IUI or artificial insemination as a fertility treatment
Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is widely accepted as an effective and affordable option for couples ready to embark on fertility treatments. Dr. Eric Daiter, a board certified reproductive endocrinologist and fertility specialist and the founder of The NJ Center for Fertility and Reproductive Medicine, has a proven success rate in using IUI for eligible couples and, together with his friendly and knowledgeable staff, has decades of professional expertise to help you begin the joyous journey toward parenthood.
Also commonly referred to as artificial insemination, the IUI procedure is straightforward and safe. To summarize, it involves placing viable sperm as close to the fallopian tubes as possible, which in turn facilitates an environment in which the sperm have fewer barriers to navigate and cross as they travel to meet the mature egg that has dropped down into the tube. To ensure that the IUI procedure can work as efficiently as possible, patients are first guided through a clinical interview and examination process to determine exactly what could be preventing viable sperm from meeting the released egg. For example, if subtle male factor infertility is the issue, or if Dr. Daiter discovers an abnormal sperm-mucous interaction during a postcoital test, then manually placing the sperm as close as possible to the fallopian tube using a soft, flexible, painless catheter is initially the preferred method.
If, however, the male's sperm is found to be abnormal and no obvious underlying cause is revealed, then in addition to IUI, treatment options can progress to controlled ovarian hyperstimulation with IUI, and IVF with ICSI; these treatment options are generally considered to be more aggressive than basic IUI (though they, too, are safe), and Dr. Daiter prefers to approach each patient case in a linear and carefully controlled manner, hoping of course that the relatively simple IUI procedure works its magic and brings on a lasting pregnancy.
For those patients who are candidates for IUI, the benefits are many: It is inexpensive (in fact, Dr. Daiter's office charges significantly less for the procedure than other area clinics) and non-invasive. Once the timing of ovulation has been determined (through the use of an ovulation predictor kit or an ovulation monitor), the procedure can be completed in the clinic setting with few to no side effects. Furthermore, sperm placed within the uterine cavity enjoy reproductive perks over those placed "naturally" during intercourse. Due to their advantageous proximity to the location of the egg, they experience much less "drop-off" as would occur were they required to make the long trip toward the fallopian tube--in the case of sperm, a lengthy, circuitous and often exhausting route in which many of them die, reducing the changes of successful fertilization. Numbers, indeed, are of vital importance. To illustrate: During normal intercourse, approximately 50 to 500 million sperm can be deposited in the vaginal vault, where they can anticipate a brief lifespan of about 1-2 hours. From there, only about 1 million sperm successfully make it to the cervical mucous, where they can live for several days. However, only a few thousand can achieve placement at the pinnacle of the top of the uterine cavity, and of those that make it to that point, only a fraction will actually enter the tube to search for and make contact with the mature egg. The IUI procedure ensures that millions of active, thriving sperm are placed exactly where they need to be to drastically increase the chances of insemination.
For more information about this safe and time-proven method of artificial insemination, or to contact Dr. Daiter and his staff, please visit the clinic's website site at www.drericdaitermd.com.