IUI is a treatment option when a partner has sperm quality issues, or for same sex female couples or single women who need access to sperm to conceive. In IUI treatment, a doctor selects the highest quality sperm from a semen sample and places it into a woman’s uterus using a thin catheter for a better chance of a successful pregnancy.³

In most cases, the person who will carry the pregnancy takes fertility medication to boost egg production. It’s also possible to go through IUI during a normal menstrual cycle without medication.⁴ Over the course of 2 weeks, the person planning to carry will go to the clinic for a couple of visits to track their cycle and determine when they have a dominant follicle ready for ovulation. At these monitoring appointments a fertility doctor will also determine if there is more than one follicle developing.  When the time is right, the carrying partner will be given a hormonal injection to help the eggs mature and ovulate. 

Twenty four to 36 hours later, sperm from either a male partner or donor will be washed and prepared for insemination. A doctor will place the washed sperm at the top of the female partner’s uterus using a small thin catheter. This procedure takes minutes, and it’s generally not painful.

Then, there’s a bit of a wait: 2 weeks, to be exact At that point, a female partner will find out whether or not the procedure has resulted in a pregnancy. If not, she can try again — even right away, if she wants to.

There are many factors to consider, including diagnosis, if any; the female partner’s age; the male partner’s sperm count; and whether fertility medications are used. It can take several rounds of IUI to achieve a successful pregnancy. Generally speaking, IUI success rates peak at 15% per attempt, but they can be much lower.