Intrauterine Insemination, or IUI, involves directly inserting specially washed sperm into a woman’s womb at the most fertile point in her menstrual cycle. Doctors use hormone blood tests and monitoring scans to keep track of the cycle and pinpoint the time at which ovulation occurs, then they introduce the sperm into the uterus in a simple non-invasive theatre procedure.
The IUI treatment can occur during the natural cycle or, if required, a woman’s ovulation can be stimulated with an injection of human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG) to induce the release of eggs.
There is no egg collection involved in IUI, and the procedure is usually easy and pain free.