Procedures for Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)
Intrauterine Insemination (IUI), the injection of sperm into the uterus by means of a catheter directed through the cervix, has been practiced for many years. The premise of this procedure (a type of artificial insemination) is that sperm can reach and fertilize the egg more easily if they are placed directly into the uterine cavity. In addition, in cases where the cervical mucus is poor or hostile to sperm, intrauterine insemination circumvents these problems because it bypasses the cervix.
IUI is often the chosen infertility treatment in cases of cervical factors caused by poor mucus quality (which includes most patients on clomiphene), unexplained infertility and sometimes also mild male factor infertility. IUI is not helpful in cases of moderate to severe male factor, or in the presence of significant tubal disease, which should be treated with in vitro fertilization (IVF).