What is IUI?

IUI aims to increase the number of sperm that reach the fallopian tubes resulting in an increase in the chance of fertilisation. IUI (Intrauterine insemination) is the process of preparing a semen sample in the laboratory and then depositing the semen inside the woman uterus.
Although IUI still requires the sperm to reach and fertilise the egg on its own, it is essential to make sure that the sperm is healthy and motile. IUI provides the sperm with an advantage by giving it a head start since it is injected directly into the uterus, but it still has to seek out the egg on its own.

Am I suitable for IUI?

IUI is a fertility treatment often selected by patients with the following conditions:
• Low sperm count
• Decreased sperm mobility
• Requirement of donor sperm
• A cervical condition, such as cervical mucus that is too thick
• Sexual dysfunction
• Young and fertile couples who would like to select the sex of their unborn baby through the non-invasive MicroSort IUI method.
• Single women who do not have a male partner can opt for an IUI treatment using a sperm donor.

Required testing for IUI

Prior to the IUI procedure, semen sample is obtained from the male partner through manual stimulation (masturbation). At the moment of ejaculation, the semen sample contains both mature sperm cells (spermatozoa) and secretions of the prostate and the seminal vesicles. During ejaculation, it is essential that the entire ejaculate is collected in the sterile cup provided, so that we can make sure that the fraction of the ejaculate which contains mature sperm cells is captured in the cup. While it may sound as a simple direction to follow, this is in fact one of the most important steps involved in sperm preparation.

What are our the success rates?

Here is an estimate of your chances of pregnancy based on the number of IUI cycles you are willing to undergo:

• Women often have a 10 to 20 percent chance of getting pregnant with just one IUI cycle.
• The more cycles of IUI you undergo, the higher the chance is for a pregnancy. With 3 to 6 cycles of IUI, pregnancy rates can be as high as 80 percent.
• The pregnancy rate with IUI is similar to, or just slightly lower than, pregnancy rates of fertile couples that become pregnant on their own.

What is the cost of IUI

The cost of artificial insemination at Cyprus IVF Centre is £1,000. This includes handling and processing the semen sample and the IUI procedure itself. If a sperm donor is used for the IUI procedure, then the total cost of IUI with donor sperm is £1,500. We do not charge for the consultations and the ultrasound scans that are provided at the Cyprus IVF Center prior to your treatment. However, the following will cost you extra:

Medication which will be used prior to the IUI procedure. Medication used for IUI are very mild, therefore, the cost of your medication is not likely to be very high.  The precise cost of medication could vary between countries, therefore, there is no uniform price that we can quote you for the medication. Also, the specific dosage can mildly vary from individual to individual, changing the cost across patients.

What to expect from IUI?

It should be kept in mind that while the IUI procedure may be convenient due to its non-invasive nature and lower treatment cost, it is a process that is close to natural conception with respect to how pregnancy is achieved. The benefit of IUI is that, it processes the sperm sample and places it close to where the eggs can be fertilised. While the order of events are similar to natural conception, the process of fertilisation is facilitated by additional efforts. While this increases your chances of success beyond natural intercourse, it still does not give you as high of a success chance as IVF/ICSI treatment would. With our new MicroSort sperm sorting technologies, we are able to offer gender selection for family balancing through the IUI method. This offers a less invasive method of selecting the gender of your child. However, the accuracy of sperm separation with the MicroSort procedure is not 100%, therefore, MicroSort IUI should be seen as a method of increasing the likelihood of having a child of certain sex over the other rather than a bullet proof method of gender selection.