When it comes to fertility treatment, many couples wonder whether to choose in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intrauterine insemination (IUI). Let’s look at the differences, along with how both IUI and IVF can play a role in your fertility experience.
What Is IUI?
IUI is an outpatient procedure where healthy sperm–either your partner’s or a donor’s–are placed directly into your uterus.
When you’re close to ovulation, Dr. Macer will pass a catheter through your cervix and place the sperm into your uterus. IUI is often painless, though you may experience mild cramping and spotting for one or two days after the procedure. You’ll then take a pregnancy test in two weeks to see if you’ve successfully conceived.
You may choose to have IUI when you ovulate naturally, or Dr. Macer may give you medication to stimulate ovulation and help your body mature more eggs to increase your chances of conceiving. If you do take medication before IUI, your risk of having a multiple pregnancy increases.
What Is IVF?
IVF is more involved and requires more steps than IUI, and also comes with higher success rates.
With IVF, you’ll need to first take medication to stimulate your body to mature more eggs. Dr. Macer will monitor the growth of your eggs, and when enough eggs are mature, he will use a needle to retrieve the eggs from your ovaries.
At the same time, your partner will provide a sperm sample that will be combined with your eggs in our lab located in Laguna Hills, CA to form embryos over the next three- to five days.
Once the embryos are ready, you may choose to immediately transfer an embryo (fresh transfer) or freeze them for later use. Freezing your embryos allows time for preimplantation genetic testing to be done to ensure the embryos are healthy.
You may need to take medication to help thicken the lining of your uterus for implantation. Once an embryo is transferred, you’ll again take a pregnancy test in two weeks to see if the transfer was successful.
When Is IUI Used?
Many couples choose to begin treatment with IUI because it’s both less expensive and less invasive than IVF.
Because IUI places sperm directly into your uterus, this makes it a helpful procedure for couples dealing with cervical abnormalities or problems with sperm motility. It’s also a great choice if there are ejaculatory issues or difficulty having intercourse, or if you’re using donor sperm.
When Is IVF Used?
IVF is one of the most common fertility treatments today because of its high success rates. It’s especially preferable for couples who struggle with infertility due to factors like endometriosis, problems with fallopian tubes, low sperm count, erectile dysfunction, and other conditions. IVF also allows couples concerned about passing on a genetic disorder to screen their embryos before transfer.
In addition, IVF provides a path to parenthood for those who chose to protect their future fertility, either for medical reasons or because they weren’t yet ready to grow their family. IVF also provides additional paths to parenthood for those wishing to have children within LGBTQ+ partnerships, via gestational carriers, or as single mothers.
Why You Might Try IUI and IVF
Rather than pursuing one or the other, many couples make a plan to start with IUI and progress to IVF if necessary.
Because IVF is much more targeted in its approach and allows for genetic testing, it’s considered to have increased odds of success compared to IUI.
You may choose to freeze your eggs or embryos via IVF and then try conceiving through IUI. Because fertility declines with age, this approach helps safeguard your ability to grow your family in the future.
Getting Started With IUI and IVF at Halo Fertility
At Halo Fertility, we understand that it can be overwhelming to decide whether to pursue IUI or IVF, and we encourage you to meet with Dr. Macer and speak with our financial coordinator to help you decide which approach is best for you. We’ll assess your current health and fertility, and discuss options to help you finance your treatment to help you make an informed decision.
If you’d like to learn more about IUI, IVF and other fertility treatments, or get started with IUI or IVF, we encourage you to schedule an appointment at Halo Fertility with our experience fertility team.
