Intrauterine insemination (IUI)

What is IUI?

IUI, also known as artificial insemination, is a type of fertility treatment in which the better quality sperm are separated from sperm that are sluggish, non moving or abnormally shaped. These sperm are then injected directly into the womb.

This may be performed with your partner’s sperm or donor sperm (known as donor insemination). It may be used in the treatment of:　

• People who need donated sperm but have no female fertility problems, including single women and same sex couples.
• Couples who are unable (or would find it very difficult) to have vaginal intercourse, for example because of a physical disability or psychosexual problem.
• Those who have a condition which means they need specific help to achieve a pregnancy safely (for example, men who are HIV positive and have had sperm washing to reduce the risk of passing on the disease to their partner and potential child).
• You may be offered IUI with your partner’ sperm if you have unexplained infertility, but the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Guidelines advise against this, and, as a result it is generally not funded by the NHS. If you have unexplained infertility and would prefer to have IUI rather than IVF you are likely to have to pay privately.

What’s the difference between IVF and IUI?

IUI allows the body to do more on its own than IVF, so it’s a more natural but also less successful form of treatment.

In IUI, the highest quality sperm are selected and injected into the uterus where they are left to fertilise the eggs naturally. In IVF, the eggs are removed from the body and fertilised in the lab. This means that IUI is a less invasive procedure which involves fewer drugs than IVF. It’s also considerably less expensive – one cycle of IUI is typically a quarter of the price of one IVF cycle.

However, IUI is also less successful than IVF. Once you’ve injected the sperm you’re allowing the body’s natural processes to take over whereas in IVF you have more control – you can check the egg has fertilised and select the best embryo(s) to put back into the womb.  Success rates for IUI are generally around a third of that for IVF.

Is there anyone IUI isn’t right for?

It’s important to understand that IUI is not a cheaper/less invasive alternative to IVF. If you have a significant fertility problem it’s unlikely to work for you. 

If you have blocked fallopian tubes, severe endometriosis, low quality eggs, a low number of eggs (low ovarian reserve), or male factor infertility, IUI will not be appropriate for you. If you’re in your late 30s or over 40 you might also be advised to have IVF even if IUI is appropriate for you. As women age the number of available eggs naturally decreases, as do your chances of succeeding with IUI.

How safe is IUI?

Generally, IUI is a very safe procedure. The main worry is that you might have a multiple pregnancy (twins, triplets or more), which carries serious health risks to both mother and babies. Multiple babies are more likely to be premature, have a low birth weight or die before or after birth. 

Your risk of multiple pregnancy will depend on how many follicles (and therefore how many eggs) develop. This will be affected by whether you’re taking fertility drugs. If you are taking fertility drugs it’s vital that you have scans to check the number of follicles and if too many are developing your treatment should be stopped. Your clinic should discuss this with you.

Find out more about the risks of fertility treatment

How successful is one cycle of IUI?

As with any fertility treatment, the younger the woman is the higher her chances of getting pregnant. You’re also more likely to get pregnant if you have fertility drugs to stimulate your natural cycle.

Many women will have several cycles of IUI before they have a successful pregnancy so it’s worth considering that when you’re thinking about costs of treatment.

Our latest statistics can be found on our research and data page.

What does a typical IUI cycle look like?

This process outlines a single cycle of IUI following the most commonly used procedure. You may find that you’re given different drugs or that your treatment is slightly different depending on your history and what your clinic thinks is best for you.

Check fallopian tubes: You can only have IUI if your fallopian tubes are open and healthy. Your clinic will check this using keyhole surgery, a vaginal ultrasound or an x-ray.

Fertility drugs: You can either have fertility drugs to boost your egg production or you can have IUI as part of your normal menstrual cycle. 

Scans: If you’re taking fertility drugs you should to have ultrasound scans to check how many follicles are developing. If there are too many the cycle will have to be cancelled because of the risk of multiple pregnancy.

Hormone injection: When you are ready for your IUI to be timed you’ll either be given a hormone injection to help the eggs mature and ovulate or you’ll have tests to check when you’re about to ovulate.

Insemination: Sperm are washed and prepared so that the best quality sperm are selected and injected into your uterus. The whole process takes just a few minutes and is relatively pain free.

Pregnancy test: You’ll be given a date to carry out your pregnancy test. You’ll understandably be excited at this stage but try not to do the test early as the result may be misleading.

I’ve had IUI and it didn’t work – what next?

Many people have several cycles of IUI before they achieve a successful pregnancy so if there are no obvious problems with your fertility your doctor may recommend you try again. You can try again straight away if you want to but some people prefer to take a break.

Find out more about coping if treatment doesn't work

If you’ve had six cycles of IUI without success your doctor may want to run some tests to see if there’s anything that might be affecting your chances of getting pregnant. Depending on the results you may be advised to consider IVF.

Find out more about fertility testing on NHS Choices

How can I find a clinic that offers IUI?

You can search for licensed UK clinics on our website. You'll need to enter your postcode and then update your search criteria to look for clinics offering IUI.

Choose a fertility clinic