Intrauterine insemination – analysis and comparison of cycles stimulated with clomiphene citrate or gonadotrophins

Abstract

Background: The purpose of our study was to determine the success rate of IUI depending on type of stimulation. We tried to establish the influence of infertility indications and semen quality on IUI cycle outcome. Methods: We analyzed retrospectively 1753 cycles performed in 781 infertile patients. We compared the success rate depending on indication, type of stimulation and semen quality. For statistical analysis Pearson’s chi-square and Mann- Whitney U tests were used. Results: Pregnancy rate was 6.6 % for all indications, pregnancy rate per couple was 13.6 %. Pregnancy rate for idiopathic infertility was 7.6 %, for female infertility, male infertility and combination of the two the rates were 6.5 %, 5.4 % and 5.0 % respectively. The lowest pregnancy rate 3.4 % per cycle was achieved in couples with tubal infertility. Pregnancy rate with clomiphene citrate stimulation was 6.3 % and with gonadotrophins 10 %; 87 % of pregnancies were achieved when inseminated with semen that contained at least 2 million mobile sperm. Conclusions: IUI is a noninvasive, low-cost method. It is suitable for the treatment of idiopathic infertility, male infertility and female infertility without tubal pathology. The best results are obtained in cycles stimulated with gonadotrophins and with total motile sperm count of at least two million per catheter.