The journey of couples to conceive a baby, is at times, full of challenges that might be emotional, physiological, or financial. Read More About IUI Cost in India
When medications and tests fail to produce the desired result in the form of natural pregnancy, doctors seek the help of artificial reproductive technologies (ART) like intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in-vitro fertilization (IVF).
In this article, we will discuss IUI, IUI cost in India, and how successful is this treatment in terms of mediating conception.
IUI- What do you need to know?
IUI is a procedure that involves washing of sperms to remove dead, slow-moving sperm and sort only healthy, motile sperm which have higher chances of fertilizing an egg.
The ovulation of a woman is tracked through ultrasound or ovulation tracker kits and is scheduled for an IUI on the day of ovulation. A catheter places the sperm directly in the uterus of a woman.
In layman terms, IUI is very similar to the natural process of conception and facilitates sperm to reach egg by bypassing some obstacles.
When is IUI recommended?
Doctors generally recommend an IUI in cases of mild endometriosis, unexplained infertility, poor cervical mucus, ejaculatory failure, mild male subfertility or ovulatory dysfunction.
IUI is an efficient, cost-effective and less invasive treatment and therefore, it is a preferred first line of treatment for infertility.
IUI Cost in India
The major factor that leads couples to choose IUI over IVF, when considering beyond fertility drugs, is the relatively low IUI cost.
The average cost of IUI in India is Rs. 8000/-though this cost varies from city to city and clinic to clinic. The average IUI Cost in different major cities of India is as follows:
Bengaluru- Rs. 8,000- Rs. 9,000
Delhi- Rs. 6,000- Rs. 8,500
Mumbai-Rs. 10,000- Rs. 15,000
Pune- -Rs.4,000
However, couples need to understand that this cost includes only the IUI procedure. Ovulation induction and tracking of ovulation involves various consultations, medicines, and scans.
These are over and above the cost of the procedure.
Moreover, the success rate of IUI in a single cycle is less and you may have to undergo the procedure several times which will increase the total cost, depending upon the number of times IUI is performed.
The cost of multiple IUI cycles (average number of 3-5 cycles) combined is still less than a single IVF cycle.
The success rate of IUI
The success rate of IUI is similar to the pregnancy rate of fertile couples achieving conception on their own. The chances of getting pregnant are 10%-20% with a single IUI cycle.
This increases to as high as 80% with 3 to 6 cycles of IUI. However, the success rate of IUI depends on several factors like the age of the woman, semen sample of the man, and medical condition.
The data suggests that the success rate of IUI decreases with age and the chances of success for a woman >40 years of age have less than 8%.
Therefore, doctors do not recommend IUI in women above 40 years of age. The success rate of IUI is highest for infertility with unexplained reasons and dis ovulatory infertility.
The final decision of the couple to go for IUI should, therefore, be weighed on the factors including the age of the woman, type of infertility, and personal finances.
