IUI Singapore (Intrauterine Insemination)

If your partner’s semen shows mild abnormalities like a slightly reduced concentration of sperm, weak sperm movement or abnormalities in size and shape of sperm, IUI can be a useful first line treatment especially in the younger couples. In IUI we attempt to overcome these sperm problems by selecting the highly motile sperm and injecting them in the uterus, close to the fallopian tube, thereby reducing the distance that they need to travel to meet the egg, this is timed with ovulation hence increasing the chances of fertilization.

For women going through infertility due to endometriosis, combining IUI with medications and injections to induce development of multiple eggs is often used as a first line treatment approach especially in younger couples. 

When accessing infertility, one of the procedures we take include semen analysis. If your partner’s semen show below average concentration, weak movement or abnormalities in size and shape, IUI can overcome these problems by separating the highly motile sperm from lower quality sperm.

Ovulation is the best time for achieving pregnancy as mucus produced by the cervix during this period provides an ideal environment for sperm to travel from the vagina to the fallopian tubes. However, some women have cervical mucus that is too thick, which may trap the sperm and prevent them from reaching the egg. With IUI, we bypass the cervix and deposit sperm directly into the uterus.

IUI can be performed for women who do not ovulate or have a reduced number of eggs if just ovulation induction is not successful. 

IUI is commonly used for women who require donor sperm to get pregnant. At ACRM, we have our own in-house lab where frozen donor sperm specimens can be thawed before the IUI procedure.

In IUI, timing is everything — so keeping track of ovulation is imperative. To monitor ovulation, we use a transvaginal ultrasound usually from cycle day 10-12 to visualize your ovaries and track the growth of the follicles (bubbles containing the egg). These scans are done every 2-3 days to help us assess the follicular maturity.  

Some women will need oral medications from cycle day 2-6 or daily injections to stimulate the production of eggs. 

For IUI we need the male partner to produce a semen sample around 2 hours prior to the scheduled IUI – this can be done in the privacy of your home or in the dedicated semen collection room at our clinic. The sample is then processed to enable us to choose the highly active, normal sperm. In the event that donor sperm is used, a vial of frozen donor sperm is thawed and prepared. 

On the day of the IUI patients are advised to come with a full bladder. 

A transvaginal scan is performed to assess the status of ovulation first. A speculum is then inserted in the vagina and the IUI procedure is carried out. The prepared  semen sample is  placed into a catheter and inserted into your uterus through your vagina and cervix. The whole process is painless and you can resume normal activity immediately after.  

A pregnancy test is done about 2 weeks after the IUI procedure to determine if the treatment is successful.

There may be a slight risk of developing a pelvic infection from the procedure. 

Some spotting may occur after the IUI procedure, but this is normal. 

When used with ovulation-inducing medications and injections, the risk of a multiple pregnancy (twins, triplets) is 5-15%.