum.

Once the follicles reach an acceptable size, an injection of Human Chorionic Gondaotropin (hCG) is given and this allows the follicles to mature and rupture, hopefully releasing an egg. The timing of the insemination procedure - using your partner or a donors sperm - is now arranged and this procedure should be carried out by your consultant and involves passing the sperm in a catheter into the uterus and therefore by-passing the cervix.

IUI is a procedure which is often used firstly in cases were there seems to be no apparent reason why a couple can’t concieve “Unexplained Infertility” or in a situation where the male partner has absolutley no sperm present in his semen, thereby allowing the procedure to take place using a donors sperm.

Many health boards offer a number of cycles of IUI before considering a more invasive procedure such as IVF.

This information is not meant as medical advice.