10 Aug Preparing for a Successful IUI
Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is one of the most common fertility treatments for women or couples. It’s used when mild male infertility factors, PCOS, or mild endometriosis impedes conception at home.
IUI is also an intelligent first fertility treatment step for women with cervix or cervical mucous issues, couples with unexplained infertility, and when ED or ejaculation issues prevent unassisted conception.
Increase Your Chances of IUI Success
If you’re planning to use IUI as part of your fertility treatment plan, there are things you can do to increase the chances of success.
1. Choose a fertility specialist with statistics in your favor
First and foremost, it’s essential to find a fertility specialist who has higher success rates that correlate with your situation. You’ll want to ask about their statistics regarding IUI success rates in cases that match yours with regards to your age, diagnosis/es, and other relevant fertility factors.
2. Reduce stress and anxiety (consider acupuncture…)
Stress and anxiety can hinder conception. Multiple studies now correlate elevated stress levels with decreased fertility rates. They also show that women who regularly practice stress management techniques and use acupuncture during IUI and IVF cycles have higher fertility rates.
Acupuncture sessions, synced with specific phases of fertility treatments, can also increase your chances of fertility treatment success. Click Here to read more about acupuncture for fertility.
3. Ask about sperm washing
Sperm washing is used to isolate the sperm from the semen. Clean sperm are more likely to fertilize the egg and be accepted by the female reproductive system than unwashed sperm because semen can cause an adverse reaction in the woman’s body, triggering immune system responses or rejection of the sperm or a newly fertilized egg.
Make sure your fertility clinic plans to wash any sperm samples used for IUI or IVF cycles. If not, consider requesting the add-on feature, which typically costs around $250 to $500, depending on which type of wash procedure is selected and whether or not you opt for gender selection.
4. Do not ejaculate for at least three days prior
The more healthy sperm are available to meet the egg, the higher your chances of IUI success. If your partner is submitting his sperm sample, we recommend avoiding ejaculation for at least three days (but no more than five days) before the sample day.
Healthy sperm live for about five days (one of the reasons we advise timing conception at home before you ovulate). So three days is the perfect way to optimize the number of active, living sperm without compromising their lifespan.
5. Use an oral fertility medication
We understand the reluctance to have a multiples pregnancy, but IUI conception rates are notably higher when using an oral fertility medication. Therefore, your fertility specialist will carefully determine a dose that ensures you release an extra egg or two rather than the more abundant amount of eggs stimulated by injectable medications.
6. Make healthy lifestyle choices
There is no mistaking a correlation between a healthy body and a healthy pregnancy. Your diet, weight management, and other lifestyle choices are all key players when it comes to successful fertility treatments, as well as optimizing the wellbeing of you and your baby while you’re pregnant.
We mentioned the importance of stress management above. Other things you can do to ensure you’re making lifestyle choices that support fertility include:
Finally, you and your partner should eliminate any unhealthy habits known to compromise fertility health, including drinking alcohol, smoking, or using cannabis/THC products of any kind.
Are you looking for the right fertility center to support IUI or the next step in your fertility journey? Schedule an appointment at the Fertility Center of Dallas.