The following process outlines a single cycle of IUI and the most commonly used procedures. You may find that you are given different drugs or that your treatment is slightly different depending on your previous history and/or fertility treatments.
- Check fallopian tubes: You can only have IUI if your fallopian tubes are open and healthy. Our team will check this using a vaginal ultrasound test called HyCoSy. You will be given a separate information leaflet about this test.
- Fertility drugs: You can either have fertility drugs to boost your egg production (this is often referred to as superovulation), or you can have IUI as part of your normal menstrual cycle.
- Scans: If you are taking fertility drugs you will probably need to have ultrasound scans to check how many follicles (eggs) are developing. If there are too many follicles, the cycle may have to be cancelled.
- Hormone injection: One to two days before the insemination of sperm takes place, you will either be given a hormone injection to help the eggs mature or you will have tests to check when you are about to ovulate.
- Insemination: The best quality sperm available will be injected into your uterus. The whole process takes just a few minutes and is relatively pain-free. It involves a gentle internal examination with a speculum, similar to what you may have had during a cervical smear test.
- Pregnancy test: You will be given a date to carry out your urine pregnancy test. You will understandably be excited at this stage but try not to do the test early as the result may be misleading.