Publication:

Factors determining successful intrauterine insemination

Background Infertility is defined as failure to conceive even after one year of regular, frequent and unprotected intercourse. Infertility can be attributed to male causes in approximately 25-40% cases, female causes in 40-50% cases, both in 10-20% and unexplained causes in 10-15% cases. Artificial insemination (Intrauterine Insemination) involves placement of processed sperms from husband (AIH – artificial insemination homologous) or from donor (AID – artificial insemination donor) into the female genital tract.

Methods Objectives of the study were to do sperm preparation to obtain normal good quality motile sperms, to perform intrauterine insemination using husband semen around the time of ovulation, to study factors responsible for successful pregnancy rates by this method. Out of 100 infertile females recruited for the study 34 underwent artificial insemination by IUI with controlled ovarian hyper stimulation. Sperms were washed by density gradient centrifugation or by a direct swim-up technique that does not involve centrifugation.

Results Overall pregnancy rate per patient for male factor infertility was 23.52%. None of the patients consented for more than three cycles of IUI. Maximum pregnancy was achieved in third cycle of IUI. Sperm motility >40% was related with pregnancy in 8 cases. Duration of infertility didn’t influence pregnancy rate. The majority of pregnancies were achieved in the age group of 25-29 years (50%). No pregnancy occurred with >15 years of infertility.

Conclusions This study concluded that intrauterine insemination after ovarian stimulation or controlled ovarian hyperstimulation is a successful and efficacious therapy for infertility.