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Infertility and treatment, Fertility treatment

Why does IUI fail?

Two women in fertility treatment sad about their IUI fail

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) is one of the most common types of fertility treatment. Many single women and couples start their journey towards parenthood with IUI. While IUI has a high success rate, many need to change treatment type or use donor sperm or eggs to fulfil their dream. Read why your IUI treatment may fail and how to move forward.

Possible reasons for failed IUI

There are many possible reasons for a failed IUI treatment. The most common reasons are age, ovulatory issues, fertility problems, low sperm quality, and an insufficient amount of treatments. Each reason is explained in-depth below.

Age

Age is one of the most defining factors in terms of fertility and being able to conceive. Women’s fertility decreases significantly after the age of 35, while the decrease is less significant for men. As a result, you may need more attempts to succeed if you are over 35 years old.

Ovulatory issues

The ovaries are an important part of the female reproductive system, and any ovulatory issues may hinder the success of IUI.

Fertility problems

PCOS and endometriosis are quite common among women and can cause fertility issues. It is possible to conceive through IUI if you have PCOS or endometriosis, but it may take longer or require an alternate treatment plan.

Poor sperm quality

In theory, you only need one healthy sperm cell to fertilise an egg, which means that men with low sperm quality can conceive through IUI. If the sperm used for IUI treatment is high-quality, the chance of success increases. There are plenty of things men can do to improve their sperm quality. Follow the link to read our blog post containing tips to improve the quality of your sperm.

Poor egg quality

You need a high-quality sperm cell and egg to create a pregnancy. As a result, many IUI attempts fail because of poor egg quality, hindering the fertilised egg from developing into a healthy embryo and further into a healthy pregnancy.

Insufficient amount of treatments

Every fertility journey is different. Some get pregnant after their first try, while others need more rounds of treatment. Remember to be patient and try enough times before consulting your doctor about other treatment types.

Timing

You have a small window of opportunity to create a fertilisation. The insemination must occur within 24 hours of ovulation to increase the chances of fertilisation. If the insemination is performed before or after, the success rate is affected negatively.

Visit Cryos Clinic

We have opened our own Cryos Clinic as we want to help people, no matter their relationship status and sexual orientation, fulfil their dream of a child. Follow the link below to read more about the clinic.

Cryos Clinic

 

Symptoms of IUI failure

We recommend that you take a test two weeks after the insemination. A pregnancy test is the only way to be sure whether the IUI has failed or not. During the two-week wait from the insemination to the pregnancy test,t you may experience bleeding or a lack of pregnancy signs, which may indicate an IUI failure. However, you can experience these symptoms while still being pregnant. Therefore, we always recommend you take a test before losing hope.

Some of the most common causes of IUI failure are:

  • Menstrual bleeding
  • Lack of pregnancy signs
  • Pain in the abdominal area
Woman being checked for fertility problems

The next step after IUI fail

The next step after a failed IUI treatment depends on your situation. If you are at the beginning of your treatment, you should try again until your doctor advises you to change the treatment plan. Depending on the infertility cause, you may need to consider other alternatives like treatment with donor sperm or eggs. By getting help from an egg or a sperm donor, you maintain a genetic relationship between one parent and the child. Feel free to contact us if you need help figuring out the next step.

Click on the buttons below to see our sperm and egg donor database.

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FAQ about IUI failure

Why am I not getting pregnant with IUI?

There are several reasons for a failed IUI. The most common reasons for not getting pregnant with IUI are age, ovulatory issues, and fertility problems like PCOS or endometriosis.

Why is the success rate of IUI so low?

The success rate of IUI is around 18% per treatment cycle. A success rate of 18% is actually high compared to normal intercourse. It only seems low when compared to IVF, which is a much more complicated and invasive process.

Is it possible to get pregnant after a failed IUI?

Yes, it is common to need more than one round of IUI before receiving a positive pregnancy test. If you have tried multiple rounds of IUI without a positive result, you can also proceed with IVF or ICSI.

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