Share this article. Two Common Fertility Treatments Explained Couples who are having trouble conceiving may be wondering if they should undergo fertility treatments and what type of treatment they would be candidates for. Two procedures are commonly used to help couples who need fertility assistance: Through intrauterine insemination IUI , sperm is placed directly into the uterus using a speculum.
Through In-vitro fertilization IVF , eggs are surgically removed using a needle that goes through the back of the vagina, and those eggs are fertilized outside of the body. IVF is usually recommended for couples facing the following situations: Severe male infertility Blocked Fallopian tubes Lack of success using IUI Concern about passing on certain genetic disorders Pre-implantation genetic testing is an advanced scientific procedure that can be performed before IVF.
Which Approach Is Best? Mary Ellen G. Pavone, MD. Rated 4. Northwestern Medical Group. Associate Professor , Feinberg School of Medicine. Would my husband be allowed in the room with me? There was also this great sense of anticipation—we desperately wanted the IUI to work.
I did my usual blood tests and internal ultrasound and my husband produced a semen sample. One hour before the procedure, I had to consume one litre of water, as a full bladder helps the doctor guide and angle the catheter into the uterus.
The wait between our early-morning appointment and the procedure was odd. At around 8 a. For a while, we had no idea how to spend our time—it was clear that we both wanted the IUI to be over. We filled up our car with gas, bought groceries and treated ourselves to brunch an awkward meal spent talking about everything but what we were thinking about. We laugh about the weirdness of it all now.
Once back in the ultrasound room, I sat on the exam table and placed my feet in the stirrups. It was such a funny—but important—request. As the technician performed an external ultrasound, the doctor inserted the catheter into my vagina and my cervix. Using the ultrasound screen as her guide which I watched closely throughout the procedure , she pushed the catheter through the cervical canal and pointed it toward the top of my uterus and right Fallopian tube the side with the mature follicle.
The process lasted only about 60 to 90 seconds. The insertion of the catheter felt a lot like a tight, one-second pinch. To minimize stress , Baratz recommends that women maintain realistic expectations about the chances for IUI success and try to focus on other things. I thought I was lucky to experience few to no side effects from the procedure, but according to Baratz, my experience is quite common. It was for us. Learn more about genetic testing for embryos.
As you might imagine based on the difference in procedures listed above, IVF vs. IUI has a very different price point. Medication adds another cost.
Learn more about the cost of fertility treatment. But we can look at general statistics for comparison. An unmedicated IUI cycle has virtually no side effects; the risk of infection from the IUI itself is about 1 in 10, The side effects of Clomid are typically mild. Other less common side effects include bloating, nausea, breast tenderness, weight changes, headaches, blurry vision, and mood swings.
Common side effects include hot flashes, headaches, and breast tenderness. The medication protocol with the highest chance of side effects are injectable gonadotropins FSH such as Follistim and Gonal-F.
About a quarter to a third of patients on injectable FSH will experience side effects, including headaches, mood swings, insomnia, hot or cold flashes, breast tenderness, bloating, or mild fluid retention. Additionally, the injection site could become sore, red, or slightly bruised. Again, these side effects should resolve without additional care after the cycle is over. OHSS is associated with swollen, enlarged ovaries and the collection of fluid in the abdominal cavity. While many people think of multiples—such as twins, triplets, and more—being the result of IVF, when a single embryo is transferred the gold standard for IVF , the chance of multiples is quite low.
The highest chance of multiples actually comes from a medicated IUI cycle specifically an IUI cycle with injectables , because doctors have less control over how many eggs are released and fertilized. For example, a couple in their early 30s with unexplained infertility and no obvious impediments to pregnancy are likely to start with IUI.
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