If you are experiencing infertility, one of the options is to undergo intrauterine insemination (IUI) treatment.
This type of fertility treatment involves placing sperm inside a woman’s uterus directly through the cervix.
If you’ve undergone this procedure and are concerned about what precautions you should take after IUI, read on for more information.
The post will go over how to ensure that your body can heal from any adverse effects during or following IUI treatment, as well as what steps to take if pregnancy does not occur.
The blog post also covers why it is important for women undergoing IUI treatments to consider pre-pregnancy considerations before proceeding with treatments so they can be better prepared physically and emotionally for their journey ahead.
Further reading – What is IUI?
Overview of the procedure
Before you undergo an IUI treatment, your fertility specialist will perform a number of tests on both you and your partner to determine whether or not you’re ready for this form of fertility treatment.
If you are deemed fit enough according to these preliminary tests, you’ll be put on medications that will help prepare your body to receive sperm properly during the procedure.
You’ll likely start out with birth control pills. Then, when it’s time for your IUI treatment, you’ll give yourself shots (or other medications) before heading over to the clinic where a physician or nurse will insert washed sperm through a tube directly into your uterus. In most cases, the entire process takes between 10 and 30 minutes.
Many women go through IUI treatment multiple times over the course of several months before giving up and moving on to other forms of treatment for infertility.
In fact, as many as 50 percent of couples seeking fertility treatment will have a baby within three years if they keep trying with IUI treatments.
Although IUI is a very effective way to increase your chances of getting pregnant, it does not come without risks or adverse effects from repeated treatments.
Now that you know a little bit about what goes into IUI procedures, let’s take a look at the steps you can take after undergoing this type of fertility treatment to make sure your body heals properly and you don’t suffer any side effects from the procedure going forward.
Post-IUI precautions to take
Women who are considering trying IUI for infertility should be sure to discuss all possible risks and side effects, as well as how they can be minimized. In addition to the precautions you should take after a successful IUI, your doctor may also recommend that you abstain from sexual intercourse for a certain amount of time.
Further reading – When is the best time to try IUI?
Taking necessary precautions once you have gone through an IUI treatment involves being conscious of changes in your body physically and emotionally that may occur or become exacerbated after going through this form of fertility treatment.
Physically speaking, it’s important not only to consider what happens inside the uterus during an IUI procedure but also how it affects other parts of the body.
For example, if the sperm is injected into the uterine cavity then it should not negatively impact your fallopian tubes, which are very close by. But if the physician injects lube where you ovulate before inserting sperm through your cervix, this could cause some irritation, dryness, or infection in these parts of the body.
For this reason, it’s important to be proactive about lowering risk factors for developing complications after IUI treatment.
Make sure to follow all post-IUI instructions provided to you by your doctor and keep your appointments for tests following an IUI procedure to ensure that nothing goes wrong.
Your emotional health following an IUI treatment can also play a key role in how successful future treatments will be after the first one.
Take note of what you felt during and after the procedure emotionally.
Did you feel anxious? Relieved? Overwhelmed? Angry? If possible, talk to your partner about how it went too because their perspective can help you process everything that happened.
It will also be important for both of you to reach out for support from family members and friends if needed since fertility treatments like this can often take a toll on relationships.
You may want to consider counseling for yourself, your significant other, or both if needed, which is something that many fertility clinics are more than willing to provide.
Your physician may also recommend some form of therapy that could include acupuncture, massage, meditation, or exercise.
While some people think these types of treatments are only for those who are into New Age ideas or alternative medicine, research has shown that they can have a positive effect on fertility.
A few things to keep in mind before you try IUI for infertility treatment
In most cases, IUI is done as part of a treatment cycle along with other methods such as ovulation induction medications or injectable hormones, which will be discussed later.
Women who have PCOS appear to benefit from multiple IUI procedures within one month until conception happens. Patients who have undergone certain types of gynecological surgery might not be able to use IUI.
Insufficient cervical mucus, irregular menstrual periods, or unexplained infertility are also reasons why IUI treatment might not work for some patients.
Although IUI is not as invasive as IVF, there are still some risks involved such as infection and allergic reaction to medications. However, this procedure tends to carry fewer risks than IVF which might also influence your decision for using IUI or IVF.
Pros
IUI is known for being relatively painless, cheap & cost-effective. Some women report feeling more relaxed before an IUI because it’s a shorter process.
It can provide fertility benefits in cases of infertility caused by male factor issues or if the fallopian tubes have been blocked/damaged due to infections, surgeries, etc.
The success rates of pregnancy with IUI are approximately 20% higher than with timed intercourse alone (that includes natural methods of trying to conceive). Additionally, women over the age of 35 tend to benefit more from IUI than other types of fertility treatment.
Cons
Compared to IVF which many people consider as the “gold standard” in infertility treatments (and rightfully so), IUI is not as effective for patients with severe male factor infertility or unexplained fertility issues.
Only certain cases of PCOS respond well to IUI vs IVF. However, if you are using injectable medications along with this procedure, it will cost you more than egg retrieval (which is done during IVF) would.
If your physician recommends multiple rounds of IUI within one month, make sure that he/she has a valid reason for the course of action.
How is IUI carried out?
In order to make the sperm cells more concentrated & stronger, you will need to take fertility medications 2-3 days before you ovulate.
This medication may come in the form of a pill, shot, or vaginal inserts that are inserted below your tongue/lips on a daily basis following stimulation cycles.
Once follicles have been stimulated and eggs retrieved from your ovaries, it’s time for an IUI. A catheter is guided through the vagina towards the cervix while ultrasound images help determine when exactly to inject the prepared sperm cells into the uterus.
After this step has been completed, you should lie down for at least 15 minutes so that gravity can work in favor of conception. You can go home after 30 minutes or less.
How effective are IUI procedures?
A lot of people think that the chances of conceiving with IUI are not as high compared to IVF but this is usually not the case.
Success rates range from 15-25% if your age is under 35 years old, 4% if you’re between 35-40 years old, and 2% if you’re over 40. If sperm count, motility & morphology are low, success rates might be lower at 10%.
However, many physicians can use drug therapy to help improve these factors so your chances of becoming pregnant through IUI should increase. When comparing costs of fertility treatment options, IUI tends to be more cost-effective than IVF so it’s definitely an option to consider.
IUI is often used as a first line of treatment for couples whose infertility has been caused by the male factor ( low sperm count or motility ). Women with PCOS also benefit from this procedure due to a lack of ovulation issues.
Sometimes, your doctor might recommend IUI if ovulation does not occur on its own after the medication has been taken orally or transdermally. The hormones that are given to stimulate egg production can cause side effects such as mood swings, weight gain, etc which makes it impractical in some cases.
Therefore, you should always discuss all benefits & risks associated with any fertility treatment option before making a final decision.
A blog post conclusion paragraph that is interesting and captivating
The article provides a thorough review of the precautions you should take after IUI treatment, as well as what to do if pregnancy does not occur. It’s important to note that when it comes to fertility treatments like this one, no two experiences are alike.
That said, there are always steps you can take before undergoing any infertility procedure in order to ensure your body will be able to heal itself following the process or respond appropriately if pregnancy doesn’t happen within six months of starting IUI treatment.
If these precautionary measures don’t seem appropriate for your situation, let our team know – we’re happy to help make adjustments so that you have peace of mind moving forward with this type of therapy!
