Meera felt lost after a period (eighteen months) of attempting to become pregnant; when she consulted her doctor about it, she informed her that Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) could be used. She had never heard of it like many couples in India. All the medical terms are made complicated sounding. IUI is not so scaring as it sounds. It is a fairly easy fertility treatment.
Simply put, IUI only lends nature a helping hand but does not interfere with the whole process. Majority of fertility practitioners recommend starting with IUI then resorting to more complicated processes such as IVF. In India, the approximate rate of success of IUI happening within the first three to four cycles is about 88 %, and the rate of success of IUI happening within six cycles is 95 %.
Read below to know more about the IUI treatment in order to make a well-informed choice in the future.
What is IUI Treatment and How Does It Work?
Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) represents a fertility process in which the female is injected with sperm directly in her uterus during the ovulation stage to promote fertilization. Therefore, raising the probability of conception. The following is the breakdown of the procedure,
The sperm sample is first subjected to processing in the lab. They clean it and filter out the healthy, strong, quick-swimming sperm and eliminate the slow or odd sperm in the process. During your cycle, it is common to have check-ups. The doctor will carry out ultrasounds and blood testing in order to track the growth of your eggs.
The procedure of IUI itself is fast, and relatively painless. The majority of patients note that it is comparable to pap smear. In this, a thin tube is used by the doctor to inseminate the prepared sperm into the uterus of yours. The entire process of treatment will last approximately ten to fifteen minutes.
What is the best time to do IUI?
The most important aspect of IUI treatment is the timing. Once you miss the window, you will be left to wait till your other cycle.
The window is the most ideal 12-36 hours following the time when the body of the woman discharges luteinizing hormone (LH). This increased level of hormone activates ovulation. Your physician will monitor such by administering ultrasounds, normally on days 10-12 of your cycle.
That window, however, is very very narrow. You can be off a single day, which can make a great impact on your chances.
A trigger shot has been used to coordinate most fertility clinics. Once your follicle is 18- 20 millimeters on the ultrasound they will inject you with HCG. It dictates when ovulation should occur which is typically in 36 hours.
Tips for IUI success
Fertility specialists all over India have found certain common trends in their most successful patients:
For men:
- Do not deprive yourself of sex long before the operation. Two to three days will be best. More than that, the quality of sperm begins to drop.
For women
- It has to have at least 8 millimeters of the uterine lining. There are women who require supplements of estrogen to accomplish this.
- Once the procedure is done, rest within a few days. No bed rest is required, but do not lift heavy weights or do hard exercises.
- Continue taking your prenatal vitamins and in particular, folic acid. These need to be started a month or more prior to commencing treatment.
Mentally both of you should prepare. Majority of the couples take multiple cycles before success. It is an emotionally taxing process but do your best not to be unrealistic about the schedule.
Tips for women with PCOS
PCOS complicates everything – just ask the woman suffering it. It complicates timing more, but it does not imply that IUI will not be effective. The success rates are also generally sensible when taken in the right way.
Successful IUI with PCOS tips begins with management of medications. Popular among them are Clomid or Letrozole. Your physician will pay more attention to you because PCOS enables several eggs to grow. Losing weight is a great assistance. Simple loss of 10-15 percent body weight may help you to get your cycles back. Metformin is also prescribed by many doctors to enhance the body in the management of insulin.
As you begin contemplating over the IUI treatment, you should make lifestyle changes 3-6 months before the treatment. You will have to allow your hormones to stabilize.
Diet and lifestyle changes
You do not have to make any drastic changes to your whole life, but little shifts can assist:
- When an opportunity is availed, take whole foods. Your friends are fresh vegetables, grains and lean proteins. When you are avoiding much-processed food, the traditional Indian diets are very fertility-friendly.
- Reduce caffeine and abstain of alcohol during treatment period. There is no need to get rid of them, yet moderation is a good thing.
- Discover how to deal with stress. The process of fertility is emotionally draining. Here is where you have to find something which suits you; yoga, walking, meditation.
- Sleep plenty. Seven to nine hours of sleep prevents hormonal abnormality.
Certain physicians prescribe various supplements such as CoQ10, omegA3 fatty acids or vitamin D. Before turning to these do not start taking these without consulting your doctor first.
Conclusion
Nevertheless, out of fiction, IUI hardly succeeds on the first attempt, statistically. However, that is normal and it is not an indication that something is wrong with you. The period after the procedure and before pregnancy testing is significant in the span of two weeks. Each ache and pains is examined.
Keep yourself busy as much as possible in this time. Every screening helps your health practitioner learn new things about how your body reacts to medication. They may change doses or time during the next attempt. Depending on an individual, success may not be achieved, though most get to conceive at one point or the other through IUI. It needs time and very often several tries, but nothing is so worth it.
Bear in mind that fertility treatment involves not only the medical treatment but also a lot of psychological clout as well. Take care of the process.
