Abstract

Background: Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a frequently indicated therapeutic modality in infertility and considered to be of low to moderate complexity before the application of more sophisticated assisted reproductive technologies (ART). It is simple and inexpensive treatment in which processed and concentrated motile sperm are placed directly into uterine cavity. IUI is used together with various controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) protocols for many indications such as male infertility, ovulatory disorders, endometriosis and unexplained infertility.
Aim of study: Is to identify the important prognostic variables contributing to the successful outcome. Patients and methods: A prospective study was carried out at Assisted Conception Unit of Basra Medical College, A total of 203 cycles were analyzed to identify prognostic factors regarding treatment outcome. The variables selected for analysis were female age, duration and etiology of infertility, sperm parameters, number of preovulatory follicles, and number of previous treatment cycles and the method of COH. Results: The overall pregnancy rate per cycle was 9.3% (19/203). Of 19 pregnancies, 68.4% resulted in live birth, 26.3% in spontaneous abortion, and 5.3% were ectopic pregnancy. The multiple pregnancy rate was 15.8 % (3 twin pregnancies). Three significant variables for successful outcome were total motile sperm count (>10x106), the method of ovarian stimulation (use of r-FSH alone being superior to Clomiphen Citrate (CC) with r-FSH and CC alone), and multifollicular response. There was a tendency to a higher pregnancy rate in women <40 years and shorter duration of infertility (< 5 years) but this did not reach a statistical significance. Significant difference was not observed among different etiologies, although lowest pregnancy rate was found in unexplained infertility group. Conclusion: IUI may be an option for a selected group of couples prior to considering more sophisticated and expensive assisted reproductive techniques. High total motile sperm count (>10x106), controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) with r-FSH and multifollicular response are valuable predictors for pregnancy in COH-IUI cycle.