Understanding the differences IUI vs IVF: What’s the right choice for you?

You may have just received a diagnosis of infertility or have been trying to conceive unsuccessfully for years. Your doctor or friends may have advised you on IUI vs IVF, but all these fertility terms can be overwhelming. Understanding your options is an important first step in the fertility treatment journey. Drs. Munch and Hudson can discuss the differences between IUI and IVF, and the treatment success rates for both.

Let’s review IUI vs IVF

IUI, or intrauterine insemination (sometimes called artificial insemination), is a short office-based procedure in which a small volume of highly concentrated, highly motile sperm is placed into the uterine cavity at the time of ovulation. IUIs can be done with sperm from either a partner or a sperm donor.

IUIs often restore fertility rates to what they should be for a woman’s age, usually providing a 5% to 20% success rate, depending on the age of the female. Younger age means better chances for pregnancy.

Learn more detailed information about IUI and the sperm preparation process here. IUI can be performed in a natural (unmedicated) cycle or in conjunction with oral medications, such as clomiphene citrate (Clomid) and letrozole (Femara), or injectable gonadotropins (Gonal F, Follistim or Menopur).

IVF, or in vitro fertilization, is the process by which eggs and sperm meet outside the body, and the resulting embryo is placed back into the uterus in a second step. During IVF, multiple eggs are recruited from the ovary through powerful medications called gonadotropins. Then the eggs are removed from the woman’s body by passing a needle through the top of the vagina into the ovaries under ultrasound guidance. The eggs are then introduced with sperm in the IVF laboratory, rather than inside the woman’s fallopian tubes.

The resulting embryos grow and develop in the laboratory for five to seven days, to the blastocyst stage. Commonly, these embryos are cryopreserved (frozen), and possibly genetically tested, before they are transferred back to the uterus during the following cycle. Pregnancy rates can be upwards of 50% to 70% with IVF.

Should I do IUI or IVF?

The question on which fertility treatment, IUI vs IVF, is the best for you is very much a personalized choice made between you and your treating physician. There are some reasons why one tool is the right one to reach for.

IUIs are usually the first-line treatment for patients with mildly low sperm counts, as well as for patients desiring a more stepwise or “natural cycle” approach, with minimal use of powerful medications. Many same-sex female couples choose to use donor sperm IUIs to successfully conceive without procedural interventions.

IVF can be the right tool as well. This is especially true for women whose fallopian tubes are blocked, since sperm cannot meet with the egg in a natural or IUI cycle. IVF is necessary when sperm counts are too low to have reasonable chances of success with IUI. IVF is also the required tool if patients desire genetic testing of embryos, for chromosome numbers or to prevent the transmission of certain known genetic diseases in the family. Same-sex female couples who wish to have one person provide the eggs and the other person carry the pregnancy choose reciprocal IVF to have this opportunity.

For many couples, IUI and IVF may both be reasonable choices. For them, the decision to pursue IUI vs IVF often comes down to the age of the couple, the length of infertility, desired family size, and insurance coverage and costs for both procedures. Our fertility specialists are well-trained to give you the information and counseling you need to make the right decision for your family.

If you are struggling to get pregnant and are confused on whether IUI vs IVF is the right option for you, please contact our office to get answers from our board certified fertility doctors. An appointment with Dr. Munch or Dr. Hudson can determine which procedure is best for you.